Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
has been studied by Western scholars since the late 18th century. In the 19th century, Sanskrit studies played a crucial role in the development of the field of
comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness.
Genetic relatedness implies a common origin or proto-language and comparative linguistics aim ...
of the
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
. During the
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
(1857–1947), Western scholars edited many Sanskrit texts which had survived in manuscript form. The study of
Sanskrit grammar and philology remains important both in the field of
Indology and of
Indo-European studies
Indo-European studies () is a field of linguistics and an interdisciplinary field of study dealing with Indo-European languages, both current and extinct. The goal of those engaged in these studies is to amass information about the hypothetical p ...
.
History
The study of
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
in the
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...
began in the 17th century.
Some of
Bhartṛhari's poems were translated into
Portuguese in 1651.
In 1779 a
legal code
A code of law, also called a law code or legal code, is a systematic collection of statutes. It is a type of legislation that purports to exhaustively cover a complete system of laws or a particular area of law as it existed at the time the co ...
known as was translated by
Nathaniel Brassey Halhed from a
Persian translation, and published as ''
A Code of Gentoo Laws''. In 1785
Charles Wilkins published an English translation of the
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...
, which was the first time a Sanskrit book had been translated directly into a European language.
In 1786
Sir William Jones, who had founded
The Asiatic Society two years earlier, delivered the third annual discourse; in his often-cited "philologer" passage, he noted similarities between Sanskrit, Ancient Greek and Latin—an event which is often cited as the beginning of
comparative linguistics
Comparative linguistics is a branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness.
Genetic relatedness implies a common origin or proto-language and comparative linguistics aim ...
,
Indo-European studies
Indo-European studies () is a field of linguistics and an interdisciplinary field of study dealing with Indo-European languages, both current and extinct. The goal of those engaged in these studies is to amass information about the hypothetical p ...
, and Sanskrit philology.
This common source of the
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
eventually came to be known as
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...
, following the work of
Franz Bopp
Franz Bopp (; 14 September 1791 – 23 October 1867) was a German linguistics, linguist known for extensive and pioneering comparative linguistics, comparative work on Indo-European languages.
Early life
Bopp was born in Mainz, but the pol ...
and others.
In 1789 Jones published a translation of
Kālidāsa's ''
The Recognition of Sakuntala''. The translation captured the admiration of many, notably
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
, who expressed his admiration for the Sanskrit play
Shakuntala:
Goethe went on to borrow a device from the play for his ''
Faust, Part One''.
In the introduction to ''
The World as Will and Representation'', written in 1818,
Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the Phenomenon, phenomenal world as ...
stated that "the access to
he Vedas">Vedas.html" ;"title="he Vedas">he Vedas opened to us through the Upanishads">Vedas">he_Vedas<_a>.html" ;"title="Vedas.html" ;"title="he Vedas">he Vedas">Vedas.html" ;"title="he Vedas">he Vedas opened to us through the Upanishads, is in my eyes the greatest advantage which this still young century enjoys over previous ones, because I believe that the influence of the Sanscrit literature will penetrate not less deeply than did the revival of Greek literature in the fifteenth century".
The Irish poet William Butler Yeats was also inspired by Sanskrit literature. However, the discovery of the world of Sanskrit literature moved beyond German and British scholars and intellectuals — Henry David Thoreau was a sympathetic reader of the
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...
— and even beyond the
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...
was also influenced by Sanskrit literature. In the early days of the
Periodic Table
The periodic table, also known as the periodic table of the elements, is an ordered arrangement of the chemical elements into rows (" periods") and columns (" groups"). It is an icon of chemistry and is widely used in physics and other s ...
, scientists referred to as yet undiscovered elements with the use of Sanskrit
numerical prefixes (see
Mendeleev's predicted elements).
J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1933 met the Indologist
Arthur W. Ryder at Berkeley and learned Sanskrit. He read the Bhagavad Gita in the original language. Later he cited it as one of the most influential books to shape his philosophy of life, and his quotation from the Bhagavad Gita "Now, I become Death, the destroyer of worlds." in reference to the
Trinity test is well known.
The nineteenth century was a golden age of Western Sanskrit scholarship, and many of the giants of the field (
Whitney,
Macdonnell,
Monier-Williams,
Grassmann
Hermann Günther Grassmann (, ; 15 April 1809 – 26 September 1877) was a German polymath known in his day as a linguistics, linguist and now also as a mathematician. He was also a physicist, general scholar, and publisher. His mathematical w ...
) knew each other personally. Perhaps the most commonly known example of Sanskrit in the West was also the last gasp of its vogue.
T. S. Eliot, a student of
Indian Philosophy
Indian philosophy consists of philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. The philosophies are often called darśana meaning, "to see" or "looking at." Ānvīkṣikī means “critical inquiry” or “investigation." Unlike darśan ...
and of Sanskrit under
Lanman, ended ''
The Waste Land'' with Sanskrit:
"Shantih Shantih Shantih".
Current usage and study
Sanskrit is taught in many South Asia Studies and/or Linguistics departments in Western universities. In addition to this, it is also used during worship in
Hindu temples in the West, being the
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
liturgical language, and
Sanskrit revival attempts are underway amongst expatriate Hindu populations. Similarly, Sanskrit study is also popular amongst the many Western practitioners of Yoga, who find the language useful in understanding the
Yoga Sutra.
An Islamic institute's unique inclusion of Sanskrit in its syllabus has recently caught the attention of major national news and media outlets. The institute's innovative approach has received widespread coverage in the press. The Institute is located in Thrissur, Kerala, South India.
See also
*
Sanskrit grammarians
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
*
Hinduism in the West
*
International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration
*
Sacred Books of the East
*
Hindu American Foundation
*
Hindu denominations
*
Hindu Temple Society of North America (Ganesh Temple, Queens)
*
Hindu University of America
*
Sanskrit prosody
*''
Invading the Sacred''
*
List of Hindu temples in the United States
*
Parliament of the World's Religions
There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...
References
Further reading
* CHAUDHURI, S. K. (2011). Sanskrit in China and Japan. New Delhi, International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan.
*
Rajiv Malhotra (2016), ''
Battle for Sanskrit: Dead or Alive, Oppressive or Liberating, Political or Sacred?'' (Publisher: Harper Collins India; {{ISBN, 978-9351775386)
External links
Finally, Sanskrit in your pocket by Chandrahas ChoudhurySanskrit-English dictionary, based upon the St. Petersburg lexiconsIntroduction to the Grammar of the Sanskrit language, for the use of early students
Sanskrit