Aa no bhadrāḥ krtavo yantu viśvataḥ

“Let noble thoughts come to us from all directions"

– (Rg Veda I.89.1)

There is a beautiful imagery in Sanskrit poetry of a donkey carrying sandalwood on its back not knowing what it is! As far as the donkey is concerned any load is the same as it doesn’t have to do anything with it. That is not the case with human beings I believe. We should be knowing the value of everything we possess, including our heritage.

Sanskrit language, which is one among them, is in news these days for many right or wrong reasons. But is it the problem of Sanskrit? Not definitely.

Today, Sanskrit is not the mother tongue of many, the way Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati or any other Indian language is. It is a second language often learned in school, college, home or in a Pathashala. Still there are people who communicate in this language. A language is considered living only if people communicate in it on a daily basis. The Sanskrit word for language, ‘bhasha’ means ‘that in which people talk’. (bhāshyate anena iti bhāshā). Every Hindu child is expected to know at least a few prayers in Sanskrit. The way every Parsi child is taught the Zorastrian prayers (Gathas) in the Avestan language which is no longer spoken.

Curiously, Avestan is closer to Vedic Sanskrit in which the hymns of the Vedas are sung. But in reality, how many understand Sanskrit today? And why this old language be learned or taught to our children?

Sanskrit is considered to be one of the oldest of all living languages. Still this language, as we find today, is a complete one with a structured grammar (rather many grammars!), with a vast body of literature starting from the scriptures in oral and written form to modern literature. In between it holds a treasure of technical literature or Shāstra which is maligned day after day.

In this world, there will be no population which doubts, blames or belittle its own cultural heritage openly like the Indians. Just because it is written in this ancient language. The fact that the language itself is refined (saṁskṛta) and has regenerative capacity shows the level of development of human intellect during the........

© News18