Tuesday, February 27, 2024

May be I am being too partial and personally loyal to Sanskrit..



I find that views are expressed by many that Sanskrit was never a language used for day to day transactions in a worldly way at any point of time but is just an elegant language used for Vedas and Kavyas... I am somehow not able to agree.. May be I am being too partial and personally loyal to Sanskrit.. But I am just sharing my views on the issue as I posted elsewhere.
" There are theories that some sort of language or sanskrit itself has been a day to day language too. And the elementary influence of sanskrit are prominently perceptible in most of the indian languages to various degrees. Malayalam and telugu abound in sanskrit words and usages. True, the language developed classy feature and so its poorer cousins became more of egalitrian use. And like any language sanskrit too had its own transitions. The rigvedic language was not the same as kalidasas or even of the itihasas. The works penned in various geographical areas too vary in content. Texts found in trivandrum kumbhakonam pune kashmir lahore dacca calcutta etc exhibit the local variations. Jaydevas style in gitagovindam and that of bhasaa in pratimanatakam or swapnavasvadattam are so different. The problem with sanskrit is that it is like gold or platinum here at an intellectual plane..difficult to be afforded by all."
" If the conversations in Sanskrit Drama are read, the male important characters talk Sanskrit and the lady characters, the menials like kanchuki, talk in a Prakrit language, which is Sanskrit for all particular purposes with many simplifications in grammar and pronunciation.. Of course, some great characters like Arundathi, though female talk chase Sanskrit it Uttararamacharitam of Bhavabhooti..
The practice in Kerala among Nambudiris was that once a boy was initiated into Brahmacharyam.. that is right from the day he starts to wear Krishnajinam.. the deer skin, he should converse in Sanskrit only.. In fact the hilarious situation arising because of that in the case of Tholan.. who was also a great poet is a household story in Kerala.. Panasi Dashaayam Paasi... for Chakki is entering the granary (to steal paddy) ( Chakka is panasam ... so chakki is Panasi, granary is Pathaayam.. Pathu is Dasam.. so Pathaayam is Dashaayam... Kayaru means rope and climb too.. and Kayari is therefor inerpreted as Paashi..)
Sanskrit was a conversational language till a few decades ago that way.. Even now the Karikas in poojas and many sentences for upachaaram are just conversation in Sanskrit.. Sankalpams we perform too are conversations.. All religious activities we see all over in India using Sanskrit are not just incantations on Mantra.. Many parts are just conversational prose... withe perhaps some mix of poetry in some cases..
I have read about Greek and Latin too, but the social impact on use of those languages is not known to me.. But I have studied Indian Society in the light of Sanskrit, and I cannot entirely agree, in the light of the above decisions that Sanskrit of not in use as a conversational language..
I can myself converse fairly well in Sanskrit... and for a brahmin.. I still do not really know whether the local language like Tamil or Malayalam is the Mother tongue or Sanskrit is a mother tongue too.. From the moment a child is born when the Jatakarmam is performed, to the last moment of his life when Karnamantram is chanted in his ear, Sanskrit is used.. How can such a language called as a non conversational language.. I just cannot agree..
Of course Greek and Latin are either cousins or grand nieces of Sanskrit.. but their behaviour need not affect our evaluation of Sanskrit.."

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