Sanskrit at AVK

RENAISSANCE OF SAMSKRITAM IN EDUCATION

India has continued to be respected for its Samskruthi, Culture. Logically, therefore, its linguistic medium of Education should be and is called “SANSKRIT”. This primordial language was the original medium of Vedic literature followed by the Vedantic, the three of the world’s greatest Epics – Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Bhagavata - and its superb dramatic composition of Shakuntala by Kalidasa. Nor has Sanskrit ceased subsequently too to beget wonderful literature particularly the meta physical which has enabled the original culture like the ‘KALPAVRUKSHA’ to spread and shower its sustaining aerial roots far and wide: Thoreau and Emerson in USA, Wordsworth, Shelley, Blake in England and Goethe in Germany have left us choice inklings of immortality which are Sanskritic.

The language itself has been deliberately cultured. It is a very pearl of an Educative medium. Further, although it has been dubbed as “classical” implying , incorrectly that it is a “dead language”, actually, it has been and is continuing to adopt and adapt itself adequately to reflect the ever changing climate of civilization. Sanskrit has spread to every corner of the Indian sub – continent and its neighbourhood, from the Caspian to the Timor Seas, and has thus become a universal isotopic link. Besides, more surprisingly the best distinguished scholars and proponents of Sanskrit belong to distant Harward in U.S.A., to Sorbonne in Paris, Weimar and Heidelberg in Germany, Oxford in England. In Sweden and Finland too is Sanskrit a cynosure.

Why? Because, for a start, its alphabet, the Devanagari script, is the only one that is scientifically arranged and is easily adopted for being tailored perfectly to render most other tongues. Then its perfect preservation of Declension and Conjugation, its faculty of agglutination as in German, innovation as in French, its Rhythmic composition, all enable easy memorisation and succinct expression par excellence. Hence, Sanskrit with these traits is singularly and eminently adapted for computerization.

The content of Sanskrit literature ranges, as it does in other well developed languages, from the most metaphysical speculation and Applied – Scientific jargon to Wit, to Humour and even vulgar parlance. Another boon was that it was groomed thoroughly by the world’s first philologist, Panini. Another benefactor was Amarsimha who conceived Lexicography and begot the Amarakosha, a collation of synonyms. Pathanjali was yet another genius who wonder – wrought his Yoga Sutra. The Everest of this Himalayan cordillera of percipience is the Srimad Bhagavadgeetha, the non plus ultra of moral, ethical and logical exposition; it is a graduated course for individual evolution from the infinitesimal and time – bound to the Infinite, ALL. The Geetha was the core of Education in Indian schooling till as recently as 1870. Fortunately it is being revived from the beginning of this century.

Acharya Vidya Kula’s innovative experiment, by introducing Sanskrit ab ovo in an anglophone school is meant to educate its wards to progress mentally and spiritually. It is already and promising manifest in some of its alumni. It may now be confidently predicated that, at least, terrestrial Humanism will be resuscitated and redeemed by the contemporary parthenogenetic AVATARA of SAMSKRUTAM.