NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said like the Indian civilization, Sanskrit does not belong to any particular race, sect or religion. Sanskrit, he said, is the spirit of India.
Addressing the 15th World Sanskrit Conference in the Capital, Singh said the spirit of liberalism and tolerance embedded in it must be inculcated in our present-day life. He said the government will further strengthen efforts for promotion, development and enrichment of the ancient language. "Like the civilization of India, Sanskrit does not belong to any particular race, sect or religion. It represents a culture that is not narrow and sectarian but open tolerant and all-embracing...It is this spirit of liberalism and tolerance embedded in Sanskrit that we must inculcate in our present-day life," Singh said.
Singh noted that Sanskrit, which is recognized as one of the oldest living languages in world, is often misunderstood as only a language of religious hymns and rituals. "Such an understanding does great injustice to the great genius of the language and betrays ignorance of the work of great writers, thinkers, sages and scientists like Kautilya, Charaka, Sushruta, Aryabhata, Varahmihira, Brahmagupta, Bhaskaracharya and others," he said. Maintaining that Sanskrit has a treasure of knowledge of mathematics, medicines, botany, chemistry, arts and humanities, the PM said if we provide the missing links and establish the required inter-disciplinary approaches, the wisdom of Sanskrit has the potential of enriching the present-day knowledge systems and Indian languages immensely. He said the government is committed to promotion and the development of Sanskrit.
HRD minister Kapil Sibal emphasized on inclusion of contemporary concepts into old Sanskrit texts on various subjects, including science and medicines, to widen the language's scope and make them relevant and useful in the present day situations. He called for a "little introspection" on the issue, while noting that the study of the rich and vast Sanskrit texts on these subjects has not been continued in the present era. "We all recognize that works in Sanskrit had greatly contributed to subjects like astronomy, astrology, economics, political science, ethics, logic, philosophy architecture, ayurveda, botany, zoology, physiology to name a few. These were subjects in themselves, which is quite different from studying of Sanskrit language per se," he said.
The six-day event, being organized by the HRD ministry and International Association of Sanskrit Studies (IASS) and attended by scholars and delegates from around 32 countries, will deliberate on a diverse range of topics like poetry, drama and aesthetics, scientific literature, Buddhist studies, Jain studies, Sanskrit and regional languages and literatures, and Vedas.
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