Saffronizing education

usha manohar wrote:

The very fact that it is in use , whether it is in rituals or by scholars, it is very much around as a language and used by some on a daily basis ! There is a also a Sanskrit news report in DD channel ! The present government wants to revive Sanskrit which is a very positive step but the opposition and Congress sympathisers see saffron even there ! 

Thanks for accepting the reality of Sanskrit being an extinct language though indirectly saying that 'present government wants to revive Sanskrit."  What is 'revive'. This is to give life to some thing that is dead. They are trying to 'revive' because the language is 'extinct'.  Moreover, mere use in slokas and mantras for rituals is hardly a manifestation of a living language. Any way, if some people want to announce that Sanskrit is living language though neither understood nor read nor spoken in any state nor used in any office nor a medium of instruction anywhere, let them do. I am simply amused. What is the sense in saying that this language is a matter of research and so this is living. That way even old stamps are there in collectors' album. What does that mean? 

Where knowledge fails and ignorance completely engulfs one's mind we can expect all sorts of absurd views! A few Indians love to create history without reading it!! Now a few words on contemporary developments which so compellingly highlight how important it has become to learn this language along with other old languages like Tamil and others.With the establishment WTO the need to protect India's intellectual property (IPR) under TRIPS under traditional knowledge (TK) and technologies, it has become a bread and butter issue for India spurring fresh efforts to develop digital database running into 34 million pages with a few IIMs leading a pivotal role.There are

an estimated 22,60000 medicinal formulations alone to be protected to safeguard our economic interests against bio-piracy.All we know how Turmeric and Neem were nearly robbed of us by others claiming wrong geographical indicators (GI) and we had to turn to authentic Sanskrit texts to save us the day. So a little bit of old stamp does help!!

There are 15 Sanskrit universities in India.

1. Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetham, Tirupathi (Aandhra Pradesh)

2. Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (Deemed University) New Delhi

3. Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, Alipiri, Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh)

4. Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University,Kameshwar Nagar, Darbhanga (Bihar)

5. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi

6. Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Dist. Ernakulam

7. Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Srivihar, Puri

8. Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University,

9. Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi

10. Somnath Sanskrit University, Somnath, Junagadh, (Gujarat)

11. Uttarakhand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar

12. Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Ramtek, Nagpur

13. Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Evam Vedic University, Ujjain (Madhaya Pradesh)

14. Karnataka Sanskrit University Chamrendra Sanskrit Mahapathshala, Bangalore (Karnataka)

15. Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University, Nalbari (Assam)

And there are hundreds of Sanskrit colleges including Government Sanskrit College, Varanasi, Gurukul Haridwar, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Sidheshwari Laxminath Sanskrit College etc where thousands of students come from different parts of the world. I wonder what the scholars do after completion of their education if not help spread the language?

suni51 wrote:

There are 15 Sanskrit universities in India.

1. Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetham, Tirupathi (Aandhra Pradesh)

2. Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (Deemed University) New Delhi

3. Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, Alipiri, Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh)

4. Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University,Kameshwar Nagar, Darbhanga (Bihar)

5. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi

6. Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Dist. Ernakulam

7. Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Srivihar, Puri

8. Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University,

9. Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi

10. Somnath Sanskrit University, Somnath, Junagadh, (Gujarat)

11. Uttarakhand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar

12. Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Ramtek, Nagpur

13. Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Evam Vedic University, Ujjain (Madhaya Pradesh)

14. Karnataka Sanskrit University Chamrendra Sanskrit Mahapathshala, Bangalore (Karnataka)

15. Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University, Nalbari (Assam)

And there are hundreds of Sanskrit colleges including Government Sanskrit College, Varanasi, Gurukul Haridwar, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Sidheshwari Laxminath Sanskrit College etc where thousands of students come from different parts of the world. I wonder what the scholars do after completion of their education if not help spread the language?

Do these universities teach science, maths, engineering etc. also in Sanskrit medium?  So far despite these universities, Sanskrit is not in active use either for conversation or business and official use. Do the scholars from these universities do anything other than further teaching Sanskrit to others or reciting scriptures. There is no need for information on number of Sanskrit universities or about formal declaration as official language for name sake somewhere. What really matters is use for practical purposes like communication, medium of instruction. This is the only criterion to identify a language as living or extinct.

I remember only one occasion when I saw some talking in Sanskrit. I was going from Agra to Delhi by Inter City Express train. Those days some Sanskrit enthusiasts were also traveling in the same compartment. They were talking in Sanskrit. It was apparent that Sanskrit is not their mother tongue nor they could speak fluently. The train stopped somewhere owing to some bottleneck. One of them asked his companion what is the matter. The companion asked for permission to speak in Hindi as he could not speak  in Sanskrit without difficulty. Then their enthusiasm ended and they began behaving normally by speaking in Hindi. The purpose of language is hassle free communication and nothing else. If a language does not serve purpose of communication, this is definitely extinct. We know how a monkey clings to dead child and does not reconcile to the fact of death. 

Gulshan Kumar Ajmani wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

The very fact that it is in use , whether it is in rituals or by scholars, it is very much around as a language and used by some on a daily basis ! There is a also a Sanskrit news report in DD channel ! The present government wants to revive Sanskrit which is a very positive step but the opposition and Congress sympathisers see saffron even there ! 

Thanks for accepting the reality of Sanskrit being an extinct language though indirectly saying that 'present government wants to revive Sanskrit."  What is 'revive'. This is to give life to some thing that is dead. They are trying to 'revive' because the language is 'extinct'.  Moreover, mere use in slokas and mantras for rituals is hardly a manifestation of a living language. Any way, if some people want to announce that Sanskrit is living language though neither understood nor read nor spoken in any state nor used in any office nor a medium of instruction anywhere, let them do. I am simply amused. What is the sense in saying that this language is a matter of research and so this is living. That way even old stamps are there in collectors' album. What does that mean? 

 

You have the right to be amused but one cannot revive things that are dead, one can only revive something that has been neglected through years of disuse and infuse new life into it, which is what is being done by the present government.In fact even the previous government had done the same effort or else we wouldn't have Sanskrit as a second language in almost all government run Central and state board schools since the time of Independence. ...

First of all one needs be clear about what extinct means.It means wiped out or defunct. Sanskrit is not commonly spoken or used as a medium of instruction in colleges or universities or even used in offices but how does it make the language extinct ? If a language has vast treasury of important information which one needs to refer to in various fields, most common of which is Ayurveda, then it is very much in use and can not be dismissed as dead. The alkaloids derived from those medicinal plants mentioned in the vedas are used in various modern day allopathic medicines as well, in addition to ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines. With increasing chronic aliments of modern day, various medical practitioners are referring to those scriptures. And what about vedic sciences ? Are they too lifeless ? If not, how does one make use of them without the use of Sanskrit ?

Lopamudra wrote:

First of all one needs be clear about what extinct means.It means wiped out or defunct. Sanskrit is not commonly spoken or used as a medium of instruction in colleges or universities or even used in offices but how does it make the language extinct ? If a language has vast treasury of important information which one needs to refer to in various fields, most common of which is Ayurveda, then it is very much in use and can not be dismissed as dead. The alkaloids derived from those medicinal plants mentioned in the vedas are used in various modern day allopathic medicines as well, in addition to ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines. With increasing chronic aliments of modern day, various medical practitioners are referring to those scriptures. And what about vedic sciences ? Are they too lifeless ? If not, how does one make use of them without the use of Sanskrit ?

I wonder if even the Ayurvedic doctors know or use Sanskrit. I also wonder whether medium of instruction for Ayurveda is Sanskrit. No doubt Sanskrit is rich language but very few people know this and hardly anyone uses. Hence this is extinct beyond doubt. 

Gulshan Kumar Ajmani wrote:

Lopamudra wrote:

First of all one needs be clear about what extinct means.It means wiped out or defunct. Sanskrit is not commonly spoken or used as a medium of instruction in colleges or universities or even used in offices but how does it make the language extinct ? If a language has vast treasury of important information which one needs to refer to in various fields, most common of which is Ayurveda, then it is very much in use and can not be dismissed as dead. The alkaloids derived from those medicinal plants mentioned in the vedas are used in various modern day allopathic medicines as well, in addition to ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines. With increasing chronic aliments of modern day, various medical practitioners are referring to those scriptures. And what about vedic sciences ? Are they too lifeless ? If not, how does one make use of them without the use of Sanskrit ?

I wonder if even the Ayurvedic doctors know or use Sanskrit. I also wonder whether medium of instruction for Ayurveda is Sanskrit. No doubt Sanskrit is rich language but very few people know this and hardly anyone uses. Hence this is extinct beyond doubt. 

 

If the Ayurvedic doctors don't use Sanskrit, how do they decipher the text ?

Here's a link to the syllabus for BAMS ( Bachelor of Aryurvedic Medicine and Surgery) It does include Sanskrit and the age old Charaka Samhita

 

 https://targetstudy.com/courses/bams.html

 

 

Lopamudra wrote:

Gulshan Kumar Ajmani wrote:

Lopamudra wrote:

First of all one needs be clear about what extinct means.It means wiped out or defunct. Sanskrit is not commonly spoken or used as a medium of instruction in colleges or universities or even used in offices but how does it make the language extinct ? If a language has vast treasury of important information which one needs to refer to in various fields, most common of which is Ayurveda, then it is very much in use and can not be dismissed as dead. The alkaloids derived from those medicinal plants mentioned in the vedas are used in various modern day allopathic medicines as well, in addition to ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines. With increasing chronic aliments of modern day, various medical practitioners are referring to those scriptures. And what about vedic sciences ? Are they too lifeless ? If not, how does one make use of them without the use of Sanskrit ?

I wonder if even the Ayurvedic doctors know or use Sanskrit. I also wonder whether medium of instruction for Ayurveda is Sanskrit. No doubt Sanskrit is rich language but very few people know this and hardly anyone uses. Hence this is extinct beyond doubt. 

 

If the Ayurvedic doctors don't use Sanskrit, how do they decipher the text ?

Here's a link to the syllabus for BAMS ( Bachelor of Aryurvedic Medicine and Surgery) It does include Sanskrit and the age old Charaka Samhita

 

 https://targetstudy.com/courses/bams.html

Sanskrit student can join BAMS. It is not compulsory that a student of medical ground can join BAMS. In BAMS knowledge of Sanskrit is compulsory. In 1st year BAMS Sanskrit is a subject.  

 

 

 

anil wrote:

Lopamudra wrote:

Gulshan Kumar Ajmani wrote:

Lopamudra wrote:

First of all one needs be clear about what extinct means.It means wiped out or defunct. Sanskrit is not commonly spoken or used as a medium of instruction in colleges or universities or even used in offices but how does it make the language extinct ? If a language has vast treasury of important information which one needs to refer to in various fields, most common of which is Ayurveda, then it is very much in use and can not be dismissed as dead. The alkaloids derived from those medicinal plants mentioned in the vedas are used in various modern day allopathic medicines as well, in addition to ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines. With increasing chronic aliments of modern day, various medical practitioners are referring to those scriptures. And what about vedic sciences ? Are they too lifeless ? If not, how does one make use of them without the use of Sanskrit ?

I wonder if even the Ayurvedic doctors know or use Sanskrit. I also wonder whether medium of instruction for Ayurveda is Sanskrit. No doubt Sanskrit is rich language but very few people know this and hardly anyone uses. Hence this is extinct beyond doubt. 

 

If the Ayurvedic doctors don't use Sanskrit, how do they decipher the text ?

Here's a link to the syllabus for BAMS ( Bachelor of Aryurvedic Medicine and Surgery) It does include Sanskrit and the age old Charaka Samhita

 

 https://targetstudy.com/courses/bams.html

Sanskrit student can join BAMS. It is not compulsory that a student of medical ground can join BAMS. In BAMS knowledge of Sanskrit is compulsory. In 1st year BAMS Sanskrit is a subject.  

I wonder even after seeing the valuable inputs from our esteemed members say that Sanskrit is extinct and a dead language. Sanskrit will never become extinct.

 

 

 

 

No one wants Sanskrit to become extinct. It is the mother of many Indian regional languages. However in today's times its use is restricted to very narrow fields and it is not used like Hindi or other regional languages are used. This does not motivate students to opt for Sanskrit. However it is kept alive by the small section of our population and supported by various institutions which in itself is highly laudable, 

It takes time. It was a forgotten and neglected language. But it's not extinct. With effective reforms and support from the government like providing employment opportunities Sanskrit will regain its position of glory.

You mean to say that Sanskrit will replace English or Hindi at the national level. Emotional statements are not going to help Sanskrit.

There is no question of emotional statements here. I meant Sanskrit should be given its due place. I want both English and Sanskrit should survive side by side. People opt for that language that suits them.

But no one is coming in way of popularising Sanskrit. Itis only because its very limited uses no longer attracts students. a language will thrie if it is used in commerce. Many Indians are studying Chinese for obvious reasons.

Please go through the back pages of this discussion. You can know how measures are taken to popularize Sanskrit. Additionally there are News channels like  DD Sanskrit. Sahitya academy has been publishing Sanskrit works since 1967. It is always good to see the entire discussion forum before expressing your opinion

vijay wrote:

You mean to say that Sanskrit will replace English or Hindi at the national level. Emotional statements are not going to help Sanskrit.

I agree. We need not be emotional about language which is just a medium of expression and nothing more. People are more important. They can derive knowledge and skill through their mother tongue, which can not be Sanskrit, or English. I feel that harping on Sanskrit will only waste time that needs be utilized in research on medicine, space, engineering and other useful pursuits. Resources are limited. By spending these on popularizing Sanskrit or discovering Saraswati  river, public money is being diverted from more urgent uses. 

Have all those measures made Sanskrit popular. Every year less and less students are opting to learn Sanskrit for obvious reasons. I have stated earlier also that efforts to sustain Sanskrit are welcome. But they are not going to help popularise Sanskrit.  Equally it would be good if if you may also see the previous posts for a change before rushing to express opinion.

I already discussed about those measures which are effectively functioning in promoting the Sanskrit. Especially that of Sunil in the same forum. Some of them are Sahitya Academy's yearly publications in Sanskrit every year. And DD Sanskrit channel which features regularly.