Importance of Sanskrit

Once Sanskrit Language was the life line of Indian people. It is sad to note that this  invaluable Language has lost its glory in the present era. In this modern age we can see that very few people are interested in this glorious Language. I believe that some years back there was this proposal to make Sanskrit compulsory in schools from class 1 to 8th standard. But apparently many people were against this wonderful Language. Some critics of the Language remarked that the inclusion of Sanskrit in the school curriculum as a compulsory subject will encourage communalism. I am amazed at such senseless criticisms, since Sanskrit Language does not have a trace of communalism in it. And how can a Language be communal?

Once Sanskrit was the crown of Indian Literature, but now it has fallen down from its pedestral. In the ancient era Sanskrit was held in great esteem and it was termed as a “Debobhasa” because it was believed that the gods used this Language to communicate with people. So the Sanskrit Language has some sacred implication. It has a vast treasure of Literature and our ancient religious and philosophical concepts were expressed through this Language. Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagawad Gita, Dramas, Scientific texts, philosophy, art, humanities ————— all were written in Sanskrit. It was the only Language practiced in ancient India. In short, the Sanskrit Language expresses the culture and tradition of ancient India and we may regard the Sanskrit literary compositions as a kind of history of the ancient era. Only Sanskrit can acquaint us with the earlier age, without the knowledge of which our education will remain incomplete. Hence we would be a poor nation, if we are ignorant of our own culture, tradition as well as the life in the past. How can we know about ourselves without knowing our history in the long past?

In actual fact, Sanskrit is the soul of India and without this Language we would lose our spirit and the life line of Indian people. It is endowed with the spirit of Liberation and tolerance as well as some ethical principles. Anybody, after reading a few books in Sanskrit, would realize how magnificent the Language is. It may be called the richest and the sweetest of all the Language in the world. Sanskrit does not belong to any particular race, sect or religion. It represents a culture that is not narrow and sectarian, but open, tolerant and all-embracing. To have real progress of mind and body, it is imperative that we inculcate Sanskrit in our present way of life. It is very important to do that, since because of our negligence of Sanskrit, western culture has elbowed out our rich Indian culture. To day we have a pseudo culture which is rather derogatory to our own culture.

Sanskrit is one of the richest and oldest languages in the world and the beauty of this language is incomparable. Often it is misconceived as only a language of a particular religion comprising hymns and rituals. But this is a totally wrong conception of this great Language. This view does great injustice to Sanskrit and also betrays the ignorance of the modern generation regarding intelligence and brilliance of ancient sages as well as the writers, thinkers, scientists, philosophers and geniuses like kautilya, Charaka, Sushruta, Aryabhatta, , Bhattaraya, Kalidasa, Bhababhuti,  Varahmihira  and others.  

Sanskrit has a wealth of knowledge comprising Mathematics, Medicine, Botany, Chemistry, Astronomy, Art and Humanities besides great religious and literary work. It is so rich that to delve into it is like delving into the ocean. The names of Kalidasa, Bhababhuti and some others in the field of literature need no introduction. Abhigyana Sakuntalam, Swapna Basabdatta, Kadambari, Kiratarjuniyam, Manusamhita are only a few gems out of so many precious stones in the field of literature. In these books you can find magnificent description of Nature’s beauty. These books demonstrate how nature was  venerated in the ancient era. Animals and birds were also viewed with respect. From these books we can know that there was no question of environmental pollution or destruction of wild animals in that era. These literary works depict the rich culture of the Indian people brilliantly. Only knowledge of Sanskrit can make us aware of the rich Indian culture, which should be preserved. A Sanskrit drama never ends in tragedy and it demonstrates the fact that man’s hope for happiness is always there. Maharshi Valmiki’s Ramayana and Maharshi  Vyas  Deva’s Mahabharata amply demonstrate the brilliance of these talented authors. These two epics are not only invaluable, but they are also incomparable. Countless characters are intertwined to make a composite whole with every individual and incident being placed in proper place.