Context
World Sanskrit Day is celebrated on SawanPoornima in the Hindu calendar. As per the calendar, August 12 marks the occasion.
- World Sanskrit Day honours the Sanskrit language and promotes its global acceptance.
The language profile
- Sanskrit is one of the earliest written languages in the world.
- It was used to compose the Vedas and other Hindu religious texts.
- Evolved from Proto-Indo-European dialects, Sanskrit has a special place in Indian history.
- Many languages in India have been derived from Sanskrit.
- This day is observed annually on the day known as Poornima in the Shravana month, as per the Hindu calendar which also corresponds to the sacred festival of RakshaBandhan.
History
- Sanskrit is a thousand-year-old Indo-Aryan language.
- Sir William Jones, a British orientalist and jurist, stated that Sanskrit is a better and more exciting language than Latin or Greek.
- Scholars throughout India have used and appreciated the language.
- Even in Germany, Sanskrit is still an important form of communication.
- To teach new generations about the ancient Indian language, the Indian government decided to celebrate Sanskrit Diwas on RakshaBandhan Day in 1969.
- The event honours the beginning of the Sanskrit language and calls on people to continue using it.
- Sanskrit being the oldest language is significant in its authentic ways-
- It is the language of ancient scholars like Valmiki, Aryabhatta, Kalidasa, Veda Vyas etc.
- Being a rural Indian language, Sanskrit never left its roots in rural India.
- Sanskrit crossed the borders of Vietnam and Cambodia and its way through people’s hearts.
- The people of Uttarakhand have accepted and acknowledged Sanskrit as their official language.
World Sanskrit Day Significance
- The main goal of this day was to encourage the use of the Sanskrit language outside traditional puja mandaps — in casual conversation.
- Additionally, Sanskrit Day is observed to raise awareness about it.
- It captures the depth of Indian culture and has existed for centuries through folktales and stories.
