Many Indians feel naturally inclined to learn Sanskrit, the greatest heritage of ancient Indian cultural ethos. However, they are usually discouraged by the prevalent dread of the language.
The Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, was deeply influenced by this classical language and wanted it to become the national language of India. For common use She wanted 'a simplified Sanskrit from the grammatical point of view'.
Keeping Her words in mind the Sanskrit Karyalaya of the Ashram has been active for a number of years promoting and popularizing a simple form of Sanskrit and has published a number of books to facilitate easy learning of this largely neglected language. This book shows that Sanskrit is not only easy to learn but can also be developed as a common language for all Indians.
Readers may be aware that the Sanskrit Karyalaya of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry has published a number of books for promoting and popularising Sanskrit in a simple form.
In this book the author tries to prove that Sanskrit is not a difficult language. In fact, it is very close to us, as it is the source of most of the languages of India and intimately related to all of them.
The book also shows how simple Sanskrit can be learnt in a very natural way. We call it The Natural Way because it follows all through the fundamental principle of all teaching — to go from the near to the far and from the known to the unknown. The entire approach is direct and simple and even the grammar is presented in a very simple way.
The usual method of teaching Sanskrit has given the impression that Sanskrit is very difficult and to learn it cramming is unavoidable. Our method provides a way out.
The book is generally useful for all who wish to learn Sanskrit without tears and specially useful for Indians.
Our aim is to lead the readers ultimately to the Vedas, because as Sri Aurobindo affirms:
"The Veda is the beginning of our spiritual knowledge; the Veda will remain its end... I believe the future of India and the world to depend on its discovery and on its application, not to the renunciation of life, but to life in the world and among men."
In this book Sanskrit has been kept as the base and English is given as an aid to understand the text. In the chapter entitled lndeclinables the English equivalent is not given, in some places where we felt that the English translation would be more complicated than the original. For the sake of a more natural presentation in English, we have not insisted on a literal translation of the texts.
Once the readers are thorough in topics like gender, tenses, moods and declensions, which cover 22 pages in this book, they will be ready to launch on a more comprehensive study of the language. For such a study. We intend to publish next year the second and last part of this series, entitled Learn Sanskrit — the Easy Way. Suggestions from those who love Sanskrit and would like to see it occupy its rightful place in the culture of India and the world would be most welcome.
• Sanskrit is good for all Indian Sanskrit is better, Sanskrit is a much fuller and subtler language
• Everyone of its vowels and consonants has a particular and inalienable force which exists by the nature of things and not by development or human choice… The Superior purity of the Indian language is the reason of its being called the Sanskrit and not given any local name its basis being universal and eternal.
• The very sound of Sanskrit words gives a prestige and a power and a strength to the race Sanskrit and prestige go together in India.
• Indian ness cannot be imagined without Sanskrit
• Sanskrit can never be replaced but once we lose it we shall cease to be Indians
• The Sanskrit words are the only link between the North and south Indian Sanskrit is the life breath of our languages. They cannot grow without Sanskrit.
• Sanskrit is like the river Ganga for our languages I always feel that if it were to dry up the regional language also would lose that vitality and power.
• Character building can best be achieved only through Sanskrit.
• Without the learning of Sanskrit it is not possible to decipher the Indian Philosophy on which our culture and heritage are based
• It would help us to remain not too far behind other countries that have surged far ahead of us in reaping the benefits of the study of Sanskrit and Sanskrit literature. It would help reviving the ethos of India because synthesis harmony and reconciliation comprise the essence of the culture of Sanskrit.
• Sanskrit will blind this nation together into a cultural and economic force the world has not seen before the regions will thrive. The debilitating competition between Hindi and Urdu at the heart of communalism will be terminated. The Hindu April 28, 1996.
It would be better to learn Sanskrit and try to make it a truly living language.
Not the Sanskrit of the scholars but a Sanskrit that opens the door to all the languages of India. I think that is indispensable. The ideal would be in a few years to have a rejuvenated Sanskrit as the representative language of India that is a spoken Sanskrit… Sanskrit is behind all the languages of India and it should be that. This was Sri Aurobindo’s Indea when we spoke about it.
Every child born in India should know Sanskrit just as every child born in France has to know French.
The Sanskrit ought to be the national language of India.
To learn a language one must read, read and talk as much as one can.
For common use I was thinking of a simplified Sanskrit from the grammatical point of view.
"The vital question is how we are to learn and make use of Sanskrit and the indigenous languages so as to get to the heart and intimate sense of our own culture and establish a vivid continuity between the still living power of our past and the yet uncreated power of our future."
- Sri Aurobindo
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