The Dilemma of Sanskrit Revival - Part 3

...Continued from Part 2

Final Part of the Series

The Scholarly Dysfunction

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything. - Albert Einstein.

In this great times of Sanskrit revival efforts, aren't there any scholars or experts who have studied the language deeply and can guide this movement? Apparently, there are plenty. Unfortunately, most of them have built a wall around themselves and have chosen not to take up the role of guiding the people. Many of them even have fallen for the populist approach and have adopted the same mis-constructs in circulation. Their excuse is this quaint quote "प्रयोगशरणाः वैयाकरणाः" - which means - it is not a grammarian’s job to tell people how to use a language. It is like a historian with the mindset: I have nothing to do with what is going on in this world - good or bad, but just will just record it. This point is so out of place in the current context. Yes, a language does grow based on how it is used by its speakers. But that is true when a language is live, in widespread use and its speakers know what they are doing with the language. The growth has to be in the right direction. Because of such inaction and indifference by experts at the time of need, history has witnessed many great things, even entire civilizations, sink into oblivion. Hopefully, the language experts will understand their responsibility, abandon the fears of social dislikes and start guiding in the right direction.

किं कर्म किमकर्मेति कवयोप्यत्र मोहिताः - Bhagavadgita
Even the learned ones are confused in determining what is right thing to do and what is not.

Shu-ha-ri
Shu-ha-ri is a Japanese principle used in many practices. In order to master a science or art, these three stages are followed. Shu means first follow and master the current framework. In the ha stage, you can add your innovations if needed. In the ri stage, you can deviate from the framework if needed. So, first find out what is currently out there, focus on understanding it, and use it correctly. But, in this time of instant gratification, we need to watch out for our tendency to jump to the third stage, knowingly or unknowingly, altering the framework, trivializing it, downgrading the quality of the language. That cannot be called Sanskrit - a Refined Language.

Another blog post on similar subject - Revival of Sanskrit, A Long Way To Go

The Dilemma of Sanskrit Revival - Part 2

...Continued from Part 1

Second Part of the Series

The Fallacy of "Baby’s Way of Learning"

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. - Aldous Huxley

We often hear the analogy of how babies learn a language, and how that is the natural, good way to learn Sanskrit. Such an analogy is blind to many of the facts. The baby’s way of learning is true, but is hardly applicable in case of Sanskrit learning today. Babies are completely immersed in an environment, without any pre-impression of any other language. They have full time on their hand, watching the actions and words of adults who are completely native to that language. During the first two years, a baby hears about 6,000-10,000 words per day. After all this, a baby typically starts to utter single words after a year. Such conditions hardly exist in any of our lives. We all know how we struggle to learn swimming, cycling, skating etc. once we grow up.

Critical thinking: It is heartening to see so many people all over the world, developing interest in learning Sanskrit. To cater to this demand, many fast-track Sanskrit camps and classes - online and offline - have become a common occurrence. It is really commendable that so many selfless people are volunteering their effort, energy, and sometimes even money to the cause of Sanskrit. Often times, new graduates of such boot camps are initiated into teaching other newcomers. This is all good to get more people interested in this language. But, it has the consequence of high chance of incorrect translational usages being propagated exponentially. And the first learning is extremely hard to get rid of, even if one comes to know of its flaws. For adults, a lot of unlearning is involved, generally for any new skill, and especially when a dormant language has to be revived to its graceful stature. The key for any serious enthusiast is to get into a mode of critical learning, move beyond the introductory level, shed the biases, leave behind the preconceived notions and embrace the intended structure of the language.

Just a Communication Tool?: A language can be looked at as just a tool for communication - a medium to express your thoughts - like the English language being used and taught in most parts of the world. For non-English speakers, it is just a medium, to somehow get the thoughts across and get the job done - without bothering much about its constructs etc. Is Sanskrit language just that, or is it a platform with a potential to expand one’s philosophical vista and elevate the consciousness? It could be both. In either case, it should not be corrupted with external lingusitic influences.

There is a quote in Mahabharata:
बिभेत्यल्पपुरुषाद् वेदो मामयं प्रतरिष्यति - bibhetyalpashrutaad vedo maamayam pratarishyati
The veda fears from the one who does not know it properly, that such a person would misinterpret me (veda) and spread the wrong meaning. That is true for any kind of knowledge base.

Continued in Part 3...

The Dilemma of Sanskrit Revival - Part 1

In the recent times, there has been a significant effort to revive Sanskrit as a spoken language. The noble intentions and pain-staking efforts are worthy of great applause indeed. Seems like more and more people are becoming aware of the Sanskrit language. In the zest of this spread, the language itself is being subjected to compromises - some of them of really serious nature. This multi-part post is an attempt to identify the genesis of such side effects.

The British Raj Effect
Whether Sanskrit was actually an everyday spoken language of common masses or was it just a link language - is a subject of debate. In any case, it is clear that over the centuries, use of Sanskrit decreased gradually and its use was confined at the scholastic level, and then mainly to the study of scriptures. The introduction of the British colonial education system in India during 1830-1860 and its subsequent adoption delivered a big blow to the currency of Sanskrit. During the following 4-5 generations, the English was firmly established in the minds of Indians as the language of official business, and as a path to earn better livelihood and stature in society. Since then till date, English has continued to maintain that status in the Indian society. This transformation brought changes to many facets of the Indian society, including its languages. During the period 1920-1960, there were many books on Sanskrit grammar, written primarily in English. We also see that many of these have grammatical structures oriented towards the English grammar, perhaps with the thought that it would be easy for the students studying English. However, another important development that took place during this era was the gradual change to the fundamental structure of the Sanskrit language itself, importing some of the English language structural formations. This was the effect of reverse-education - that is first English, then Sanskrit. This led to the displacement of Sanskrit as a native language to a translational representation of thoughts in English.

The Growth Pangs
Sanskrit ceased to be a common (if not of masses) spoken language - for centuries. Bringing it back into currency is not going to be easy. It might take generations. The modern technological tools might speed up that process. However, like any tool, these technological tools could be good or bad. The revival efforts need careful and appropriate handling. The structure and usage of the language needs to be unearthed thoroughly, interpreted properly and then adopted in its true spirit. Otherwise, it will be an exercise of merely getting familiar with the words and throwing them in the usage. Such a language can hardly be called "Sanskrit".

Continued in Part 2...

शिवपार्वती-संवादः

Thanks to Shri Easwaran Subramanian for writing and contributing this story.

पार्वती - प्रभो, विलक्षणं मन्ये भारतः । स्वल्पानि चेतनान्येव कैलासं आगच्छन्ति । गङगायां स्नानं कृत्वा पापनाशनं भवति शिवलोकं सिध्यति च इति भवतोक्तम् । अस्याः परिस्थित्याः कारणं किम् ? जनाः गङ्गायां न स्नान्ति उत भागीरथी पापविमोचनशक्तिं अजहात्?

महादेवो हसन् पार्वतीं समाधातुं तामुपगम्य रहस्यं समादिशत् । तदनन्तरं तौ वृद्धरूपं धृत्वा भूमौ अवतीर्य हरिद्वारे गङगातीरम् समतिष्ठेताम् । तत्र बहवः जनाः स्नानं कुर्वन्ति स्म । सहसा महेश्वरो जलप्रवाहे स्नातुम् प्रविष्टवान् । परन्तु तेन धारायाः बलं असह्यम् अभवत् । यदा सः हस्तौ उन्नम्य साहाय्यं प्रार्थितवान् तदा केचन पुरुषाः नदीजलं प्रविश्य तं रक्षितुं सज्जा अभवन् । तान् दृष्ट्वा पार्वती अभणत् "तिष्ठन्तु, यः विगतकल्मषः अस्ति सः एव तं रक्षितुं शक्नोति ।अन्ये मा यतन्ताम्" इति । एतत् श्रुत्वा यदा सर्वे विस्मये स्थिताः तदा एकः झटिति प्रवाहे निपत्य तं वृद्धपुरुषं गृहीत्वा तटे स्थापितवान् ।

सः तस्य नगरस्य कुप्रसिद्धः चोरः आसीत् । समूहात् केचन समीपवासिनः तं विज्ञाय अपृच्छन् "कथं जातः त्वं पवित्रः । वयं जानीमः त्वं स्तेनः एव । त्वया बहूनि पापकर्माणि कृतानि" इति । सः आपत्बान्धव उक्तवान् "सत्यमेव अहं पापकर्माणि कृतवान् । परन्तु यदा अहं गङ्गाजले स्नातवान् तत्क्षणमेव अहं निर्मलः अभवम्" इति ।

महेश्वरः - पश्यतु प्रिये, सः स्तेनः गङायाः महिमायां परिपूर्णां श्रद्धां हृदि आधृत्य एव प्रवाहे निपतितवान् । शिवलोकप्राप्त्यै श्रद्धा आवश्यकी ।

पार्वती - ज्ञातं भोः ।

श्रद्धा = Faith