Sanskrit - Grandmother of all Languages
Hemantini Bhatia
Granny, naani, daadi, aaji— the word itself sounds so sweet, no matter in which language or dialect! Sweeter still was the love of a grandmother for those of us who were fortunate enough to be blessed with one. It brings back to us the cherished memories of kisses and cuddles, soothing lullabies and magical nursery rhymes — all in one’s own ‘tongue’! Enjoyable stories of little Krishna, maakkhan chor and His leelas with the gopis. Exciting episodes of the heroes of Ramayan and Mahabharat, of brave royals like Shivaji and Vikramaditya, the blazing astras and shastras zooming in the skies and the blessed rishis of yore, spreading their wisdom and values… all of these in our very own language.
The quests and conquests by the mighty Moghuls and the mightier British and so many other conquerors and looters, changed the very face of Bhaarat; the most painful loss being that of our very powerful language, Sanskrit. With it is lost our ancient culture and heritage, our pride, our very soul. This unkindest cut of all is believed to have been thrust by the brilliance of Lord Macaulay. In 1835, Macaulay is supposed to have proclaimed in the British Parliament that the mighty country of India was conquered, not by weapons and soldiers, but by cutting her off from her very language; the source of all her strength and glory.
English was made the official language for the government and courts and was adopted as the official medium of instruction. Both, education and life, were successfully westernised in India. The Indian ethos itself was trampled upon. To date, some of us Indians still worship the western way of life and dress, ridiculing the simple and comfortable dhoti, relegating the elegant and graceful sari to formal occasions. The English language and the western culture are so ingrained in us that we have almost forgotten ourselves!
I gratefully remember the prudent advice of Jack Gibson, the principal of the prestigious Mayo College, Ajmer. He absolutely insisted that my son take up Sanskrit as his second language and not the fashionable French. For, as he put it, “Sanskrit is the mother of all the languages of the world.” And I will always cherish how my tiny five-year old granddaughter admonished me in Kutchi, when I inadvertently introduced an English word in my Kutchi dialect. “Ma, why don’t you speak in Kutchi instead of English?” A condemning silence followed. The family lived in England and the order of the day was - Kutchi at home, English outside.
The United Nations has rightly observed - When languages fade, so does the world’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity. Language is more than a means of communication. It is the very condition of our humanity. Our beliefs, values and identity are embedded in it. The language we first learn is from our mother. She is the first one to speak to her child, to interpret his wants and desires. It is the mother-tongue - the language spoken in the home. This is the first language, the beautiful sounds of which mould us in the womb, shaping our personality, thoughts and life. We think, dream and feel emotions in our mother-tongue. What we learn then is deeper, faster and more effective.
The Vice President of India has this to say, “Every language spoken in the world represents a special culture, melody, colour and is an asset. It originates in a specific socio-cultural milieu as the first identity mark. Much of a child’s future social and intellectual development hinges on the milestone of his mother-tongue.”
That leads us to the problem of couples who do not share the same language. Is the father’s language a natural substitute? And migrant parents? Bilingualism is fast becoming the condition the world over. And what about the medium of instruction? Also, what about the lingua franca of a world that is continuously getting smaller by the day? With every technological advancement, the world appears just a few feet in size! English, after all, will hold the fort! Let us learn to accept multilingualism as an advantage in the multicultural, diverse and competitive global order, a gain and not a loss. Let us keep our doors open for our children, whichever way they may turn.
Sanskrit, a dead language? And difficult to learn? When all the world is waking up to its value, we are still asleep. And why has it been dubbed a Hindu language? Surely, a language has no religion. It is essentially a means of communication. Just as English is not Christian, Sanskrit cannot be Hindu! In India, we have some twenty-two languages to struggle with. Today, Tamil Nadu is protesting against the use of Hindi. If Sanskrit is the source of all languages, would that not solve the demeaning quarrel?
The world has repeatedly turned to the spiritual wisdom of India for healing its wounds. Seeing the importance of the Sanskrit language, the world has started learning it. Even the Oxford Dictionary describes Sanskrit as the ancient and sacred language of India, known member of Indo-European family. Forgetting Lord Macaulay’s comments, the British now have many universities and at least one school — St. James’ School, London, which teaches Sanskrit to every child for the first five years. Germany leads in the number of colleges and universities that teach Sanskrit in Europe, and has more students applying for admission than seats available! 6th September has been officially declared as World Sanskrit Day — What are we waiting for?
Uttishthata Jagrata! thundered the Kathopanishad as little Nichiketas took up the challenge to follow the path of Brahma Vidya. In turn, the irrepressible Swami Vivekananda sounded his mighty clarion call across the continents and the oceans of the world. “Arise, awake, stop not till the goal (of reviewing our precious ancient culture and Sanskrit language) is reached!”
Our Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda responding to this great summons of duty, and stretched His Vedantic Vision of value-based, well planned Vidyalayas, to that of a Sanskrit University. And thus was born the full-fledged Sanskrit University in Veliyanad. Under Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF), Ernakulam, Kochi, its parent body, this Shodha Sanstha came into being on 21st September 2008. Gurudev’s idea was to set up a study and research centre to facilitate academic alliance among scholars across the globe and to bring out the ancient terms and terminologies employed in the Vedas, to the context of the modern way of life. He wanted to build a bridge to embrace the western minds to our heritage. The University is affiliated to the Central Sanskrit University (established by an act of Parliament under the Ministry of Education, Government of India) as a Shodha Sansthan Centre.
The vision and mission of the CIF Shodha Sansthan (CIFSS) is vast and expansive. Many opportunities are offered by way of seminars, workshops and conferences for the study of sastras and Sanskrit. Textual study and camps on conservation and preservation of manuscripts and publishing of rare books are exceptional chances for one to avail of. Dhimahi, the research journal, eagerly awaits the contributions of Sanskrit scholars. Even the humble classes for spoken Sanskrit, short-term evening courses, attract much attention. Encouragements and recognition by way of scholarships and prizes are given generously. Their library is a reality, not merely a dream. Also, a visit to the book centre, Chinmaya Vani would be very rewarding.
To aid their untiring efforts, the CIFSS has appealed to those of us who have rare books and manuscripts in our repertoires to give them for safe and trusted documentation, digitalization and conservation – with the promise to care for them and preserve them in your name. It is their earnest request to those who have Pandulipis in any condition to contact the CIFSS. I am positive that somewhere in our treasure chests, you will find an invaluable treasure that awaits you. The CIFSS already has 2000 non-printed manuscripts and 24,000 printed volumes of books. Most importantly, we must help to protect and preserve our glories past and pass it on to future generations.
The Adarsh Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya Shodha Sansthan and the CIFSS was Gurudev’s sankalpa, his Vedantic vision come to life. With Herculean efforts, our Guruji, Swami Tejomayananda has reared it into an active, living institution. The tidal wave of his own compositions and commentaries has added muscle to it. As Swami Swaroopananda has rightly said, “Life is a learning process, our learning should never come to an end. I have learnt that my living should help many live and my success must bring success to many.” The famous cliché that education gives the child both roots and wings, is so true. If English gives wings as a lingua franca, Sanskrit, the grandmother of all languages, is the veritable root for the languages of the world.
This unique opportunity has been handed to us on a golden platter by the loving care of Pujya Gurudev. Let us all join hands to make the University glow with success and pride and bring back India’s glory.