Sanskrit revival is a resurgence of interest in and use of the Sanskrit language, both in India and in Western countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and in many European countries.[1][better source needed] [2][better source needed]

Sanskrit is one of the 22 official languages in India.[3] In 2010, Uttarakhand became the first state in India to have Sanskrit as its second official language.[4] In 2019, Himachal Pradesh became the second state to have Sanskrit as the second official language.[5] There are 2,360,821 total speakers of Sanskrit in India, as of 2011.[6] However, despite attempts at revival,[7][8] there are no first language speakers of Sanskrit in India.[7][9][10] In each of India's recent decennial censuses, several thousand citizens have reported Sanskrit to be their mother tongue,[a] but the numbers are thought to signify a wish to be aligned with the prestige of the language.[7][11][12][13]

History

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In 1891 there was organized activity among the Theosophists in India promoting and participating in the revival of Sanskrit.[14] In 1894 the American Asiatic and Sanskrit Revival Society was established.[15]

In the Republic of India Sanskrit is included in the 14 original languages of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. Many organizations, like the Samskrta Bharati, are conducting Speak Sanskrit workshops to popularize the language. The All-India Sanskrit Festival (since 2002) holds composition contests. The 1991 Indian census reported 49,736 fluent speakers of Sanskrit.[16]

The state of Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to declare Sanskrit as an official language. The Central Board of Secondary Education in India has made Sanskrit a third language in the schools it governs (though it is an option for a school to adopt it or not, the other choice being the state's own official language). In such schools, learning Sanskrit is an option for grades 5 to 8 (Classes V to VIII). This is true of most schools, including but not limited to Christian missionary schools, affiliated to the ICSE board too, especially in those states where the official language is Hindi. An option between Sanskrit and a local language as a second language exists for grades 9 and 10.[citation needed]

Sanskrit revival movements

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Sanskrit literature movement

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There is a Sanskrit literature movement to revive Sanskrit.[17]

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has started giving "World Sanskrit Award" to eminent Sanskrit scholars to recognise their outstanding contribution to the study, teaching, research in Sanskrit language and literature. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand was conferred the first ‘World Sanskrit Award’ in 2016.[18] In 2017, Robert Goldman was awarded the World Sanskrit Award.[19]

There are also many Sanskrit writers who won Sahitya Akademi Award winners.

Global organisations

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Samskrita Bharati is an organization working for Sanskrit revival. It is a tax exempt nonprofit organization with its headquarters in New Delhi, India. The International Centre, Aksharam, a complex located in Bangalore, India, is its international centre. It houses a research wing, a library, audio-visual lab, and staff quarters. It also has several state-units spread across the country both in the United States and India. The US chapter is a registered nonprofit tax-exempt organization with its headquarters in San Jose, California. Samskrita Bharati functions as an umbrella organization for various organizations working for promotion of Samskrita. Being the liturgical language of Hindus, it is used during worship in Hindu temples in the West. It is taught in many South Asian studies/linguistics departments in universities across the West. Also, Sanskrit revival attempts are underway amongst expatriate Hindu populations in the west.[20] It is also popular amongst the many practitioners of yoga in the West, who find the language useful in understanding the Yoga Sutra [citation needed].

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is an India educational trust. It was founded on 7 November 1938 by K. M. Munshi, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi. The trust programmes through its 119 centres in India, seven centres abroad and 367 constituent institutions. One of its purposes is the promotion of Sanskrit over "all aspects of life from the cradle to the grave and beyond" – thus filling "a growing vacuum in modern life".[This quote needs a citation]

Modern Sanskrit universities in India

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In the last few years sporadic efforts have been made to form Sanskrit universities for Sanskrit studies and vyakarana in India. The Sanskrit Universities Bill is aimed at converting Sanskrit deemed to be universities to central universities.[21] The partial list of such universities is given below in chronological order:

S. No Year Established Name Location State Specialization
1 1791 Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Varnasi Uttar Pradesh
2 1824 The Sanskrit College and University Kolkata West Bengal
3 1906 Madras Sanskrit College Chennai Tamil Nadu
4 1961 Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University Darbhanga Bihar
5 1962 National Sanskrit University Tirupati Andhra Pradesh
6 1962 Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha New Delhi Central Govt
7 1970 Central Sanskrit University (formerly Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan) New Delhi Central Govt Multi-campus
8 1981 Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University Puri Odisha
9 1993 Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit Kalady Kerala
10 1997 Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University Ramtek (Nagpur) Maharashtra
11 2001 Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University Jaipur Rajasthan
12 2005 Shree Somnath Sanskrit University Somnath-Veraval, Junagadh Gujarat
13 2005 Sri Venkateswara Vedic University Tirupati Andhra Pradesh
14 2008 Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Evam Vedic Vishwavidyalaya Ujjain Madhya Pradesh
15 2018 Maharishi Balmiki Sanskrit University Kaithal Haryana

Sanskrit revival by states of India

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Vedic & sanskrit school education board

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The Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Sanskrit Shiksha Board (MSRVSSB) is a national-level school education board which grants the Veda Bhushan (10th) and Veda Vibhushan (12th) certificates to the students of affiliated schools. MSRVSSB certificates are accredited by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and AICTE as the recognised qualifications for admission into other tertiary institutions for a higher degree. Along with the modern subjects, the students are also taught Hindu scriptures, vedas, upnishads, ayurveda and sanskrit.[22]

Andhra Pradesh

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Andhra Pradesh has several dozens Sanskrit institutes, including the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (deemed university) at Tirupati.[23]

Assam and Northeast India

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Assam and Northeast India, where Sanskrit has reached by the late vedic period, has Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiti which was established in 2012 to research Sanskrit, Ananda Ram Baruah institute of languages publishes Sanskrit manuscripts, and Assam Sanskrit Board is responsible for researching and preserving Sanskrit documents and manuscripts.[23]

Bihar

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Bihar has Sanskrit institutes like Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University.[24]

Delhi

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Delhi has at Delhi University, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (deemed university) undertaking research and teaching in Sanskrit.[25]

Gujarat

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Gujarat has Shree Somnath Sanskrit University and 50 Sanskrit pathshalas (schools) of which 38 are officially recognised by the government.[26]

Haryana

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Haryana state has over 24 Sanskrit colleges offering education equivalent to bachelor's degree, additionally masters and doctoral level degrees are also offered by the Kurukshetra University and Maharshi Dayanand University.[27] In 2018, Haryana established Maharishi Balmiki Sanskrit University, Kaithal as a teaching and affiliating university for research in Sanskrit, vedas, Indic languages, Indian culture and Indian philosophy.[28]

Himachal Pradesh

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Himachal Pradesh has many Sanskrit institutes.[29] In 2019 the Himachal Pradesh government decided to make Sanskrit the second official language replacing Punjabi.[30] Also, Himachal Pradesh government has plans to teach Sanskrit as a compulsory language from 3rd to 5th standards.[31][32] Currently Sanskrit is taught from 5th to 10th standards in the state. The state government has also intended to open a Sanskrit university to revive the language in the state.[33] Some believe the move was controversial as is aimed at Sanskritisation of the province and rather than revival of Sanskrit, the Western Pahari language should have been revived which is the local language system of the province written originally in Takri script.[34][35]

Kerala

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Kerala has many Sanskrit institutes, including Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit.[36] World's First Sanskrit Children's Film 'Madhurasmitham'director SureshGayathri Kerala State Sanskrit Teacher.

Madhya Pradesh

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Madhya Pradesh has many Sanskrit institutes, including Maharishi Sandipani Rashtriya Ved Vidya Pratishthan and Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Evam Vedic Vishwavidyalaya.[37]

Maharashtra

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Maharashtra has Sanskrit institutes like Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University.[38]

Odisha

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Odisha has many Sanskrit institutes, including Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidayalaya.[39]

Rajasthan

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Rajasthan has Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University.[40]

Tamil Nadu

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Tamil Nadu has many Sanskrit institutes,[41] including the Madras Sanskrit College established in 1906.

Uttar Pradesh

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Uttar Pradesh has Sampurnanand Sanskrit University.[42][better source needed]

West Bengal

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West Bengal has at least four universities with Sanskrit departments.[43]

Revival outside India

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Over 100 institutes outside India offer academic studies in Sanskrit:[44]

South Asia

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Indosphere

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The following nations in the Indosphere offer opportunities for Sanskrit studies:

Africa

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The following nations in Africa offer opportunities for Sanskrit studies:

  • South Africa: St James Preparatory Schools in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg offer Sanskrit classes.[65][66][67]

Americas

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The following nations in the Americas offer opportunities for Sanskrit studies:

Arab and Middle East

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The following nations in the Middle East offer opportunities for Sanskrit studies:

Europe

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The following nations in Europe offer opportunities for Sanskrit studies, most notably Germany, France, UK, Italy and the Netherlands:

Oceania

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The following nations in Oceania offer opportunities for Sanskrit studies:

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 6,106 Indians in 1981, 49,736 in 1991, 14,135 in 2001, and 24,821 in 2011, have reported Sanskrit to be their mother tongue.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Sanskrit stages linguistic revival: Germans lead the way". www.merinews.com. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  2. ^ "Popularity of Sanskrit on rise in US, Europe". Hindustan Times. 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  3. ^ "Sanskrit speakers seek to revive 'dead' language". Hindustan Times. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  4. ^ "Sanskrit is second official language in Uttarakhand". Hindustan Times. 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  5. ^ "HP Assy clears three Bills, Sanskrit becomes second official language".
  6. ^ "C-17 Population by Bilingualism and Trilingualism".
  7. ^ a b c d Sreevastan, Ajai (10 August 2014). "Where are the Sanskrit speakers?". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 11 October 2020. Sanskrit is also the only scheduled language that shows wide fluctuations — rising from 6,106 speakers in 1981 to 49,736 in 1991 and then falling dramatically to 14,135 speakers in 2001. "This fluctuation is not necessarily an error of the Census method. People often switch language loyalties depending on the immediate political climate," says Prof. Ganesh Devy of the People's Linguistic Survey of India. ... Because some people "fictitiously" indicate Sanskrit as their mother tongue owing to its high prestige and Constitutional mandate, the Census captures the persisting memory of an ancient language that is no longer anyone's real mother tongue, says B. Mallikarjun of the Center for Classical Language. Hence, the numbers fluctuate in each Census. ... "Sanskrit has influence without presence," says Devy. "We all feel in some corner of the country, Sanskrit is spoken." But even in Karnataka's Mattur, which is often referred to as India's Sanskrit village, hardly a handful indicated Sanskrit as their mother tongue.
  8. ^ "Indian village where people speak in Sanskrit". BBC News. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  9. ^ Ruppel, A. M. (2017). The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit. Cambridge University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-107-08828-3. The study of any ancient (or dead) language is faced with one main challenge: ancient languages have no native speakers who could provide us with examples of simple everyday speech
  10. ^ Annamalai, E. (2008). "Contexts of multilingualism". In Braj B. Kachru; Yamuna Kachru; S. N. Sridhar (eds.). Language in South Asia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 223–. ISBN 978-1-139-46550-2. Some of the migrated languages ... such as Sanskrit and English, remained primarily as a second language, even though their native speakers were lost. Some native languages like the language of the Indus valley were lost with their speakers, while some linguistic communities shifted their language to one or other of the migrants' languages.
  11. ^ McCartney, Patrick (May 10, 2020), Searching for Sanskrit Speakers in the Indian Census, The Wire, retrieved November 24, 2020 Quote: "What this data tells us is that it is very difficult to believe the notion that Jhiri is a “Sanskrit village” where everyone only speaks fluent Sanskrit at a mother tongue level. It is also difficult to accept that the lingua franca of the rural masses is Sanskrit, when most the majority of L1, L2 and L3 Sanskrit tokens are linked to urban areas. The predominance of Sanskrit across the Hindi belt also shows a particular cultural/geographic affection that does not spread equally across the rest of the country. In addition, the clustering with Hindi and English, in the majority of variations possible, also suggests that a certain class element is involved. Essentially, people who identify as speakers of Sanskrit appear to be urban and educated, which possibly implies that the affiliation with Sanskrit is related in some way to at least some sort of Indian, if not, Hindu, nationalism."
  12. ^ McCartney, Patrick (May 11, 2020), The Myth of 'Sanskrit Villages' and the Realm of Soft Power, The Wire, retrieved November 24, 2020 Quote: "Consider the example of this faith-based development narrative that has evolved over the past decade in the state of Uttarakhand. In 2010, Sanskrit became the state's second official language. ... Recently, an updated policy has increased this top-down imposition of language shift, toward Sanskrit. The new policy aims to create a Sanskrit village in every “block” (administrative division) of Uttarakhand. The state of Uttarakhand consists of two divisions, 13 districts, 79 sub-districts and 97 blocks. ... There is hardly a Sanskrit village in even one block in Uttarakhand. The curious thing is that, while 70% of the state's total population live in rural areas, 100pc of the total 246 L1-Sanskrit tokens returned at the 2011 census are from Urban areas. No L1-Sanskrit token comes from any villager who identifies as an L1-Sanskrit speaker in Uttarakhand."
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  24. ^ Bihar in Sanskrit Studies In India, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan.
  25. ^ Delhi in Sanskrit Studies In India, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan.
  26. ^ Gujrat in Sanskrit Studies In India, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan.
  27. ^ Haryana in Sanskrit Studies In India, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan.
  28. ^ Maharishi Balmiki Sanskrit University to be set up at Kaithal, Business Standard, 15 Mar 2018.
  29. ^ Himachal Pradesh in Sanskrit Studies In India, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan.
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Further reading

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