Sanskrit: Not a language but a methodology to enhance mental, intellectual, and emotional capabilities
Why Sanskrit is essential for human evolution?
Why is Sanskrit known as the language of Gods?
Can a language bring sanity, peace & happiness to humans?
One thing that is synonymous with humans is Expressing or rendering expressions or interactions or communication. Perhaps that’s why humans are also called social animals.
One is alive implies that one has thoughts, one’s thoughts whether good or bad need expressions. Thus, when one is alive means one is expressing, whether verbal or written. Language beyond gestures remains the simplest way of expressing.
When did language originate?
No other species have any ability or sophistication to communicate via a language apart from humans.
But the question arises how did language come into existence?
Some linguists suggest that as human evolution continued and the brain’s ability kept developing, the physical ability of humans also developed to speak and articulate the language.
Whilst others argue that first came the physical ability to make sounds, from the sounds came the language and that’s how the brain got shaped to learn and speak languages.
Western theories state that language came into existence one lac, and eighty thousand years ago, though the remnants of the past state that written language started merely 6000 years ago. Sounds got converted into symbols and symbols formed letters, letters formed words and words made sentences, and so forth.
How did these sounds originate?
The origin of sound in other languages like Latin, Greek, etc beyond Sanskrit has again many theories behind it.
Some concluded that the sounds of the language came from the sounds that mimicked the sounds of the animals. Another group trusted a model or belief system popularly known as the Poo-poo model, which states that language originated from the sounds of emotional interjections like grunts, groans, and snorts. Essentially the sounds that were evoked during heavy physical labor.
The Greek philosophers Plato and Pythagoras however had a different perspective also called Ding Dang Theory that states that speech arose in response to the essential qualities of objects in the environment. The original sounds people made were supposedly in harmony with the world around them.
Subsequently, these sounds were recorded in the form of symbols and that’s how written language came into existence. Some believe that trade necessitated the written language and symbols were created to have the same understanding between the buyer and seller under barter and that’s how written language was born.
As people moved from one place to another, language evolved, mixed, changed, mispronounced, distorted, altered, modified, and that’s how various other languages came into being.
Origin of Sanskrit
Unlike all other languages, the origin of Sanskrit is different and largely unknown. Sanskrit, which is also known as the language of Gods predates everything, hence it’s difficult to find how a language with great science and system behind it emerged and existed even millions of years ago. And this surely is not an exaggeration.
Let me enunciate using a simple example.
Purans predate everything else on this planet. As per Agni Purana, the Kaliyuga in which humans are presently living will consist of 4,32,000 years (5123 years have been passed in Kaliyug).
The preceding Yuga to Kaliyuga is known as the Dwapar Yuga in which Lord Shree Krishna (one of the avatars of Lord Shri Vishu took birth and spoke about the wisdom of Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta) was born was twice as long as the Kaliyuga.
Preceding the Dwapar Yuga, was the Treta Yuga that had thrice the duration of the Kaliyuga in which Lord Shree Ram was born along with his brothers Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughan (Shri Ram was an incarnation of Shri Vishnu, his brother Lakshman a manifestation of Sheshnag, Bharat, an embodiment of Shankha and Shatrughan personification of Sudarshan Chakra).
The Yuga preceding Treta Yuga was the Satyuga which was four times longer than the Kaliyuga (During Satya Yuga, Lord Vishnu manifested himself in four different incarnations, namely Matsya or fish or west calls is a Paleozoic era which witnessed the evolution of arthropods and chordates. The second incarnation of Lord Vishnu was the Kurma avatar or amphibious tortoise or a period of the Mesozoic era famous as the age of reptiles or dinosaurs. Then came the avatar of Varaha or Wild Boar during the Cenozoic era or age of smaller mammals, and then came the Narsimha avatar, man-lion form.)
Moving on, One Kaliyuga, one Dwapar Yuga, one Treta Yuga, and one Satya Yuga are collectively known as one Chaturyugi (or 43 lacs 20 thousand years).
Fifty-Six Chaturyugis is known as one Manovantar.
Fourteen Manovantars are known as one Kalpa.
Twelve Kalpas make one day of Brahma.
Brahma, the creator, is believed to have lived for billions of years.
Agni Puran which mentions the chronology is the conversation between God Agni or God Fire (one of the PanchMahabhuta) and Maharishi or Sage Vasishta.
The conversations happened in Sanskrit, which then was passed by Maharishi Vasishta to Ved Vyas who then transcribed it into a text in Sanskrit.
Several such examples conclusively prove that Sanskrit preceded everything that is known in ancient and modern history. In essence, Sanskrit essentially originated at the same time as the origin of life on this planet.
Some other labels that Sanskrit carry have been demystified in subsequent paras (continue to stay with me).
One perception that most carry is that Sanskrit is a tough language. The grammar of Sanskrit is rule-based, formula-bound, and logical, which makes it highly appropriate to write algorithms and easy to understand as well as learn.
The grammar also makes Sanskrit suitable for machine learning and even most suited for applying in the context of artificial intelligence. Sanskrit is a naturally spoken language with mechanics and grammatical rules that allows artificial intelligence to more accurately interpret sentences during linguistic analysis.
One of the journals stated that NASA had made claims that Sanskrit is the most suitable language to develop computer programming for their Artificial Intelligence program.
Thus, what can be used by science, can easily be understood and learned.
Another perception Sanskrit holds is that Sanskrit is only used for religious purposes or in temples or is the language of Sadhus (ascetics or monks)
The reality and facts are very different. Sanskrit used in Vedic texts constitutes merely 1% of the total wisdom covered in the Sanskrit language. Other texts that are important and pious for the Santana Dharma including Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, Srutis, Smritis, Itihasas, etc only formulate approx. 6% of the total Sanskrit literature.
The balance of Sanskrit literature consists of Mathematics, and Sciences like medicine, astronomy, atomic theory, Yoga, organic farming, metallurgy, physiology, etc.
Works of Rishi Panini or Rishi Patanjali or Rishi Charvaka have to do with humans, human life, human health, human happiness and have little to do with religion.
Ancient sages of Santana Dharma didn’t have any concept of religion, for them, the Santana Dharma or Hindutva was a way of life that always revolved around human well-being and thus they ensured that health, happiness, and Dharma are conjoint so that people formulate good habits, which in turn keep them happy and healthy.
A simple example of this fact is that Spices used in any Pooja or Hindu ritual like clove, turmeric, whole rice grain, betel leaf (Pan) are all superfoods and are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Thus Chants during Hindu rituals increase bodily vibrations, Havan samagri purifies the environment, and spices that are given back to people performing the ritual once consumes act as health add-ons.
The saddest part is that the language intended to do only good for humans is now on the verge of extinction with less than 20,000 people agreeing that they have any know-how of Sanskrit during national surveys.
The planet has over a billion Hindus, and ~ 90% of them or more (a lot of non-Hindus) say some form of prayer, shlokas, mantras, or words in Sanskrit which gives them inner strength and peace, yet during national surveys one states otherwise. The simple word Aum https://tinyurl.com/2639pz27 which has immense power in itself is chanted multiple times by Hindus and people from other religions speaking Sanskrit yet not acknowledging it.
Sanskrit like a mother (quite literally mother of all languages) continues to do good for everyone who is on this planet.
Some explicit benefits of Sanskrit
1. Sanskrit enables and empowers people who have learning disabilities- Learning Sanskrit is easy as it’s rule-based with no ambiguity. For people who have ADHD, learning disabilities, or slow mental growth, if exposed to Sanskrit learning, Sanskrit Shlokas, and chants, it helps them with their learning ability and settling the mind.
2. Corrects Breathing and infusing Prana- The arrangement of consonants in the Sanskrit alphabet is methodical as stated above. The stop consonants in Sanskrit are arranged in an alternating fashion.
The first and third sounds of each group are spoken with least or minimal breath release whilst the second and fourth are spoken with maximal breath release. When one articulates a sound by releasing minimal and maximal breath, one experiences a sense of relaxation or expansiveness. This is nothing but Pranayama.
(Pranayama in simplified terms means control of Breath”. “Prana” is Breath or vital energy in the body. On subtle levels, prana represents the energy responsible for life or life force, and “Ayama” means control. So Pranayama is “Control of Breath”. One who controls the rhythms of pranic energy with pranayama and achieves a healthy body and mind.)
3. Sanskrit helps in bringing focus — As one speaks in Sanskrit, one gets into a mode of meditation. In Sanskrit, each group of sounds ends with an oronasal sound, which requires the breath to be released through both the mouth and the nose. When one constantly articulates a sound with minimal breath, one experiences the intensity of focused, one-point concentration. Focus itself solves multiple challenges in life as it brings clarity on what’s important and what unessential.
4. Sanskrit language learning drives a wholesome cognitive development — Some scientists have reported a strong correlation between learning the language and the development and maturation of a child’s brain. Improved critical thought, language comprehension, verbal memory retention skills, and decision-making have all been linked to the process of gaining a better command of the Sanskrit language. It has also been suggested that learning Sanskrit, particularly at a young age, improves a child’s reading comprehension and speed.
5. Mantras in Sanskrit have a meditative quality, boosting concentration -Sanskrit alphabets originate directly from the chakras in the human body. This makes it the ideal language for creating “mantras”, or sound tools that invoke energy vibrations, which have a long history of having calming and meditative effects on one’s mind. A child that grows up chanting Sanskrit mantras is seen to have a higher concentration power than its peers.
These are some of the reasons why Sanskrit is taught in countries like Japan and Germany which are technologically advanced.
Thus Siddhartha Rastogi says, if one ever finds any challenge in life, whether physical, mental or emotional or is confused about the next decision one should make. One should refer to Vedic Scriptures or Santani texts, and one will get clear answers.
But to read them and not be prejudiced by anyone’s interpretation, one should learn Sanskrit so that one can make sense of the texts by oneself rather than relying on the wisdom of others in this Kaliyuga.
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