Introduction:

Are you thinking about what would motivate one to learn Sanskrit?

Are you wondering why anyone will learn an extinct language that is not at all relevant to the world today?

If your answer to both the questions above is “Yes”, you need to know first that Sanskrit is not an extinct language; it very much holds relevance even today, and is, therefore, springing back to its former importance.

Not just its place of origin, Asia, but the entire world has now started realizing its importance and benefits to mankind.

Let me give you a few bits of information about the Sanskrit language, first!

Sanskrit is called the “Mother of many languages”.

Why?

Just read the following:

• Sanskrit is a classical language of South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages.
• Sanskrit is the language of classical Hindu philosophy. It is the sacred language of Hinduism. It became a language of religion and a symbol of high culture, and language exhibited to show prestige and knowledge by some political elites.
• The Indian language, Tamil, which is also one of the oldest languages in the world has many similarities with Sanskrit in terms of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciations, etc.
• Sino-Tibetan languages like Telugu have hints of Sanskrit vocabulary.
• Sanskrit is also the language of the historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism.
• Even though Sanskrit originated in South Asia, its presence exists in lands far beyond South Asia. Sanskrit had a lasting impact on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies.
• Inscriptions and literary evidence suggest that the Sanskrit language was already being adopted in Southeast Asia and Central Asia in the 1st millennium CE, through monks, religious pilgrims, and merchants who took it there.
• Beyond ancient India, significant collections of Sanskrit manuscripts and inscriptions have been found in China (particularly the Tibetan monasteries), Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.
• The Indonesian language of Javanese and Malaysia’s Malay language also show a history of Sanskrit influence.
• Scholars believe that language spoken in the Philippines has a minor Sanskrit flavor, as well.
• Some Sanskrit texts and inscriptions have also been discovered in Korea and Japan. Sanskrit inscriptions, manuscripts, or its remnants, including some of the oldest known Sanskrit written texts, have been discovered in dry, high deserts and in mountainous terrains such as in Nepal, Tibet, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.
• Sanskrit is related to Greek and Latin, with similarities in phonetics, grammar, and script. There are similarities in Sanskrit and other European languages like German, also.

Now, you know why Sanskrit is called the “Mother of many languages”?

Not just this, there are many more reasons why Sanskrit is beneficial to mankind and is gaining increasing importance today. Some of those benefits are as listed below: 

• Artificial intelligence programs:

As per the view of NASA scientists, Sanskrit is considered the language most appropriate for developing programs in Artificial Intelligence, citing the fact that its grammar is rule or formula bound and totally logical, and is, therefore, perfect to write algorithms.

• Natural language processing:

Because of its strict grammar rules, Sanskrit is considered the best language for natural language processing. 

• To explore the ancient hidden treasury:

Some of the earliest discoveries in mathematics, astronomy, science, surgery, medicine, sociology, politics, and economics have been written in the Sanskrit language.

Sanskrit is the most ancient language which was used by sages in various fields such as astronomy, medicine, mathematics, astrology, etc.

• Beneficial for development of the brain:

The recital of ancient Sanskrit mantras sharpens memory and expands areas of the brain which are related to the cognitive skills of individuals.

• For clearer speech:

Sanskrit shlokas and mantras are also used as speech therapy for individuals with speaking disorders. The pronunciations of Sanskrit words are so clear that facial muscles and vocal cords receive maximum exercise, and feel relaxed and easy.  

•  Career opportunities:

Taking into consideration the above factors, the Government of India has proposed to set up the Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI) which will have a focus on Sanskrit and other India Languages, as per the New Education Policy approved by the Cabinet. These steps taken by the Government of India are increasing the number of job opportunities for Sanskrit Scholars.

Apart from this, Sanskrit is a part of the curriculum in many parts of the world.

• Many educational organizations across the United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand offer Sanskrit as a subject in academics.
• Courses in Sanskrit are offered in at least four universities in the United Kingdom.
• Sanskrit is taught in as many as 14 Universities throughout Germany. Demand for Sanskrit scholars is very high in Germany.
• Sanskrit has even reached many other countries, and the number of its learners is increasing gradually, day – by – day.

Is the above-mentioned information about the greatness of the Sanskrit language and its benefits to the human race not enough to motivate anyone to learn this enthralling language?

If you are thinking about where to learn it from, I tell you that many tech platforms today facilitate learning Sanskrit to their students through the medium of audio-visual online classes which are conducted over laptop or smartphone, and require only a steady internet connection for Sanskrit learning sessions to take place. 

Planned learning Sanskrit? Excellent! Do not look back now!