03-11-2007, 08:24 PM
<b>Insult of the wonder language</b>
<i>Modern day mandarins scoff at Sanskrit even as they promote Persian,
Urdu and Arabic</i>
By Dr. Indulata Das
Now let us come to some comments made on Sanskrit in a Sanskrit
University by none other than the Chancellor of the same University.
In the near past Shri T. V. Rajeswar, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh
who is the Chancellor of the Sampurnananda Sanskrit University on the
occasion of convocation of the University said `Sanskrit is the
language of the bullock cart age. If you read Sanskrit you will get
services in temples as priests.
"Sanskrit is the greatest language of the world" said Max Muller. Sri
Aurobindo said "Sanskrit language, as has been universally recognised
by those competent to form a judgment, is one of the most magnificent
literary instrument developed by the human mind".
These are only a few mentions of the innumerable glories of the wonder
language Sanskrit sung by people throughout the world and through the
ages. It is difficult to recite all the praises of Sanskrit that
people in India and abroad have sung. Because of the great height of
Sanskrit, people generally desist from making a comparison of Sanskrit
with any other language whether Indian or alien. But whenever there is
a comparison, Sanskrit is always placed at an exceptionally high place
in comparison to other languages. For example Prof. Boop, a great
scholar, making a comparison of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin said "It
(Sanskrit) is more perfect and copious than Greek and Latin". Sir
William Jones while referring to the perfection of Sanskrit said "We
(Europeans) are still behind in making even our alphabet a perfect one".
Now let us come to some comments made on Sanskrit in a Sanskrit
University by none other than the Chancellor of the same University.
In the near past Shri T. V. Rajeswar, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh
who is the Chancellor of the Sampurnananda Sanskrit University on the
occasion of convocation of the University said `Sanskrit is the
language of the bullock cart age. If you read Sanskrit you will get
services in temples as priests. You will never get a salary of
two-three lakh Rupees per annum. You shall not be able to visit
foreign countries if you read Sanskrit. There is not a single
University in the world exclusively meant for languages similar to
Sanskrit like Greek or Latin. But there are ten Universities for
Sanskrit (as if it is something very deplorable and unfortunate that
there are so many Universities for Sanskrit)'.
Yes, it is a small portion of the speech that the Chancellor of
Sampurnananda University delivered, that too during the convocation.
The comments created widespread resentment among students and Sanskrit
lovers.
It is true that Sanskrit is a language which was there when bullock
cart was the only mode of transport. It may go much beyond that age
and may be traced back to a period when there was no mode of transport
at all and people used to negotiate lengthiest distances with the help
of their feet only. But it is a matter not of shame but of great pride
that we had, even during that ancient time the most developed language
of the globe which is considered to be `the best language of the
world' even today.
Everything does not turn outdated with the passage of time. The sun
has not become old. The moon has not developed aging deformities with
the rolling of time. The stars have not been dilapidated. There are
eternal human values which are considered ideal in every age. These
are not getting outdated.
One of such ageless grandeurs is Sanskrit, the great wonder of the
world. Till date, no language in the world has emerged as a match to
Sanskrit.
It is no small wonder that the language which was used before
thousands of years is being used today in the same way. There is no
change in the structure or in the style of Sanskrit language and hence
the old literature of the ancient India can be understood and learnt
without slightest difficulty. The language of Ramayana and Mahabharata
has not grown old or become outdated. Anybody with the rudimentary
knowledge of Sanskrit can go through the great epics with the minimum
possible efforts. The languages which are much much younger to
Sanskrit have undergone so much changes that their original form has
been lost in oblivion. The credit of this maintenance of Sanskrit's
eternal beauty through the ages goes to the great intellectual giant
Panini.
The grand grammar of Panini is the unending source of rejuvenation for
the great language. Having been stabilised by the grammar of Panini
the language is capable of sustaining the attack of time and is always
up-to-date in nature. Not only this, the whole world admits that
Sanskrit is the most scientific language among all the languages known
so far. It has been found to be the most suitable language for
computer because of its scientific nature. As a result now students
even in the Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology of America are being taught about the structure of Sanskrit
because of its fitness in computer.
Sanskrit is not an unused language either. In India there are at least
five thousand families where Sanskrit is the only medium of
expression. There are villages in which Sanskrit is spoken en-mass.
There are more than sixty registered and unregistered magazines and
journals brought out in Sanskrit. Literature in Sanskrit is being
created continuously. Sanskrit is taught in at least forty countries
and in two hundred fifty Universities. Sanskrit is enlisted as one of
the modern Indian languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of
India.
Now Yoga has become famous throughout the world. All the treatises on
Yoga are written in Sanskrit. One can imagine how important and
unavoidable Sanskrit has become because of its necessity for Yoga.
Ayurveda is gaining more and more popularity especially among the
elite both inside India and abroad. All the authentic books on
Ayurveda are composed in Sanskrit only. Learning of Ayurveda is
handicapped without the knowledge of Sanskrit. Without the knowledge
of Sanskrit, it is not possible to have a clear and complete knowledge
of Indian Philosophy too. Knowledge of Indian history is not
comprehensive without the knowledge of Sanskrit. It was said aright by
Fakiruddin Ali Ahmed- "It (Sanskrit) is the language of every Indian".
And Mahatma Gandhi also was appropriate in saying -"Without the study
of Sanskrit one can not become a true Indian and a true learned man".
One wonders how the Chancellor of Sampurnananda Sanskrit University is
unaware of all these facts! Moreover the Chancellor does not know that
there is provision in the same University to learn English along with
Sanskrit. Not only English, there are many modern subjects in the
syllabus. For example there are Science, Linguistics, Political
Science, Economics, Hindi etc. in the syllabus of the University.
There are Diploma courses in Library Science, Music, German, French,
Tibetan, and Chinese etc. Perhaps he does not have a complete idea
about the University of which he is the Chancellor. However his
comment on Sanskrit is painful for the lovers of Sanskrit language and
Indian culture.
Sanskrit is the pride of India. The literature stored in Sanskrit is a
vast treasure not only of India but also of the whole world. May a
time come when we understand our own worth and respect our own
invaluable treasure!
<i>(The writer can be contacted at Qr. No. 5R, 9, Forest Park, Unit-1,
Bhubaneswar. )</i>
<i>Modern day mandarins scoff at Sanskrit even as they promote Persian,
Urdu and Arabic</i>
By Dr. Indulata Das
Now let us come to some comments made on Sanskrit in a Sanskrit
University by none other than the Chancellor of the same University.
In the near past Shri T. V. Rajeswar, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh
who is the Chancellor of the Sampurnananda Sanskrit University on the
occasion of convocation of the University said `Sanskrit is the
language of the bullock cart age. If you read Sanskrit you will get
services in temples as priests.
"Sanskrit is the greatest language of the world" said Max Muller. Sri
Aurobindo said "Sanskrit language, as has been universally recognised
by those competent to form a judgment, is one of the most magnificent
literary instrument developed by the human mind".
These are only a few mentions of the innumerable glories of the wonder
language Sanskrit sung by people throughout the world and through the
ages. It is difficult to recite all the praises of Sanskrit that
people in India and abroad have sung. Because of the great height of
Sanskrit, people generally desist from making a comparison of Sanskrit
with any other language whether Indian or alien. But whenever there is
a comparison, Sanskrit is always placed at an exceptionally high place
in comparison to other languages. For example Prof. Boop, a great
scholar, making a comparison of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin said "It
(Sanskrit) is more perfect and copious than Greek and Latin". Sir
William Jones while referring to the perfection of Sanskrit said "We
(Europeans) are still behind in making even our alphabet a perfect one".
Now let us come to some comments made on Sanskrit in a Sanskrit
University by none other than the Chancellor of the same University.
In the near past Shri T. V. Rajeswar, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh
who is the Chancellor of the Sampurnananda Sanskrit University on the
occasion of convocation of the University said `Sanskrit is the
language of the bullock cart age. If you read Sanskrit you will get
services in temples as priests. You will never get a salary of
two-three lakh Rupees per annum. You shall not be able to visit
foreign countries if you read Sanskrit. There is not a single
University in the world exclusively meant for languages similar to
Sanskrit like Greek or Latin. But there are ten Universities for
Sanskrit (as if it is something very deplorable and unfortunate that
there are so many Universities for Sanskrit)'.
Yes, it is a small portion of the speech that the Chancellor of
Sampurnananda University delivered, that too during the convocation.
The comments created widespread resentment among students and Sanskrit
lovers.
It is true that Sanskrit is a language which was there when bullock
cart was the only mode of transport. It may go much beyond that age
and may be traced back to a period when there was no mode of transport
at all and people used to negotiate lengthiest distances with the help
of their feet only. But it is a matter not of shame but of great pride
that we had, even during that ancient time the most developed language
of the globe which is considered to be `the best language of the
world' even today.
Everything does not turn outdated with the passage of time. The sun
has not become old. The moon has not developed aging deformities with
the rolling of time. The stars have not been dilapidated. There are
eternal human values which are considered ideal in every age. These
are not getting outdated.
One of such ageless grandeurs is Sanskrit, the great wonder of the
world. Till date, no language in the world has emerged as a match to
Sanskrit.
It is no small wonder that the language which was used before
thousands of years is being used today in the same way. There is no
change in the structure or in the style of Sanskrit language and hence
the old literature of the ancient India can be understood and learnt
without slightest difficulty. The language of Ramayana and Mahabharata
has not grown old or become outdated. Anybody with the rudimentary
knowledge of Sanskrit can go through the great epics with the minimum
possible efforts. The languages which are much much younger to
Sanskrit have undergone so much changes that their original form has
been lost in oblivion. The credit of this maintenance of Sanskrit's
eternal beauty through the ages goes to the great intellectual giant
Panini.
The grand grammar of Panini is the unending source of rejuvenation for
the great language. Having been stabilised by the grammar of Panini
the language is capable of sustaining the attack of time and is always
up-to-date in nature. Not only this, the whole world admits that
Sanskrit is the most scientific language among all the languages known
so far. It has been found to be the most suitable language for
computer because of its scientific nature. As a result now students
even in the Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology of America are being taught about the structure of Sanskrit
because of its fitness in computer.
Sanskrit is not an unused language either. In India there are at least
five thousand families where Sanskrit is the only medium of
expression. There are villages in which Sanskrit is spoken en-mass.
There are more than sixty registered and unregistered magazines and
journals brought out in Sanskrit. Literature in Sanskrit is being
created continuously. Sanskrit is taught in at least forty countries
and in two hundred fifty Universities. Sanskrit is enlisted as one of
the modern Indian languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of
India.
Now Yoga has become famous throughout the world. All the treatises on
Yoga are written in Sanskrit. One can imagine how important and
unavoidable Sanskrit has become because of its necessity for Yoga.
Ayurveda is gaining more and more popularity especially among the
elite both inside India and abroad. All the authentic books on
Ayurveda are composed in Sanskrit only. Learning of Ayurveda is
handicapped without the knowledge of Sanskrit. Without the knowledge
of Sanskrit, it is not possible to have a clear and complete knowledge
of Indian Philosophy too. Knowledge of Indian history is not
comprehensive without the knowledge of Sanskrit. It was said aright by
Fakiruddin Ali Ahmed- "It (Sanskrit) is the language of every Indian".
And Mahatma Gandhi also was appropriate in saying -"Without the study
of Sanskrit one can not become a true Indian and a true learned man".
One wonders how the Chancellor of Sampurnananda Sanskrit University is
unaware of all these facts! Moreover the Chancellor does not know that
there is provision in the same University to learn English along with
Sanskrit. Not only English, there are many modern subjects in the
syllabus. For example there are Science, Linguistics, Political
Science, Economics, Hindi etc. in the syllabus of the University.
There are Diploma courses in Library Science, Music, German, French,
Tibetan, and Chinese etc. Perhaps he does not have a complete idea
about the University of which he is the Chancellor. However his
comment on Sanskrit is painful for the lovers of Sanskrit language and
Indian culture.
Sanskrit is the pride of India. The literature stored in Sanskrit is a
vast treasure not only of India but also of the whole world. May a
time come when we understand our own worth and respect our own
invaluable treasure!
<i>(The writer can be contacted at Qr. No. 5R, 9, Forest Park, Unit-1,
Bhubaneswar. )</i>