Introduction:

As he discovers more and more, he gets enchanted by this language. He is thrilled to see a grammar so unique and so scientifically precise. How marvellously unique it is that so many different words can be compounded in a single word! The literature is so vibrant and so diverse that it not only touches all kinds of arts and sciences but also the human soul.

He is William Jones, founder of Asiatic Society and the language is Sanskrit. He observes a curious pattern as he compares Sanskrit with Latin and Greek.

• Mother - 'Matr'(Sanskrit); 'Mater' ( Greek and Latin)
• Father - 'Pitr' (Sanskrit) ; 'Pater' (Greek and Latin)
• Three - Trayas (Sanskrit) ; 'Treis' (Latin) ; 'Tres' (Greek)
• Name - Naman (Sanskrit); Nomen (Latin); Onoma (Greek)

The startling similarities between these languages had made Jones and many scholars to hypothesize that there must have been a single long-lost language which has mothered the three ancient languages namely Sanskrit, Latin and Greek. The family of such largely related languages common to India and Europe have been termed as 'Indo-European languages' with 'Proto-Indo-European' (PIE) being the old forgotten language that no longer exists.

Anyway, in Jones' opinion

"The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either."

Footprints of Sanskrit:

If you want to be as amazed as Jones was to see the Sanskritic touch in the European languages, take a look into the P.N Oak's intensive research to trace the imprints of this language in Europe.

• Many European languages replace the Sanskrit sound 'ध'(dha), with, 'ट'(ta). For example, the word 'Sport'(स्पोर्ट) could be a European version of Sanskrit word 'स्पर्धा' (spardha).
• Sing (सिंग) resembles 'संगीत'.(sangeet)
• Navy (नेवी) seems to come from Sanskrit word 'नावी'. The word 'Nautical' which is a unit of distance in the sea which appears to come from Sanskrit word 'नौकीकल'. Oak notes that replacement of , क(ka) with ट(ta) is also common.
• Disamay is almost phonetically and literally similar to विस्मय. (vismaya)
• There are many medical terms which appears to be similar to those found in Ayurveda. For instance:
  → Sanskrit for 'Cerebrum' is ' शिरब्रह्म' (śirabrahma)
  → There is possibility of 'j' being replaced by 'f' in fever. For 'jever' is 'ज्वर'(jvara) which literally means fever.
  → Sanskrit for Muscle is ' मांसल' (māṃsala)
  → Fertility may be ' फलित इति' (phalita iti)
  → Pregnancy may have come from 'प्रजननसि' 'prajananasi' where प्रजनन ( prajanan) means to give birth.
  As far as Months are concerned,
  Oak says that September, October, November and December corresponds to सप्तम्बर (saptambara), ,अष्टम्बर, (aṣṭambara),नवम्बर (navambara) and दशांबर (daśāṃbara) respectively. (अंबर(ambar) is sky, and sapt, asht, nav, das are 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th)
  Thus, , सप्तमबर (saptambara) means 7th part of the sky. In Astronomy, the sky is divided into 12 section with each section being occupied by some zodiac sign.
• In the field of Music, P.N Oak claims that psalm seems to relate with Saam of Saamveda. 'Shloka' in Vedas, is analogous to 'psalm' in Bible. Saam veda is the treasure chest of Vedic Music. The sages used to sing the hymns given in Saamveda in praise of God.
  God. Similarly, psalms are sung as prayers to Christ.
  → Albrecht Weber in his book, 'Indian Literature' writes ," The Hindu Scale sa-re-ga-ma-pa-dha-nee' has been borrowed by the Persians, where we find it in a form of 'do-re-ma-fa-so-la-ci'. It came to the west and was introduced by Guido d'Arezzo in Europe in the form of 'do-re-mi-fa-sol-lo-ti'. Even the 'Gamma' of Guido (French--'gramma', English 'gamut' i.e complete scale of musical notes) goes back to Sanskrit gramma and Prakrit gramma and is thus a direct testimony of the Indian origin of our European scale of seven notes. The aforementioned examples are only a glimpse of P.N Oaks vast research work.

Sanskrit and Sanskriti (Culture):

Sanskrit wasn't just the medium of communication, but the means of propagation of knowledge and preserver of our culture. 

The material possessions that we own showcase our civilization but the way we use them shows our culture. Civilization and culture aren't synonyms. The difference between the two can be explained with this analogy ---- if civilization is the tangible hardware, culture is the non-tangible software. 

Culture is the heart of any civilization.

Culture is the composition of our values, customs, traditions, beliefs, and lifestyle.

Sanskrit binds India into one integrated entity. Go to the west, to the east, to the north or to the south of India, all Hindu sacraments are done in Sanskrit language. A South Indian pundit will chant the wedding mantras in the same melody while making the same hand gestures as a North Indian pundit would, despite the linguistic differences across different parts of India.

From the ancient Indian bookshelf:

In ancient times, Sanskrit was the language of gods,of elites and of intellectuals. All the works in literature, science and spirituality have been produced in Sanskrit language.

To understand the Indian culture in its crude form, the knowledge of Sanskrit is must. For our ancestors have poured their philosophy and vision; knowledge and experience; observations and expectations in Sanskrit.

The unique formula-based grammar by grammarian Panini and Patanjali and the lexicography of Amar Singh has systemized the Sanskrit grammar.

Literature hold the real Sanskrit treasure. The philosophy, politics, geography, history, economics of India have been creatively penned down by Kalidasa,Bharavi,Bhasa,Vishakadatta,Shudraka,Dandin etc.

The metaphors of Kalidasa as he prolifically described the natural beauty of India, the grandeur of Indian kings, the psychology of characters spiced with emotions and elegance.

The number games were well played by Indian mathematicians like Bhaskaracharya, Aryabhatta,Varahamirah. They framed the formulae of algebra, geometry, trigonometry in Sanskrit.

The anatomy of human body, the medicinal herbs to be given to the ill, the surgical procedures to be carried out are described in the works of Vaggbhatta,Sushruta, and Charaka.

Future of Sanskrit:

Today, there is this presumption that Sanskrit is a dead language. That its remains are present in the rituals and religious prayers only. That Sanskrit is a nostalgia of past, not the dream of future. 

But, Sanskrit is still taught in the universities,the government exams are conducted in Sanskrit language, the orator who quotes in Sanskrit does get the applause from the audience. This ancient language has it's place in the eighth schedule of Indian Constitution among 21 other languages. 

The once 'dead' Hebrew language is now spoken by the entire population of Israel today. It is one of the oldest and toughest language which is sacred to Jews and they revived it because they take pride in their culture and wanted to sustain it.

As India looks forward to emerge as a global power, it is even more important to work on our roots because “It is in the roots, not the branches, that a tree's greatest strength lies."

Our sages have said that in order to move ahead you must put one foot on the ground and the other in the air.The foot on the ground represents our touch with our traditions and the foot in the air represents our open-mindness to learn new. The person who keeps both his feet on the ground is stuck because of his conservativeness while the person who keeps both the feet in the air falls down because he has no base.

Conclusion:

Many ancient civilizations have outgrown their past, and in the garb of modernity they have suffered the death of their culture. There's something unique about our Indian culture that is still thriving and we should be really proud of it. Its roots are in Vedas, in Upanishads, Puranas and various Granths. Unlock it with the key called Sanskrit.

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