Celebrating The Sweetest Language Of All On World Sanskrit Day

भाषासु मुख्या मधुरा दिव्या गीर्वाणभारती

ततोsपि काव्यं मधुरं तस्मादपि सुभाषितम II

(Bhashasu mukhyaa madhuraa divya geervaanbharati, tato pi kaavyam madhuram tasmaadapi subhashitam)

This means: Sanskrit, the most important and the sweetest language of all, is divine. And sweetest in that are the subhashitas – couplets or quadruplets with hidden meaning.

This Sanskrit subhashit – couplet – is the gist of the Sanskrit language for its lovers and followers. This is not attributed to any particular scripture or poet. But has, most often, been the first subhashit to be taught to any Sanskrit who appears for the Sanskrit exams on any platform. Not संस्कृतं नाम दैवी वाक् अन्वाख्यातं महर्षिभिः। (sanskrutam naam daivi vaak anvaakhyaatam maharshibhi hi) which means What we call Sanskrit is the divine language, as per the great sages.

Sanskrit Day today, August 19, is just another reason for me to start raving about the language which is the mother of quite a few languages in the world. I fell in love with the language at quite a young age. Most of my generation Maharashtrian children were ‘forced to’ recite certain shlokas in the evening after lighting a lamp in front of the gods at home and the tulsi plant. That was my first introduction to Sanskrit शुभं करोति कल्याणं आरोग्यं धनसंपदा, शत्रुबुद्धि विनाशाय दिपज्योति नम:स्तुते। Salutations to the lamp that brings prosperity, good health and everything auspicious while destroying the darkness of hostile feeling… But what really kicked it in was श्रुती-स्मृती पुराणोक्त फल प्राप्त्यर्थम recited by a pandit during a puja, for obvious reasons – my name… Further intrigued by कौसल्येयो दृशौ पातु विश्वामित्रप्रिय: श्रुती । from Ramraksha Stotra I, like a true brat, pestered my mother who happily ignored me for quite some time. In the end the Sanskrit scholar in her compelled her to introduce me to the language. She chose the hard way. She gave me a Subhashitmala (book of subhashits) to read where the first one was भाषासु मुख्या मधुरा…

Thankfully, the book had translations. I was enthralled. The language really had gems which not only taught one life’s philosophy but also had riddles that got the 12-year-old interested and information about many things that kept me riveted.

लालयेत पंचवर्षाणि दशवर्शाणि ताडयेत् ।
प्राप्तेषु षोडषे वर्षे पुत्रे मित्रवदाचरेत् ॥
Pamper the children till they are five years old, reprimand them till they are ten, (however) once they are sixteen, treat them like friends – basic tip of parenting explained in just two lines.

Simple, day-to-day things in a couplet like:

काक: काक: पिक: काक: को भेदो पिक काकयो:

वसंत समये प्राप्ते काक: काक: पिक: पिक: ॥
Crow is black and cuckoo is also black, it’s only when the spring approaches, that one can tell the difference (between the two)

One unique quadruplet that fascinated me and has forever stayed with me is:

भोजनानते च किं पेयं

जयंत: कस्य वै सुत:

कथं विष्णुपदं प्रोक्तं

तक्रम शक्रस्य दुर्लभं ॥

The first three lines are riddles. But the unique part about this quadruplet is that the last line is a statement in itself and the three words in the last line are the answers to the first three questions.

What does one have after a meal?

Jayant is whose son?

How does one get the Vishnu’s position?

Buttermilk (is) scarce to Indra (literal translation is Buttermilk Indra Scarce)

This and more… there many such interesting couplets and quadruplets which remind us that Sanskrit is not just a cryptic language used by the scriptures that cannot be deciphered by the ordinary. On the contrary,

सुरस सुबोधा विश्वमनोज्ञा ललिता हृदया रामणीया ।

अमृतवाणी संस्कृत भाषा नैव क्लीष्टा न च कठिणा II

(suras subodha vishwamanodnya lalita hrudya ramaniya, amrutwani Sanskrit bhasha naiv klishtaa na cha kathinaa) which means: Sanskrit is not just a sweet language like amrut (nectar) but also a not-so-difficult language that pleases the heart.

It cannot be just a coincidence that most European languages, therefore, are influenced by or originate from our Sanskrit. German, especially, is largely based on Sanskrit. Not only do a few words like nakhtam (Sanskrit) and nakhta (German) that mean night sound same, the most important common point remains that there’s no specific place for the verb in the sentence.

However, being the mother of most languages should not be the only reason to love and preserve Sanskrit. But its richness, simplicity should be. And let us not forget that it is a part of our culture and heritage.

Shruti Pandit is Consulting Editor, Features, The Free Press Journal

Published on: Monday, August 19, 2024, 06:00 AM IST