Date- 26th July 2012

Sanskrit is arguably the oldest language still in existence. It was the lingua franca of Vedic India and is the mother of

all European languages. As such it is classified as an Indo-Iranian language; which is a sub-group of the Indo-

European family of languages. Its oldest relatives are Old Persian and Avestan. It held the same prestige that Greek

and Latin held in Europe. It is now, however, used predominantly for religious activities.

Origins of the tongue are as yet unclear, but what is certain, is that it settled and evolved in India. The word

“Sanskrit” means “Refined”. Over the centuries the name took the meaning of “Refined Speech” and “Cultured

Language”.

The earliest attested text in the language is the Rig Veda from around the 2nd Millennium BC. The ancient copies

have not survived except via oral transmission. Scholars are confident that the oral transmission of the texts is

reliable: they were ceremonial literature whose correct pronunciation was considered crucial to its religious efficacy.

Its use for sacred purposes, and the importance attached to its correct enunciation all served as powerful conservative

forces resisting the normal processes of linguistic change and conforming into a fully structured proper system.

The oldest surviving Sanskrit grammar is Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī ("Eight-Chapter Grammar") compiled around the 4th

Century BCE. It is essentially a prescriptive grammar, i.e., an authority that defines correct Sanskrit, although it

contains descriptive parts, mostly to account for some Vedic forms that had become rare in Pāṇini's time.

By the 1st Millennium BCE after the composition of the Upanishads, Vedic Sanskrit came to an end giving rise to

Classical Sanskrit. This differed from Vedic Sanskrit by deviating from the established rules of grammar by mixing

with local dialects and evolving into a new form. Most famous works in this version are the Hindu Epics

MAHABHARATA and RAMAYANA. There was heavy influence of Classical Sanskrit in East and South-East Asia mainly

due to spread of Buddhism in these areas, which also resulted in the migration of such works and other literature

into the Orient some of whom either adopted the language, literature or both.

Sanskrit gradually went into decline due to a weakening of the political institutions that supported it, and to

heightened competition with vernacular languages seeking literary-cultural dignity. There was regional variation in

the forcefulness of these vernacular movements and Sanskrit declined in different ways across the Indian

subcontinent. The fact that there was no standardised script for Sanskrit accelerated the decline.

Sanskrit survived only as a ceremonial language much like Latin did in Europe. It wasn’t until 1786 when a British

Judge Sir William Jones, a philologist, noticed several similarities in Sanskrit, Persian and European Languages. On

further researching he concluded that all of them came from a common source lost to time. He initiated the in-

depth studies of ancient Indian texts and deciphering all the various scripts thereby giving rise to Indology and Indo-

European Studies.

Date- 26th July 2012

Sanskrit phrase attributed to Kalidas: May Śiva bless those who take delight in the language of the

gods. Written in modern Indian and other Brahmi scripts. There was no standardised writing

system for Sanskrit until the 19th Century when the “Devnagari” script was standardised for

Sanskrit. The language was written in different scripts in different regions. This depended upon the

literacy of the locals to spread which was adversely affected by waves of invasions in those

regions. These scripts survived due to emigration of Buddhists into Central Asia and the Far East.