Sānskrit - The language of heavens (and people too!)

How does one learn to communicate? Development of communication skills during early childhood continues to be a subject of research in spite of the many studies already carried out. Marine biologists are continuing to discover more about how whales communicate with each other over hundreds miles under sea. From the perspective of humanity, thousands of languages have come into being over the different parts of the world as the civilization has continued to progress. As you know, languages don't come into being  like an App in your iPhone, pre-packaged and ready to use. They develop over long periods of time through repeated use, some systemization, some innovation and finally by mere evolution. India's ancient language, Sānskrit, was not any different in this respect and had followed such a path in its birth and growth.

The origin of Sānskrit is traced to a language that has been named as the  Proto-Indo-European language, which also happens to be the source for most European languages as well as the Iranian language of Avesta. Development of Vedās and the Sanskrit language  went hand in hand in the early periods of Hindu civilization. Vedās had given lot of importance to the use of sounds and as a result its primary language, Sānskrit, became a  language in which the syllables have more importance than the alphabets. It is simply amazing that almost every Sanskrit word can be traced back phonetically to one or more root sounds from which that word would derive its meaning!

Given the importance of sound in Veda chanting, the first discipline that evolved was called 'Siksha' (pronounced 'şeekshah'). These were established rules of rhythm and intonation to be adopted during mantra chanting. For example, in the Taitiriya Upanishad, we come across the education of students starting with the instruction on Siksha. Once you learn the basics of enunciation in a language, the next step Is building vocabulary. Sanskrit is a language that  used etymology extensively to develop its vast vocabulary . The etymology and the exegesis (i.e, the critical explanation of scriptural terms) was compiled for the first time by a person named Yāska, supposedly around 7th century BCE. This branch of knowledge was considered so important that it was incorporated into the Veda system and is known as 'Nirukta'. 

 

For couple of centuries after Yāska, many grammarians contributed to developing the rules for structuring the words, tense and sentences. All their work were finally compiled in a monumental text called 'Ashtādhyāyi', by Sage Pānini who is considered to be the giant of Sanskrit grammarians. This work of Pānini from 5th Century BCE is the oldest surviving work of grammar in Sānskrit and is considered as the most important milestone in its history. Ancient Sānskrit literature is  in general classified as pre and post Pānini. The work of Pānini was somewhat complex that it  took couple more explanatory works to make it fit for more general use. Two of these explanatory works, first by Kātyāyana in 4th century BCE and the second by Patanjali in 2nd  century BCE form the foundations of Sānskrit grammar. Patanjali's explanatory work is known as the Mahābhāshya, or the Great commentary, in view of its exhaustive and authentic coverage. You should note that Patanjali is also the author of Yogasutra which is the foundational text of Yoga philosophy. The grammarians  and linguists of this period were equally proficient in philosophy and their pursuit of language was intended to equip it better to express the subtle truths of the Hindu philosophy. It is quite doubtful if there is any other language in the world to rival Sānskrit in its ability to pack so much information into so few words. Pregnant with meaning, many of these words are intended to trigger a meditation upon their meaning in the listener rather than mere understanding.

During this developmental period, the form adopted by works in Sānskrit had also moved  from prose to verses. The simple meters of verse used in Veda evolved into more complex 4 part form called as Sloka. The rules of the meters continued to get stricter from the number of syllables in one sloka to number of syllables in one line and finally to even patterns of use of syllables in a line. The length of lines in a sloka also grew as also the use of complex compounding of words.  However, the means of retention was still he oral tradition. The scripts and practices of writing evolved much later in Sānskrit. [ That picture of Lord Ganesha writing down Mahābharatha for Sage Vyāsa is very much questionable:-) ]

By the fourth century of AD, Sānskrit was a fully mature language, capable of handling any type of literary work. Like the mature maiden of the fables waiting for a soul mate to fulfill life's purpose, Sānskrit was probably yearning for a genius of poetical imagination to arrive at its door step to carry it away  over the

Himalayan heights!  And, this happened in the 5th century of AD when the undisputed king of Sānskrit poetry, Kālidāsa, arrived on the scene and delivered his masterpiece Meghaduta. In Kālidāsa's fingertips, Sānskrit danced and dazzled with such splendor and glory that it has not been matched any time before or later.

Kālidāsa

Chandra Gupta Vikramāditya

After the decline of the Maurya dynasty in the 1st century BCE, India had come under the rule of Kushanas, the most prominent of whom was the emperor Kanishka who ruled from the current day Peshawar (Purushapura) in Afghanistan. As this empire also declined in couple of centuries, India came under multiple invasions from its northwest borders. Overall, this was not a bright period in India's history. It was not until the 4th century AD, that a kingdom rose up to subdue the invaders and establish domestic rule. The rein of the Gupta kings, with their capital based at Pataliputra (current day Patna, that is the capital of the State of Bihar) is considered to be the Golden period of Indian history. There was significant progress, both economic and cultural, under the rule of Gupta kings .  Kālidasa was supposedly the crown jewel among the geniuses, known as 'nine gems', who had adored Chandra Gupta Vikramāditya's court. His major works include the Kāvya (poetical works)  of Raghuvamsa, Kumara sambhava, Meghaduta etc. as well as drama like Mālavikagnimitram, Abhnjanasākuntalam and Vikramorvasiyam.

During this period, the subject matter of the Sanskrit literary works had also started to shift away from being religion oriented to tackling everyday human issues, mostly through stories that were based on lives of Kings and other royalty. Drama became a major genre and this development continued into the 12th century. Later on, Sānskrit declined in popular use,  owing to both the impact of Islamic invasions as well as its own increased complexity limiting its use to the scholarly circles. However, there was no dearth of great works that continued to be produced in Sānskrit. The works of Bharthruhari in 14th Century AD and the grammarian Bhattoji Diskhita in 17th century AD are examples of this. As many regional languages took root and evolved in India. the common use of Sānskrit  steadily declined. Attempts are now being made to bring more awareness of Sānskrit  with the public. Irrespective of whether it regains its past glory or not, it is certain that Sānskrit will continue to have an important role in carrying forward the immortal messages of the Rishis of India in the times to come.