All those who have attended Upasana or Aradhana or Sadhana Classes are Invited to attend a Unique Sanskrit Sambhashana (Conversational) Shibir.
This Shibir aims to improve and achieve Conversational Fluency in Sanskrit.
Sanskrit will be the only Spoken language at the Shibir. There will be Lectures, Seminars, Discussions, Debates & Interactive Games.
Venue : âAnandashramâ Khar Math,Mumbai.
Dates : 19th,20th & 21st Novemberâ2004.
Time: 8 am to 7 pm on all three days.
Breakfast, Lunch & Snacks will be provided.
Outstation delegates will have to make their own residential arrangements.
Those who have not attended any of our courses but have a proficiency in Sanskrit and unable to converse can also join the Shibir & improve their conversational fluency.
Delegate Fees: Rs 300/- only.
Register early since seats are limited.
Contact Dr Chaitanya S Gulvady on 31015394
Smt Archana Savnal
Coordinator, Geervana Pratishtha
I started a new thread to discuss about Tamil , the Only existing , Non-Indo-European Classical language of India , but the new thread dissappeared surprisingly.
April 11, 2000
Statement on the Status of Tamil as a Classical Language
Professor Maraimalai has asked me to write regarding the position of Tamil as a classical language, and I am delighted to respond to his request.
I have been a Professor of Tamil at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1975 and am currently holder of the Tamil Chair at that institution. My degree, which I received in 1970, is in Sanskrit, from Harvard, and my first employment was as a Sanskrit professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1969. Besides Tamil and Sanskrit, I know the classical languages of Latin and Greek and have read extensively in their literatures in the original. I am also well-acquainted with comparative linguistics and the literatures of modern Europe (I know Russian, German, and French and have read extensively in those languages) as well as the literatures of modern India, which, with the exception of Tamil and some Malayalam, I have read in translation. I have spent much time discussing Telugu literature and its tradition with V. Narayanarao, one of the greatest living Telugu scholars, and so I know that tradition especially well. As a long-standing member of a South Asian Studies department, I have also been exposed to the richness of both Hindi literature, and I have read in detail about Mahadevi Varma, Tulsi, and Kabir.
I have spent many years -- most of my life (since 1963) -- studying Sanskrit. I have read in the original all of Kalidasa, Magha, and parts of Bharavi and Sri Harsa. I have also read in the original the fifth book of the Rig Veda as well as many other sections, many of the Upanisads, most of the Mahabharata, the Kathasaritsagara, Adi Sankaraâs works, and many other works in Sanskrit.
I say this not because I wish to show my erudition, but rather to establish my fitness for judging whether a literature is classical. Let me state unequivocally that, by any criteria one may choose, Tamil is one of the great classical literatures and traditions of the world.
The reasons for this are many; let me consider them one by one.
First, Tamil is of considerable antiquity. It predates the literatures of other modern Indian languages by more than a thousand years. Its oldest work, the Tolkappiyam,, contains parts that, judging from the earliest Tamil inscriptions, date back to about 200 BCE. The greatest works of ancient Tamil, the Sangam anthologies and the Pattuppattu, date to the first two centuries of the current era. They are the first great secular body of poetry written in India, predating Kalidasa's works by two hundred years.
Second, Tamil constitutes the only literary tradition indigenous to India that is not derived from Sanskrit. Indeed, its literature arose before the influence of Sanskrit in the South became strong and so is qualitatively different from anything we have in Sanskrit or other Indian languages. It has its own poetic theory, its own grammatical tradition, its own esthetics, and, above all, a large body of literature that is quite unique. It shows a sort of Indian sensibility that is quite different from anything in Sanskrit or other Indian languages, and it contains its own extremely rich and vast intellectual tradition.
Third, the quality of classical Tamil literature is such that it is fit to stand beside the great literatures of Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Persian and Arabic. The subtlety and profundity of its works, their varied scope (Tamil is the only premodern Indian literature to treat the subaltern extensively), and their universality qualify Tamil to stand as one of the great classical traditions and literatures of the world. Everyone knows the Tirukkural, one of the world's greatest works on ethics; but this is merely one of a myriad of major and extremely varied works that comprise the Tamil classical tradition. There is not a facet of human existence that is not explored and illuminated by this great literature.
Finally, Tamil is one of the primary independent sources of modern Indian culture and tradition. I have written extensively on the influence of a Southern tradition on the Sanskrit poetic tradition. But equally important, the great sacred works of Tamil Hinduism, beginning with the Sangam Anthologies, have undergirded the development of modern Hinduism. Their ideas were taken into the Bhagavata Purana and other texts (in Telugu and Kannada as well as Sanskrit), whence they spread all over India. Tamil has its own works that are considered to be as sacred as the Vedas and that are recited alongside Vedic mantras in the great Vaisnava temples of South India (such as Tirupati). And just as Sanskrit is the source of the modern Indo-Aryan languages, classical Tamil is the source language of modern Tamil and Malayalam. As Sanskrit is the most conservative and least changed of the Indo-Aryan languages, Tamil is the most conservative of the Dravidian languages, the touchstone that linguists must consult to understand the nature and development of Dravidian.
In trying to discern why Tamil has not been recognized as a classical language, I can see only a political reason: there is a fear that if Tamil is selected as a classical language, other Indian languages may claim similar status. This is an unnecessary worry. I am well aware of the richness of the modern Indian languages -- I know that they are among the most fecund and productive languages on earth, each having begotten a modern (and often medieval) literature that can stand with any of the major literatures of the world. Yet none of them is a classical language. Like English and the other modern languages of Europe (with the exception of Greek), they rose on preexisting traditions rather late and developed in the second millennium. The fact that Greek is universally recognized as a classical language in Europe does not lead the French or the English to claim classical status for their languages.
To qualify as a classical tradition, a language must fit several criteria: it should be ancient, it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly on its own not as an offshoot of another tradition, and it must have a large and extremely rich body of ancient literature. Unlike the other modern languages of India, Tamil meets each of these requirements. It is extremely old (as old as Latin and older than Arabic); it arose as an entirely independent tradition, with almost no influence from Sanskrit or other languages; and its ancient literature is indescribably vast and rich.
It seems strange to me that I should have to write an essay such as this claiming that Tamil is a classical literature -- it is akin to claiming that India is a great country or Hinduism is one of the world's great religions. The status of Tamil as one of the great classical languages of the world is something that is patently obvious to anyone who knows the subject. To deny that Tamil is a classical language is to deny a vital and central part of the greatness and richness of Indian culture.
(Signed
George L. Hart
Professor of Tamil
Chair in Tamil Studies
Just before few minutes I started a new thread to discuss about Tamil , the Only one existing , Non-Indo-European Classical language of India ,( in other words Original Indian Classical language).but the new thread dissappeared surprisingly. I dont know why it cant be disscussed in a new thread. Everything Moderaters decision ? <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I do not know what happened. I looked for a thread on Tamil in the trash can which is where it would be if a moderator zapped the thread. I wll check with the other moderators. In the meantime why dont you restart the thread and we will see what happens. Pl. check if there is another thread on Tamil before you start a new one. One request. If you have something original to say, by all means say it, but dont just make an assertion and then leave. Back it up with data and links and why you think others should pay attention to your thesis or assertion. This is obviously not a new subject, but people are always willing to hear something new
Actually I had merged it with the "Indian Culture - General Discussions" thread. Earlier I had posted the link announcing Tamil being declared a classical language (along with Kannada being considered) . I was not sure whether there was enough material for a new thread (yet).
Added later : Strange now I cant seem to find Inian's post in that thread .. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Besides Sanskrit, the Samaaj is introducing English in these five tribal schools of Chhattisgarh.
FROM G MANJU SAINATH
DH NEWS SERVICE, JASHPUR NAGAR (CHHATTISGARH):
âSharanam. Aham Tav Abhivadanam Karomi.â Clad in white dhoti and kurta with a long tilak on forehead and nicely combed hairs, students of Samarbar Sanskrit Vidyalaya enthral the newcomer by greeting them in Sanskrit.
The tribal dominated village Samarbar in Raigarh district has this Sanskrit school where small children converse in Sanskrit with each other. What is more astonishing is that these kids are not Brahmin but tribal. Years ago an enlightened tribal person, Swami Rameshwar Kanwar, known popularly as Gahira Guru, began to change the tribal world by spreading spirituality.
Having read many ancient scriptures, Gahira Guru used Ramcharit Manas, written by Goswami Tulsidas, as a mean to teach people the essence of âSanatan Dharmaâ. Gahira Guru used to meditate everyday at Kailash Gupha (Kailash cave) at Samarbar, which is now a place of touristsâ delight.
Later Gahira Guru formed a group of 20 persons to start his organisation Sanatan Dharma Sant Samaaj at Gahira to elevate the standard and intellect of tribal people and change the way they were living in for centuries. In turn, this group constituted the Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Samarbar and Gahira where small kids frequently talk in Sanskrit, but within the school premises.
Gahira Guruâs son Chintamani, who has been appointed as the chairperson of the Chhattisgarh Sanskrit Board says, âSanskrit is a sweetest language and one who practices it, can never behave in an uncultured manner. We have heard of Kannada speaking villagers of Mattur in Karnataka speaking in Sanskrit and we want to bring Sanskrit in routine.â
Chintamani showed a hilly Korava tribal boy, a student of this school, who recited aloud the Sanskrit prayer. Koravas are the most backward community in Chhattisgarh.
The Sanatan Dharma Sant Samaaj has five Sanskrit schools at Gahira where Gahira Guru was born, Kailash Natheshwar Gupha in Raigarh district where Gahira Guru used to meditate, Samarbar â the place chosen by Gahira Guru to change the tribal world, Srikote and Ambikapur, both in Sarguja districts. Besides Sanskrit, the Sanskrit board is now introducing English in these Sanskrit schools to keep pace with the latest trends in the world.
Recognising the works done by the Sanatan Dharma Sant Samaaj, this year the BJP government awarded this organisation with Gahira Guru Samman. At least one can say that if things go on in the same pace, a miracle is going to happen soon at Samarbar and adjoining areas to dazzle the world.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I hope this is the correct thread, if not please do move it.
Hindu Revealed Scriptures Comes in Three Languages.
1. Hinduism source works (revelations & scriptures) come in three main language streams - Sanskrit, PrakritÃs 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, divyaprabandhaÃs 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.
Â
Dr BVK Sastry,
Hindu University of America, in his paper presented in the recent DANAM conference.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Committee to improve Sanskrit Pathshalas
Staff Reporter / Bhopal
A state level committee has been constituted for giving suggestions for improving the condition of the Sanskrit Pathshalas. The committee will study the present condition, curriculum, teaching method, inspection and supervision system, distribution of scholarship and availability of Information Technology and suggest measures to improve them in these Pathshalas
Schemes for providing scholarship to 44200 Sanskrit students in the state and assistance for modernisation of traditional Sanskrit Pathshalas are some of the proposals to be discussed by the committee. The measures are being taken with a view to promote Sanskrit learning and teaching in the state. For bringing about qualitative improvement in Sanskrit teaching, an orientation programme has also been organised for Sanskrit teachers in the state. Currently over 500 Sanskrit schools of conventional ancient system are being conducted in the state. Of these, 70 schools are being run under the School Education Department and Tribal Welfare Department, ten under the Higher Education Department.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
02-15-2005, 07:29 AM (This post was last modified: 02-15-2005, 07:51 AM by Hauma Hamiddha.)
<b>bhairava virachita kubjikA daNDaKaM</b>
The kubjikA daNDaKaM is a wonderful piece of sanskrit poetry that is said to be composed by bhairava in the praise of the goddess mahAdevI, the shakti of rudra.
It is from the 2nd chapter of the the kubjikAmata tantra. The daNDakaM may be recited by all with devotion for a variety of attainments such as children, wealth and relief from various pashas and sins. kubjikA means crooked, which is an allusion to the goddess as unaroused kuNDalini, who is concieved as being crooked.
[If time permits I may provide a translation and commentary on the hymn in the future- other on the forum may volunteer with this]
<!--QuoteBegin-Spinster+Feb 15 2005, 12:22 AM-->QUOTE(Spinster @ Feb 15 2005, 12:22 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> Please write commentary on Shyamala Dandakam ( I believe Kalidas had written this one)
Also how may Indian languages have the tradition/ Chandas for Dandakam?
I know for sure Sanskrit and Telugu language support the tradition of Dandakam Chandas.
Is it true most mantras are Anushtup Chanda? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Tradition has it that the shyAmalA daNDakaM was composed by kAlidAsa. Western Indologists have questioned it by stating that it expresses full blown kula Tantric thoughst that were absent in kAlidAsa's days. So it is believed to be secondary attribution. I am not so sure of this argument. But it definitely it shows signs of of the well-developed tripurasundarI stream of the kula Tantrism. shyAmalA is the prime minister and of the commanders of the army of lalitA who slew the asura viSha~nga in the bhaNDAsura war, riding on the car called the geyachakra.
daNDaKaM is usually applied to meters with irregular padas with syllable counts over 25. The daNDakaM was obviously acquired by Telugu as a part of its Sanskritization that culminated during the Vijayanagaran period of Tenali Rama.
The anuShtubh is the main meter of sholkas classic sanskrit. It has 16+16 syllables and is very widely used in the epics, purANas and tantras. It is also encountered in vedic in number of mantras.
When looking for something in Sanskrit dictionary,
I came across these two words.
kaTakaTa - name of shiva
kaTaaTa~Nka - name of shiva
Can someome please explain how these words are particularly
related to shiva? Or how did they become names of shiva?
Why are these not names of viShNu or devI or any other devata?
Also kaTakaTA - ind. an onomatopoetic word (supposed to represent
the noise of rubbing) MBh. Dhu1rtas. ; [cf. %{kiTakiTAya}.]
Any explanations or pointers in this direction will be much
appreciated.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Sanskrit has many supporters in Council
By Our Staff Reporter
BANGALORE, MARCH 15. A demand was raised in the Legislative Council today that Sanskrit be given its due importance as it is a repository of knowledge.
The issue came up during Question Hour when Veeranna Mathikatti (Congress) asked the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, R. Ramalinga Reddy, why salary arrears of teachers in 226 Sanskrit pathashalas had been pending for six months.
No sanction
The Minister said that there are 505 teachers in 226 pathashalas and their salary is being paid with the available grants. The salary up to September 2004 has been paid. Agreeing that the Sanskrit teachers have been put to severe hardship owing to non-payment of salary, the Minister said the situation has arisen as an official in the Directorate of Urdu and Minorities Welfare had approved the recruitment of 116 Sanskrit teachers without sanction from the Finance Department.
This triggered a debate and V.S. Acharya, M.R. Tanga and Balakrishna Bhat (all BJP) expressed displeasure over what they called the Government's apathy towards Sanskrit language. Without learning the language, it is impossible to study Ayurveda, Dr. Tanga said.
Chandrashekar Kambar joined them and demanded that due importance be given to the teaching of the language, but disagreed with an opinion expressed that even Dravidian languages were derived from Sanskrit.
V.S. Ugrappa (Congress), who often quotes Sanskrit slokas, did not agree with the belief that it was the language of one caste (Brahmins). Mr. Ugrappa said Sanskrit should not be neglected and children of all castes and communities should be encouraged to learn it.
Dr. Acharya said Sanskrit had been clubbed with Urdu and they needed to be separated.
The Minister promised to consider the suggestion. He also promised that the Sanskrit teachers will not face problems in the next academic year.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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