Sanskrit

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Hindu Revealed Scriptures Comes in Three Languages.


1. Hinduism source works (revelations & scriptures) come in three main language streams - Sanskrit, Prakritís and Tamil. These three languages have their exegeticalnative traditions of grammars dated prior to the beginning of the current era. These languages are used by the Hindu traditions for the documentation, practices, preservation and propagation of cultural, religious, technical, philosophical, mystic and spiritual heritage. The religious and ethnic identities are integrally connected to this understanding.

Each stream of these languages has well defined conventions of grammar, dictionary, and technical vocabulary. These conventions also have discipline specificity. Sanskrit traditions use the paninian grammar, the shiksha shastras, pratishakhya, nirukta, amarakosha and the like. Prakrit traditions use the grammar of Vararuchi, Hemachandraand the like. Tamil tradition uses the Tolkappiyum grammar base, agama traditions, divyaprabandhaís and the like. These linguistic conventions supplemented with the voice mode and the practice traditions, are an integral part of understanding the generic and specific forms of Hinduism. These conventions of language-methodology need to be respected in any interpretative and comparative studies of Hinduism.

It is an accepted tradition to start Hinduism studies with the sacred spiritual linguistic documents. These documents come in three languages as above. Diverse streams of analysis of these source documents are at the root of the divergent forms of understanding of Hinduism.

From the language related studies of these three streams, we understand that every linguistic expression will have in its output, an acceptable level of language grammar assimilated in to it. Discipline specific applications of language would have technical vocabulary and conventions in the final expression.

 
Dr BVK Sastry,
Hindu University of America, in his paper presented in the recent DANAM conference.