Difference between revisions of "Sanskrit"

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'''Sanskrit''' (संस्कृतम् or saṃskṛtam or saṃskṛtā) is an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language that dates from somewhere between 1500–600 [[B.C.]] (for [[Vedas|Vedic]] Sanskrit). It is also the language in which the [[Hindu]] and [[Buddhist]] [[Sutra]] and [[Shastra]] [[scripture]]s and all of the major classical texts of [[Ayurvedic medicine]] were written. More recently, the [[Jain]] scriptures have been written in Sanskrit.
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'''Sanskrit''' is an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language that dates to about the 5th century B.C. It is also the language in which the [[Hindu]] scriptures were written. The Indic languages, [[Hindi]], Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, and Gujurati are modern day descendants of Sanskrit.
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Although it is no longer spoken in daily life except among Ayurvedic physicians and scholars in India, it is still used for religious purposes by Hindus and Buddhists who either recite certain scriptures and [[mantra]]s in Sanskrit even if they do not know the meanings since they are taught that such recitation induces [[meditation|meditative]] states called [[samadhi]].
 
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The Indic languages, [[Hindi]], Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, and Gujurati are modern day descendants of Sanskrit. It is one of the fifteen official languages of the [[India]]n constitution.
 
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==Buddhism and Sanskrit==
 
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Despite many people thinking that Sanskrit is only associated with [[Hinduism]], all of the [[Dharma|Dharmic]] [[religion]]s use Sanskrit. To this day, there are many Buddhist scholars, professors and linguists who have formally learned Sanskrit at places such as [[University of California, Berkeley]], [[Stanford University]] and [[Harvard]] and have translated into [[English]] several hundred Buddhist Sutras and Shastras from the classic Buddhist masters such as [[Nagarjuna]], [[Shantideva]], [[Atisha]] and [[Vasubandhu]]. These Sutras and Shastras use a special form of Sanskrit referred to by Sanskritists as "BHS" or Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit.
 
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During the [[Tang dynasty]] in [[China]] there were vast [[Emperor]]-sponsored facilities dedicated to the massive project of translating thousands of volumes of Buddhist texts from [[Devanagari]] and Siddham-based Sanskrit to [[Hanzi]] traditional characters. These Hanzi characters are the [[Chinese]] script used continuously since the [[Han dynasty]] (hence [[Han]]-zi) until [[Chairman Mao]] forced China to switch to simplified characters so they could only read [[Communist]] works. During the Tang, [[Kumarajiva]] was one of the most famous translators. When Kumarajiva's Sanskrit translations made from [[Chinese]], [[Korean]] and [[Japanese]] into modern English are compared with the more recently made translations direct from Sanskrit to Engish, there is a high degree of similarity.
 
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Only a portion of the Buddhist sutras and shastras were translated into [[Tibetan]] during the 7th to the 15th centuries and into Chinese during the 2nd to the 11th centuries [[A.D.]].
 
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==Ayurvedic Medicine and Sanskrit==
 
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Although many people wrongly think that Sanskrit is only connected with Hinduism, it is to this day a required subject at the formal Ayurvedic [[medical]] [[university]] setting in India.
 
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According to renowned Ayurvedic [[physician]] and [[author]], Dr. [[Vasant Lad]], since the 8th century [[A.D.]] until the present day in [[India]], Ayurvedic medicine [[doctor]]s have to memorize via Devanagari script thousands of [[verse]]s of the ''[[Charaka Samhita]]'', the ''[[Sushruta Samhita]]'' and the ''[[Astanga Hridayam]]'' and be able to recite them out loud in order to pass their  Ayurvedic medical degree oral examinations.
 
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Even in [[America]], where Ayurveda has only been popularized since 1978 when Dr. Lad helped introduce it to American medical practitioners who formally studied with him at the [[Ayurvedic Institute]] in [[New Mexico]], most beginning Ayurvedic practitioners learned at least 150 to 200 words of Ayurvedic Sanskrit. More experienced Ayurvedic practitioners in the USA know up to 300 words of medical Sanskrit.
 
  
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Although it is no longer spoken in daily life, it is still used for religious purposes by Hindus, and it is one of the fifteen official languages of the [[India]]n constitution.
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==
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* [[Hindu]]
 
* [[Hindu]]
 
* [[Latin]]
 
* [[Latin]]
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* [[Ayurvedic medicine]]
 
  
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==Further reading==
 
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* Goldman, Robert P., ''Devavāṇīpraveśikā: An Introduction to the Sanskrit Language''. Centre for South Asia Studies, [[University of California, Berkeley]], 1999.
 
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* Kale, M. R. (Moreshwar Ramchandra). ''[http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/KALEScan/disp1/index1.php?sfx=png A Higher Sanskrit Grammar]''. [[Delhi]], Motilal Banarsidass, 1988, 1894.
 
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* Monier-Williams, Monier, ''A Practical Grammar Of The Sanskrit Language Arranged With Reference To The Classical Languages Of Europe For The Use Of English Students''. W. H. Allen & co., 1846. [http://books.google.com/?id=REQhAAAAMAAJ Google Books]
 
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* Bachman, Nicolai, MA, MS, [http://ayurveda.com/ayurvedic_press/sanskrit_flash_cards.html 108 Sanskrit Flash Cards]. [[Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico]]: [[Ayurvedic Institute]], [[Ayurvedic Press]], 2012.
 
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==External Links==
 
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* [http://www.dsbcproject.org/ Dsbcproject.org Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon at University of the West]
 
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* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/index.htm Sanskrit texts at Sacred Text Archive]
 
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* [http://sanskritdocuments.org/learning_tutorial_wikner/index.html A Practical Sanskrit Introductory by Charles Wikner]
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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[[Category : Hinduism]]
 
[[Category : Hinduism]]
 
[[Category : Languages]]
 
[[Category : Languages]]
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[[Category : Ayurvedic Medicine]]
 
 
[[Category : Indo-Iranian languages]]
 
[[Category : Indo-Iranian languages]]
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{{Template:Buddhist topics}}
 
{{Template:Buddhist topics}}
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{{Template:Ayurvedic herbal medicine topics}}
 

Revision as of 20:51, February 2, 2015

Sanskrit is an Indo-Aryan language that dates to about the 5th century B.C. It is also the language in which the Hindu scriptures were written. The Indic languages, Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, and Gujurati are modern day descendants of Sanskrit.

Although it is no longer spoken in daily life, it is still used for religious purposes by Hindus, and it is one of the fifteen official languages of the Indian constitution.

See Also


References

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Buddhism
Buddhas
Dharma
Sangha
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