NEW DELHI: More students learn Sanskrit to explore the ancient scriptures

NEW DELHI: Increased globalisation has led
to a rise in demand for knowledge of multiple languages. As a result, over the
past five years, popularity of Sanskrit has also gone up tremendously.

Regular BA, MA and PhD courses are being taught at more than 17 Sanskrit
Universities in the country. In addition, part-time sessions are also being
organised, both in India and abroad, for those interested in exploring the
science of Sanskrit.

The Sanskrit Department of the University
of Hyderabad (UoH) launched an inter-disciplinary open elective course.

All encompassing

Mahavir Agarwal, pro
vice-chancellor, Patanjali University, Haridwar, says that pre-conceived
notions about the difficulty of Sanskrit language hampered its popularity.
“Three decades ago, several organisations realized the hidden information in
Sanskrit texts. More people are convinced that the Sanskrit language is just a
means to perform Hindu rituals,” reveals Agarwal, who is the former VC of
Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Haridwar.

Every mainstream subject in the field of education is mentioned within the
plethora of ancient Sanskrit texts, attracting students and elders towards the
language, adds Agarwal.

JSR Prasad, head of department (HoD), Sanskrit Studies, University of
Hyderabad, adds that contrary to belief about Sanskrit texts being
religion-centric, over 90% of Sanskrit literature is secular and has relevance
across fields.

Link to Ayurveda

Prasad says that in addition to
solutions for physical and psychological ailments in humans, Upanishads and
Vedas provides details about Vriksha (plant) Ayurveda as well. “Sanskrit is a
scientific language, and is considered to be the root of the 6000-years-old
philosophy of Ayurveda. I feel that even modern medical science lacks the depth
that Ayurveda offers,” he says.

Grammar is everything

“A system needs to be built where
the grammar used in Sanskrit (Panini grammar), to work as the medium between
the source language and goal language on a computer,” adds Agarwal. The
advantage of the Sanskrit language is that there is no difference between
reading, writing, and speaking Sanskrit language. Thus, it is not as difficult
as often believed,” he adds.

Besides its use in computers, Sanskrit grammar is also the base for millions of
words across Indian and global languages, adds Prasad. “Pick up any root
Sanskrit word, and you can form multiple words that are used in languages
across the globe,” he says.

Rise in popularity

National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
has emphasised interdisciplinary courses. “Whether a student wants to
specialise in Science, Mathematics, Management, or Human Rights, fluency in
Sanskrit will open doors to the knowledge trapped within the Sanskrit texts.
This will help the student become an expert in the chosen field,” says Agarwal.

“Rise in awareness regarding widespread usage of Sanskrit, such as Mattur
village in Karnataka, where only Sanskrit is conversational language, is also
breaking myths about its popularity,” adds Prasad. He says that the central
government’s efforts, in the form of junior research scholarships by University
Grants Commission (UGC) and few overseas scholarships, are also increasing the
popularity of the Sanskrit language.

Being future-ready

There was a time when Sanskrit
was considered a forgotten language, but no more. Hare Ram Tripathi,
vice-chancellor, Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi, says that
students take up Sanskrit courses with various objectives in mind. “Many of my
students go for Civil Services exam, choosing Sanskrit as their specialised
subject,” he says.

Apart from academia, Sanskrit
scholars have the freedom to become experts in any field of their choice. “Few
of my students have gone as news anchors in Doordarshan, or have become ‘dharam
gurus’ in the army, among other professions,” says the VC of the 230-years-old
Sanskrit University of the country.

About increasing the number of students taking up Sanskrit today,
Tripathi reveals that the current batch of his University has around 1800
students in total. “Rather than make efforts to increase the quantity of the
number of Sanskrit scholars, we should focus on the quality. Anyone who claims
to be a Sanskrit scholar should be able to live up to this statement and make
the nation proud, wherever he or she goes,” says Tripathi.