ELI5: paishachi sanskrit

What is Paishachi Sanskrit?

Paishachi (also spelled Paisaci) was a special language used in ancient India, kind of like how we have fancy words we use in books versus how we talk every day [1][3]. It's mentioned in old grammar books about Sanskrit and similar languages [1]. Nobody writes much about it anymore, which is why we don't know very much about how it actually worked [1][4].

Why was it called Paishachi?

The word "Paishachi" comes from Sanskrit and has a special meaning in the old language [3]. It was one of several similar languages that existed in the middle kingdoms of ancient India, alongside languages like Maharashtri and Shauraseni [5].

What happened to this language?

Paishachi was mostly lost over time, and we don't have many examples of it written down anymore [1][4]. Sanskrit became more important and widespread, and languages like Paishachi faded away [5].

How do we know about it?

Even though almost no one speaks or writes Paishachi anymore, old Sanskrit and Prakrit grammar books mention it [1]. These ancient books are like history books that tell us this language used to exist [1][2].