Sanskrit - 2

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Sanskrit needs Government patronage for its growth: Shankaramurthy

Special Correspondent

The Minister denounces efforts by some to denigrate the language

# `Winds are changing in favour of Sanskrit'
# Revision of Sanskrit textbooks urged

SHIMOGA: Minister for Higher Education D.H. Shankaramurthy denounced here on Saturday attempts by some to denigrate Sanskrit by calling it a dead language, and said the language was alive and was responsive to the hopes and aspirations of the people.

Inaugurating a State-level Sanskrit teachers' conference and "Sanskritotsava" organised jointly by the Karnataka Rajya Sanskrit Pathashala Shikshakara Sangh and Vipra Trust at Sri Gayatri Mangalya Mandir, Mr. Shankaramurthy said the knowledge of Sanskrit gave one the power to perform "miracles" too.

Performing miracles

He said it was believed that if the `Rudra Homam' was performed in Sanskrit with clear pronunciation, one would experience electric waves entering the body and the mind. "The same experience is believed to happen if the `Omkara' word is repeated with deep concentration. Such is the power of reciting hymns in Sanskrit," he said.

Mr. Shankaramurthy said that foreign rulers who had enslaved the country had not only harmed it politically but had also destroyed the country's cultural treasures. The destruction of the Nalanda University library was one example, he said, and the damage to Sanskrit was another as it was these rulers who had called it a dead language.
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"But what was lost in India was picked up by the Germans, who conducted research and gained proficiency in it (Sanskrit)," he said.

He said it was unfortunate that some of our own people were trying to make Sanskrit inaccessible to students.
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"But it is heartening to note that the winds are changing in favour of Sanskrit, and the lock that was put on this treasure has been removed," he said. Sanskrit, like the arts and culture, needed the Government's patronage for its growth, he added.

Status of language

Mr. Shankaramurthy said it was unfortunate that the previous Government had included Sanskrit in the list of minority languages. But the present Government appreciated the importance of the language and was trying to restore it to its former glory. The Government would not be found wanting in developing and promoting Sanskrit at all levels, he added.

He said he would urge the Government to address the genuine problems of Sanskrit teachers.

President of the Karnataka State Sanskrit Teachers' Association Chandrasekhariah called for an enhancement in the honorarium being given to Sanskrit teachers at the pathashalas.

Mr. Chandrasekhariah also said Sanskrit textbooks had not been revised for 36 years, and this should be taken up immediately.

President of the Shimoga District Sanskrit Teachers' Association Renukaradhya welcomed the gathering. Mallikarjun Murugharajendra Swamiji of the Bekkinakal Math presided over the function.