SANSKRIT LANGUAGE: IS IT FORGOTTEN?

Sanskrit is regarded as the ancient language in Hinduism, where it was used as a means of communication and dialogue by the Hindu Celestial Gods, and then by the Indo-Aryans. Sanskrit is also widely used in Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. The term ‘Sanskrit’ is derived from the conjoining of the prefix ‘Sam’ meaning ‘samyak’ which indicates ‘entirely’, and ‘krit’ that indicates ‘done’. Thus, the name indicates perfectly or entirely done in terms of communication, reading, hearing, and the use of vocabulary to transcend and express an emotion. An extraordinarily complex language with a vast vocabulary, it is still widely used today in the reading of sacred texts and hymns.

NASA has described Sanskrit as the best language for computers. NASA has been researching on 60,000 Sanskrit manuscripts written on palm leaves, to decipher the ancient technologies from the manuscripts. Sanskrit is taught and studied in many renowned universities across the globe. For instance,

The State University of Ohio
The University of Columbia
Harvard University
Indiana University
The University of Alabama
The University of Calgary
The University of Chicago
The University of Florida
The University of Toronto
The University of Virginia
The University of Queensland
The University of Bonn
The University of Berlin
Oxford University
Cambridge University
The University of Rome
The University of Beijing

Sanskrit has been admired by many European scholars for ages. Influenced by the literary beauty of Sanskrit, Heinrich Roth and Johann Ernst Hanxleden had started offering scholarship to the learners of Sanskrit in Europe. Sir William Jones, an eminent scholar and philologist in the 18th century, had given the following statement of admiration to the Asiatic Society in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1786:

"The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar".

Sanskrit is not totally forgotten. Lets see the facts:

1. According to 2001 census, Sanskrit is the native language of 14, 135 people in India. It is growing since then.

2. Samskrita Bharati promotes the greatness of the language not just in India but across the globe.

3.  There are 7 Sanskrit speaking villages in India such as - Mattur & Hosahalli (Karnataka), Jhiri, Bhaguwar & Mohad (Madhya Pradesh), Sasana (Orissa), Ganoda (Rajasthan).

Not only the historic monuments but Sanskrit is the heritage of India too. If Sanskrit is not preserved and revived, a greater being of ancient India will be lost in the wilderness. It is as precious as the Tejo Mahal. Indian Eagle believes in the eternity and glory of Sanskrit as pride of India.

(Extracted from https://www.indianeagle.com/travelbeats/facts-of-sanskrit-in-india/)