Sanskrit is universally recognised as the world’s oldest existent language and the mother of all languages by great religious and academic scholars. It is also called Devnagari, Dev Bhaasha and Deva Vani. These three descriptions denote the greatness of the language and the divine nature of its usage.
Devnagari indicates that it is the language used in the city of the Gods; Dev Bhaasha notes that is the language of the Gods; and Dev Vani refers to the fact that it is the language spoken by the Gods.
Sanskrit, apart from being the universal language root, is a language that has always been in active use, unlike some languages that have become extinct. The fact is that just like Sanatan Dharma, there is no real historical beginning date for the use of Sanskrit, since it emerged directly out of God.
According to Wikipedia: “The earliest attested Sanskrit texts are religious texts of the Rig-Veda, from the mid-to-late second millennium BCE. No written records from such an early period survive. However, 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.”
The ancient sage Panini wrote grammatical Sanskrit treatises around 500 BC. In his book Ashtaadyraji, he wrote that Sanskrit is a divinely revealed language. Sanskrit is the most scientific, precise and unambiguous language known to humanity. Its speech structure ensures that sounds are guttural, palatal etc. to convey the precise sound that is expected.
William Jones, a famous Greek and Latin scholar, noted: “The language of Sanskrit is a wonderful structure, more perfect than Greek, more copious than Latin and more exquisitely refined than either.”
Max Muller, the great German Orientalist, eulogised Sanskrit as the ‘greatest language of the world.’
Sanskrit continues even today to be the most refined of all languages and this is established not only in India, but throughout the world. It is not used only in the written form through publications. In the home of Sanskrit, India, it is studied and spoken by millions of people from primary to post-graduate levels.
Additionally, there are several Sanskrit universities, academies and schools. Furthermore, it is well known that Sanskrit is being learnt in dozens of foreign countries. In our own particular context, Sanskrit is read, recited and spoken every single day of the year.
Most of our mantras in pujas are Sanskrit mantras from the Vedas and the scriptural texts. Our discourses are routinely read in Sanskrit and then explained in English to our audiences. To achieve this result, the SDMS has invested heavily in having learned Sanskrit professors come to Trinidad over the last 50 years to enhance the skills of the pundits and others in reading, speaking and explaining Sanskrit verses.
In fact, just a few years ago, one of India’s most noted Sanskrit scholars, Professor Ramraksha Tripathi, spent three years in Trinidad teaching Sanskrit to several persons.
Over the years, many educators, lecturers, and false pretenders, who were given the responsibility of educating the masses, have found time to make uninformed statements that Sanskrit is only a written language; that is furthest from the truth.
Sanskrit is one of the 22 official languages of India. In 2010, Uttarakhand became the first State to have Sanskrit as its second official language. Sanskrit is also spoken in Western countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and other European countries. There is obviously a resurgence in the use of Sanskrit in the spoken format.
In a plural multi-religious, multi-ethnic society, such a comment should never be made without due consideration, reference to facts and research and advice from knowledgeable persons or organisations.
It is well-known also that there are several organisations and individuals in T&T that actively teach, promote and propagate Sanskrit as a spoken language.
The richness of Sanskrit is that one Sanskrit word conveys meanings that would require several other words. The greatness of Sanskrit is that it is not only used for religious purposes, even though this is extremely significant. It is a fact that Sanskrit use and practice are most widespread and prevalent in philosophy, law, science, literature, phonetics etc.
Knowledge of Sanskrit continuously opens doors to innovations and discoveries. Sanskrit has perfectly maintained all the scriptures of Sanatan Dharma since antiquity, and is the quintessential language on earth. If someone fails to understand the divine glory of Sanskrit, then at least keep quiet.
