Germany and Sanskrit influence on Europe.Sanskrit - great spiritual language of the world It is considered as the, “language of the gods”—Sanskrit. A recent BBC report claims, “One of the oldest languages in the world, Sanskrit is in danger of becoming extinct in India, the country of its origin. Although most Indian languages still use the basic grammar of Sanskrit, no more than a few thousand people in a country of more than one billion can claim to read, write and speak it fluently.” Sanskrit is common to most of Hindu Shasta’s—sacred texts and is considered the oldest surviving language. Sanskrit means perfected, perhaps appropriately so. The codification of its grammar by Panini is considered unique and ancient but thoroughly scientific and precise. World-renowned thinker Joseph Campbell suggests that Sanskrit is “the great spiritual language of the world.” It is interesting that NASA has declared Sanskrit to be “the only unambiguous language on the planet.” Sanskrit is a scientific and systematic language. Its grammar is perfect and has attracted scholars worldwide.Why Sanskrit is taught in Germany ? What is behind this- let us explore the possibilities. To understand that why there are more Sanskrit news and feature programmes in electronic media in Germany than in India, We will have to turn our attention to German obsession with Aryans. To hear about something great and than to adopt it totally in one’s psyche is heard of, but to hear about something great and than to steal the idea and think that it is their own idea is something very low and unheard of. It is as if you like someone’s Child, you steal the child, Adopt the Child and believe that the Child is biologically yours and not of it’s parents. Hence we can understand why Hitler’s journey was cursed before it started only.Let us take our vision to what was believed to be the Aryan theory. The Aryan idea and Nazi-GermanyIdea of an Aryan race is certainly not the idea of the Nazis. It was put forward as early as in the middle of the 19th century by the French writer and diplomat, Arthur de Gobineau, in his work in four volumes, Dissertation on the Inequality of the Human Races. This work rapidly became very popular among the German national romantics who made its doctrines a part of the foundation of German Nationalism. However, it was not before the work of the English-German philosopher, Houston Stewart Chamberlain, The Foundation of the 19th Century, that was published in 1899, that the Aryan idea got the meaning which usually is associated with the German Nazism. The word Aryan originates from Sanskrit and means noble . The Brahmins, is described as having tawny hair, and in other old scriptures (sastras) the skin color of the Brahmins is described as white. The ancient Indian (Aryan) civilization exerted great influence on the rest of Asia. For example are the famous temples, Angor Vat in Cambodia and Borobudur on Java built according to Indian model. In Connection with the introduction of Buddhism in China followed a very strong and profound influence of Indian culture. Buddhism came into being in India where it originated from the ancient old Aryan (Vedic) religion and philosophy.We all know Buddhism was born from Hinduism. Hence to say that it originated from Aryan religion or Vedic religion is to acknowledge the fact that Hinduism is the old Aryan (Vedic Religion).How can the SUN not be called a SUN. Just because of it’s brightness, no planet can call itself the Sun. Hence no religion or territory can claim that Hinduism is not the Aryan Vedic Religion. It is to Lie and not only to lie but ask the world to accept this lie as a fact. Shame on those who have teamed against the Great Hinduism Religion – which taught them and made them what they are today.In the west the Arabs learned from the Brahmin India, together with a lot of basic Mathematics, the numerals that we apply in the West today. It should thus be easy to understand that it was not the German Nazis who invented the Aryan idea. It is also important to understand that there was neither immigration to nor immigrants in Germany from the third world in 1920ies, 1930ies and 1940ies*. To understand the importance of Aryan theory the Germans had to have access to Vedic books and understand Aryan warfare techniques for that they had to master Sanskrit.
| The Oriental Renaissance: Europe had been overtaken by a phenomenon of primary importance called the Oriental Renaissance. The success and reasons behind Greek and Rome were more profound and more philosophical and more poetical and these were emerging from the depths of Asia. This is what one French Historian said in 1800s.Human Revolutions first began in India and it stood more expressly important than any other country as it concentrated on a Declaration of Human Rights or the Rights of the Being. So it seems India was the World’s first Democracy. The wisdom found in Sanskrit works was greeted with a great sense of Awe in Europe. They contained so many truths, profound truths that the West was constrained to bend its knees before the Genius of the East and to see that the Cradle of the Human Race the native land of the highest philosophy was India.France and Sanskrit influence:The enthusiasm for Upanishad and the thoughts expressed were felt when various books were translated like the Rig-Veda, Ramayana, Mahabarta, Laws of Manu, Saddharmapundarika, Bhagwata Purana, Samkya etc... from 1786 to 1852.Most translations except for the last two were pretty but unfaithful to the originals.Most Great Poets in France like Lamartine, Victor de Vigny and Victor Hugo were greatly influenced by the Upanishads. It went to great heights when Henri Frudric Amiel said that “Brahamanising the souls of all for the spiritual welfare of Humanity was necessary or a must.”France played a important role in advancement of Indian studies in Germany. Paris had become the CAPITAL OF Nascent INDOLOGY. In 1820 to 1850 Europe had gained much more information about India than it had obtained before.Claude de Saint- Martin expressed enthusiasms on the “ Numerous treasures that the literature of India is beginning to offer us”. Many people learnt Sanskrit like the Latin Scholar Burnouf, Father of Great Philologist Eugene Burnouf, Louis Matthieu Langlus, Calude Fauriel and Friedric Von Schlegel.A private course was taught on World Literature in 1804 including Sanskrit works.German Scholars rushed to Paris to learn the Sanskrit Studies in 1814.In 1825 Schlegel returned to France to obtain the fonts of NAGARI characters for his editions of Hitopadesha and the Bhagavad-Gita.Slowly the Germans were successful in moving the center of Indian studies from France to London and than to Germany, by establishing the field of comparative grammar and introducing Sanskrit studies in the Universities of Berlin and Bonn. Indian studies were further ensured when the NAGARI typefaces were introduced at both the Universities.Paris became the first European City to provide the Teaching of Sanskrit Language in 1822The research that was done at College de France in Paris set the standards of Progress. Christian Lassen (1800- 1876) the founder of Indian studies in Germany also studied there.Sanskrit Dictionaries: There was great demand from European scholars for a Sanskrit Dictionary. Wilson was first to provide one in 1819. More than 1000 pages long. In 1875 The Roth – Bothtlingk Dictionary of Sanskrit appeared. Monier- Williams dedicated his life to the Sanskrit language and in 1846 published the Elementary Grammar of the Sanskrit Language.Williams said “ There were 500 dialects in India, Sanskrit was the Only one Sacred language that everyone accepted and revered”The translation of Panini’s grammar into English by Richard Garbe was also a boon to many Eastern and Western Scholars. Panini’s grammar is the center of a vast and important branch of the ancient literature. No work has struck deeper roots than it in the Soil of Scientific Development in India. It appeals to every Scientific writer when he meets linguistic difficulty. |
----------------
Note: Content of this blog post is writer's personal opinion and may not be SanghParivar.org or Sangh's view.