What are the pros and cons of learning Sanskrit?
Sanskrit is the oldest and the most continually used language in the world certainly since the second millennium BC. Classical Sanskrit grammar, which was established by the great grammarian, Pāṇini, encompasses the largest literature of any language and incorporates the sacred literature of three of the world’s major religions. Sanskrit is still taught in some schools in India, and in a few places in the Western world. With India playing an ever more important part on the world stage, there has been a corresponding growth of interest in Sanskrit. The World Sanskrit Conference meets every four years and there are also many smaller conferences focusing on different aspects of Sanskrit. In 2011 there was a World Sanskrit Book Fair in Bangalore which was attended by more than 100,000 people. There are Sanskrit magazines being published in India, the UK and the US.
This ancient Indian language has proven to be of use to us time and time again. There is a lot to uncover when it comes to the Sanskrit language. Sanskrit grammar offers a beautifully clear structure as was recognized by Indian grammarians over 2,500 years ago. The script it is written in was designed especially for it and allows us to know with great certainty how it was pronounced.
However, there are both pros and cons of learning Sanskrit as a second language. So, let’s dive deep into this discussion:
Pros of learning Sanskrit:
- A Literature Matchless In Its Wealth – Due to the way in which its grammar was fixed by grammarians like Pāṇini, Sanskrit has one of the most extensive literatures of all languages. It introduces students to vast epics, profound scripture, subtle philosophy, voluminous mythology, exquisite poetry and much else. Study of these works offers a student a wider perspective to enable a better understanding of their own tradition, but also shows them which questions and insights are shared across cultures.
- Health Benefits of Learning Sanskrit – The benefits of learning Sanskrit are multiple! Here’s a neat trick -reciting out the Sanskrit alphabet can be beneficial for your health! The way this works is, reciting the Sanskrit alphabet results in you rhythmically using minimal and maximal breath, contraction, and expansion in your breathing efforts. This system is a pranayama practice in itself. It aids in balancing and calming the mind. We bet no other language could do that!
- Sanskrit is the best language for Artificial Intelligence – Sanskrit is the most ancient language which was used by sages in various fields such as astronomy, medicine, mathematics, astrology, etc. and because of its strict grammar rules, it is considered as the best language for natural language processing. Sentences in Sanskrit are never out of context or miss contextual like the English language. Similarly, in English, the same word is used in different contexts which makes it difficult to infer the correct logic while it is not the same with Sanskrit.
Cons of learning Sanskrit:
- Sanskrit is stripped from the Ecosystem: There was a time when everything in India including scientific materials, philosophy, mathematics, arts, religion, poetry, drama, stories, and even epics were in Sanskrit. There was active State support for it, and thus, Sanskrit was thriving. Sanskrit works were being created till the early parts of the previous millennium. Court language changed to Persian, Arabic, and then to English over the last millennia. It has remained English ever since. There is no patronage given to Sanskrit. No ecosystem created by the Government.
- Sanskrit is way too complex: The Sanskrit language is too complex. Everything about Sanskrit is very tough; starting from the basics. The vocabulary and grammar is difficult to learn if you are not familiar with Hindi beforehand. Perhaps, the priestly class added this complexity to prevent the dissemination of knowledge in India and safeguard their monopoly on learning.
Finally,
Despite all the cons, Sanskrit still has an infinite number of pros. If you have an interest in Indian Vedic tradition and wish to find hidden secrets written in the old ancient text then you can go for learning Sanskrit. Also, in the coming days professional with having a degree in Sanskrit as a subject will have a good opportunity to get jobs in government institutions as teacher, lecturer and professors.
There’s an amazing new way to learn Sanskrit! Want to see what everyone’s talking about!