Sanskrit : Is This The Dead Language ? — LostBrain

Sanskrit : Is This Dead Language ? Is this is the Joke ? Why people stated that, the sanskrit is the dead language ? You are also thinking that the Sanskrit is dead ? Then read this article and know all facts about sanskrit language.

It is the predominant language of one of the largest collection of historic manuscripts. This language of Hindu texts Surrounding a rich tradition of philosophical and religious texts. It is also Surrounding the poetry, music, drama, scientific, technical and others. The earliest known inscriptions in it are from the 1st century BCE. Such as the Ayodhya Inscription of Dhana and Ghosundi-Hathibada.

Origin of Sanskrit :

The founding language of the family from which it is from is called Proto-Indo-European. Its daughter is a language called Proto-Indo-Iranian. So called because it is the origin of the languages of North India and Iran.

Misconception About Sanskrit :

There is a misconception that Sanskrit language is only a language for chanting mantras in temples or religious ceremonies. That, actually, is less than 5% of the this language literature, more than 95% of which has nothing to do with religion. Many People stated misconception on social platform about it. Likewise,
“This language is being taught at NASA”,
“NASA programs in Sanskrit”
“Algorithms are most efficient in Sanskrit”
“We can get true Artificial intelligence if we program in Sanskrit”.

Fact check Of Misconception About Sanskrit :

Sanskrit is NOT compulsory in NASA, and moreover it is not even use within NASA. The origin is that in the late 1980s a NASA engineer on his own. This is not as part of any official NASA study. Wrote a paper which said that because of the extremely strict grammar rules of it. And the relative ease with which parts of speech can be identified in the language. It is a suitable language for Natural Language Processing. Like, it is easy for computers to understand it, because of it’s strictness.
It is contend that even if it somehow undergoes a revival and is more popular. Many linguists believe any language being popular will reduce the strictness of the language, and hence take away that benefit from it.

Read Also : Quotes of Swami Vivekananda On Success

Statements of Scholar On Declination :

This language declined starting about and after the 13th century. This decline was the result of “political institutions and civic ethos” that did not support the historic Sanskrit literary culture. Scholars are divided on whether or when Sanskrit died.

Western authors such as John Snelling state that “Sanskrit and Pali are both dead Indian languages”

Indian authors such as M Ramakrishnan Nair state that “It was a dead language by the 1st millennium BCE”.

Sheldon Pollock states that in some crucial way, “Sanskrit is dead”.

According to Hanneder, “A closer look at it in the Indian history after the 12th century suggests that Sanskrit survived despite the odds”.

On a more public level the statement that “It is a dead language is misleading, for it is quite obviously not as dead as other dead languages and the fact that it is spoken, written and read will probably convince most people that it cannot be a dead language in the most common usage of the term. Pollock’s notion of the “death of Sanskrit” remains in this unclear realm between academia and public opinion when he says that “most observers would agree that, in some crucial way, Sanskrit is dead.”

The Sanskrit language scholar Moriz Winternitz states, “It was never a dead language and it is still alive though its prevalence is lesser than ancient and medieval times”

Hanneder states that “modern works in it are either ignored or their “modernity” contested”.

Similarly, Brian Hatcher states that the “metaphors of historical rupture” by Pollock are not valid, that there is ample proof that it was very much alive in the narrow confines of surviving Hindu kingdoms between the 13th and 18th centuries, and its reverence and tradition continues.

Why NASA stated that … ?

“ NASA believes that Sanskrit is the most scientific language for programming,” said HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on the country’s past to the graduating batch of IIT-Bombay on Aug 11, 2019.

This language has been one of the major means for the transmission of knowledge and ideas in Asian history. There is at least one language, Sanskrit, which for the duration of almost 1000 years was a living spoken language with a considerable literature of its own. Besides works of literary value, there was a long philosophical and grammatical tradition that has continued to exist with undiminished vigour until the present century. Among the accomplishments of the grammarians can be reckoned a method for paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is identical not only in essence but in form with current work in Artificial Intelligence.

NASA says walking-talking computer possible only with Sanskrit: HRD Minister

NASA hasn’t had nor will have anything to do with the it, except perhaps naming a few of their missions with words from the language. A natural language can serve as an artificial language also.

Why Sanskrit Is Useful ?

Sanskrit’s grammar comes close to certain knowledge representation schemes used in computers but it’s a language to learn from, not a language to use. It also has nothing to do with computer programming.

You don’t get to choose the things that attract or turn you on. They are written like Sanskrit in your blood.

Marty Rubin

Originally published at https://lostbrain.in on July 14, 2020.