What better way to familiarize yourself with India's rich culture and tradition, than knowing its oldest language? Sanskrit language is believed to have stemmed in India around 3500 years ago and was termed as ‘Dev Vani’ (the language of Gods), because all our ancient texts like Vedas and Upanishads were written in Sanskrit. World Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit Diwas is therefore remarkable in its own way. It is observed on Shraavana Poornima which is the full moon day in the month of Shraavana as per the Hindu calendar. Accordingly, this year Sanskrit Diwas falls on 12th August. It is one among two special days for any language dedicated by the government of India. The first being "Hindi Diwas" which is celebrated every year on 14th of September.
The ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Sanskrit Day:
The major objective of observing Sanskrit Diwas is to give impetus to acknowledgement and appreciation to the glory of this ancient language by more and more people. In ‘Manu Smriti’ the auspicious day of Sanskritadinam marks the beginning of ‘Veda Adhyayanam’. Veda Adhyayanam means to know and understand the Vedas holistically and not solely the recitation part of them. Vedas, which are considered as the roots of Indian culture, consist of what we can call the genealogy of the ritualistic aspects of our old traditions and festivals that have been celebrated by us for as long as we can remember.
Gurukul Teaching.
Sanskrit ki khoj:
In the olden times the traditional academic session in Gurukuls began on the propitious day of Shraavana Poornima. This tradition is still prevalent and followed in the modern Vedic schools. A Vedic ritual called ‘Upkaram’ was organized for the initiation ceremony of the Gurukul. In this ceremony, Yajnopavita - a sacred thread is worn before the study of Vedas is initiated. The old Yajnopavita is also changed. In ancient India, despite of living a simple life reliant on alms the Gurus in the Gurukul acquired vast knowledge and accumulated it in the form of Sanskrit texts and also spread them to the students. These texts consisted of all the modern subjects and sciences such as architecture, ayurveda, astronomy and many more. In Sanskrit there are four Vedas which hold significant relevance even today and are analyzed in a thousand different ways and each way contributes a valuable insight. UNESCO had declared Rigveda, that is one four Vedas, as the oldest document of human civilization. There are around 30 million Sanskrit manuscripts preserved in India itself, which means that the magnitude of work in Sanskrit surpasses that of Greek and Latin put together.
The Science of Sanskrit:
Sanskrit language is known to be highly scientific in nature. Sanskrit term is derived from conjoining the word ‘Sam’ which means ‘entirely’ and the suffix ‘Krit’ meaning ‘done’. In terms of communicating, reading and hearing, the term ‘Sanskrit’ indicates perfectly or entirely done. Sanskrit was the language of court and highly literate people, while the ordinary people during that time used ‘Prakrit’ as a language of communication. Many words in Sanskrit, which we commonly use today, such as ‘Satyamev Jayate’ meaning ‘truth always wins’ and ‘Atithi devo Bhav’ which means ‘a guest is equal to God’ shows the philosophical and cultural depth of Sanskrit language. In Yajurveda it is said that, “Aa no Bhadraha Kartvo Yantu Vishvaatah” which means, let the good thoughts come from all around. Subhashitha which are epigrammatic poems, in Sanskrit, are like a powerhouse of knowledge that helps and guides us throughout our life.
Many schools in Indian philosophy like Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta were written in Sanskrit. Patanjali the founder of Yoga philosophy wrote this entire school in an unbelievably compact way, thus proving the potency of each one-line verse used by him. One can express an idea in a single word in Sanskrit whereas it would take four to six words or even more than that for the same in English. Through all these, it can be proven that Sanskrit is a language which has preciseness, spirituality, and is based on high logic.
Ancient scripture written in Sanskrit.
How Sanskrit Day came into being:
In 1969, a proposal for celebrating Sanskrit Diwas every year was passed. Commendable effort was made by then education minister Dr. VKR Varadraja Rao and Dr. Karan Singh to make it happen. Efforts for promoting Sanskrit in independent India were also taken. The first Sanskrit commission was established in 1956 with renowned linguist Dr. Suniti Chatterjee as its chairperson. This commission aimed at suggesting many new ways to improve Sanskrit education in India. Now the government has created a 13-member advisory committee on Sanskrit headed by N. Gopalaswami in November 2015. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi is the oldest Sanskrit university, which was founded by Governor Jonathan Ducan in 1791 during British rule. After independence the first Sanskrit institution was established in Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh in 1961.
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Oldest Sanskrit University
There are currently 4 central and 12 state universities established by the government to promote Sanskrit language. There are 14 universities in Germany providing Sanskrit language and they are now in high demand all over the world. Other countries like London and Ireland are making Sanskrit a compulsory subject in many schools. Census in 2011 informs us that merely 24,821 people marked Sanskrit as their mother tongue in India. Sanskrit is said to be the mother of all languages. There is a village in Karnataka in which everyone speaks in Sanskrit language and Uttarakhand has declared Sanskrit as their state language. Sudharma is the only Sanskrit newspaper in the World which has been published since 1970 in Karnataka. Now Sanskrit has proven to be the most computer friendly language. The meditation and yoga practices written in Sanskrit are now followed by and appreciated by people all over the world. Even though all these still there are people who are not well aware about the power and remarkableness of Sanskrit language. Celebrating Sanskrit Diwas gives you the opportunity to ponder again on the importance of Sanskrit and find new ways to promote it not only as a language of ancient text from India but as a world leading language of this new generation.
Sudharma, only Sanskrit language newspaper in the world.
From Language to Legacy:
Sanskrit as a language is not just a means of communication, in the modern times it is about to become a foundation of all technological advancements and in those ancient times it has helped in noting down an ideal way of living and has contributed to humankind in multiple ways and still continues to do so… Shouldn't we all be proud to belong to a land that has so much to offer only through a language? Wouldn't it be fascinating to know what other wealth is still undiscovered or unacknowledged? Maybe it’s time to stop taking what we all have for granted, and rather celebrate this Gifted language which is the purest representation of our culture and its legacy.
Thank you for reading!
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