That's a good comment you make, Gunnar. I totally agree with your
assessment of the word "geisha".

However, this series is the solutions to exercises in the Introduction
to Pali by A. K. Warder, and in this passage for translation from
English to Pali, "geisha" is the word that Warder has chosen. I
wouldn't choose it myself as a translation for "ga.nika", and if this
was a Pali to English exercise, my answer would look different.

Warder has several bizarre choices for English translations in his
book, e.g. "priest" for "braahma.na" for one.

Thanks for highlighting this.
With metta, John

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Gunnar Gällmo <gunnargallmo@...> wrote:
> --- John Kelly <palistudent@...> wrote:
>
> > The geisha Ambapaalii was (hoti) beautiful, lovely,
> > endowed with the highest beauty-of-complexion.
> > ga.nika / Ambapaalii / hoti / abhiruupaa /
> > dassaniiyaa
> > / samannaagataa / paramaayaa / va.n.na-pokkharataaya
> > Ambapaalii ca ga.nikaa abhiruupaa hoti dassaniiyaa
> > paramaaya va.n.napokkharataaya samannaagataa,
>
> I don't think if it is you or your source who is using
> the word "geisha", but I think it is wrong in this
> connection for two reasons:
>
> 1. geishas are a typically Japanese phenomenon, and
>
> 2. if I am correctly informed, geishas (in the
> original sense of the word) are not prostitutes; they
> entertain male guests, but they don't have sex with
> them.
>
> "Courtesans", on the other hand, does have similar
> skills as a geisha, but with sex added, and besides
> the concept is not limited to one country only; and I
> think that is the common translation of "ga.nikaa".
>
> Gunnar
>
>
> gunnargallmo@...