Why do we need Sanskrit today

The following post is part of my answer to the question on Quora around April 2018-
Why do we need Sanskrit today? Why is the BJP government trying to bring Sanskrit back?

The original question mentioned Brahmanism in the context so, my answer addresses questioner that concern as well.

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Why do we need Sanskrit today?

Answer - We don’t need it.

Sanskrit as most of the languages in the world is almost extinct. There must be a few hundred people who are using it for communication. Then why to learn such a useless language?

Language is part of the culture. It’s part of people. As a society, have we left learning how to paint just because we now have much-advanced cameras and printers that we do not need to paint anymore? Have we stopped learning basic math because we have calculators and computers now? Have we stopped learning Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, and Bhangra because most of the world does not even care about it? Have we stopped conserving our endangered animals because, in the wake of globalization, they are no longer useful? These all things are dying a slow death and it’s a bitter truth. However, we have special programs to conserve them. Essentially because they are part of who we are today. They are our identity.

Is anyone forcing you to study painting, a traditional dance form, or a language? No.. no one is forcing anyone. The same goes for Sanskrit or Pali. Do you want to learn it? good.. you have facilities to learn it. If not, do not ask others not to provide the facilities just because it does not interest you. Or in your case, you have attributed it to a particular sect. We are not the Taliban. As a nation, we have the facilities to study any language or any art form. Now if a particular government has shown affection towards some language and wants to promote it, it is none of anyone’s business until they try to suppress any other language.

I have learned Sanskrit as part of the school curriculum. For 3 years.

I preferred it over learning Hindi for a good reason I already knew Hindi and Bollywood was going nowhere soon. It was good enough for me to learn Hindi from the movies.

What do I think of Sanskrit?
It’s a beautiful, sweet, and disciplined language. It has tremendously helped me to clear my diction and pronunciation. Its grammar must be the most logical of all languages.

Languages for me are pure joy and fun. It connects the learner with the cultures. I also have learned Russian, German, and a bit of Polish. The similarities of these languages with Sanskrit are astonishing. At least on the grammar part, you cannot help but wonder how similar they are. When you have an open mind, languages widen your worldview.

There are so many words in Sanskrit that are part of modern-day Indian languages from North to South India. If you know Sanskrit, it’s a matter of a few months max to learn Hindi or Marathi; Such is the similarity. I don’t want to go into the debate of ‘Sanskrit being the base of all languages and stuff’, but one cannot deny the uncanny similarity between most languages with Sanskrit.

Keeping aside all the politics, just see Sanskrit as a language having rich literature. It’s quite illogical to oppose a language just because you think that it had some scriptures which promoted casteism. It’s like blocking the English language because it was the language of the British Raj.

Is Sanskrit the language of the Brahmins?

Look around, buddy. You have been fed lies and lies. Do you know the language of Brahmins today? It’s not Hindi, It’s not Marathi, It’s not Sanskrit nor it is English. Brahmins know the language of opportunity.

In my city Pune, most of the Brahmin kids are good at English, along with it they learn French, Japanese, German, Spanish, and Russian. Why? because learning these languages has opened its doors worldwide. While you and I are debating over why to learn Sanskrit the smart Kids are grabbing all sorts of jobs their language proficiency has opened for them. Sure they know a bit of Sanskrit and can chant a few Mantras, what’s the big deal? Take it from the non-brahmin who has learned multiple languages: ‘The mantras improve your diction’. There is no harm in it.

The same goes with Yoga. Why attribute it to Brahminism? It’s like attributing Gravity to the British. Can the haters deny it and float in the air?[1]

The Department of Foreign Languages at Pune University offers language courses at nominal fees. While there is a steep competition to get admission for the general quota, any SC/NT student with just 10th passing marks can secure a seat in these courses. Still, as per my observation, there is a 90% chance that the Brahmin kids would follow through after the A1 level to complete the next levels of proficiency. Those who master the languages get a chance to set their feet in the global arena. Two of my close non-Brahmin friends who went through this treacherous yet enriching journey of mastering a foreign language, have set themselves in an excellent financial position in Germany and Japan. Guess what, we mostly had Brahmin teachers.

If you consider Brahmins your enemies, learn even from your enemies.

Why do you need to learn from your enemies?

Do you think only Dalits were the victims of the caste system? Think logically, man! Imagine that you were a Brahmin kid back in those days. You are good at dancing, singing perhaps riding horses, swinging swords. But you are supposed to only do one and only one thing: perform rituals at local temples. Wake up in the early morning enchant Mantras, learn ridiculously big scriptures by heart, never indulge in pleasing your senses, and remain pure all the time. You have to take a bath multiple times in a day and you cannot consume meat because you are supposed to be close to god. You don’t have farms, you can’t learn any skill. People from all castes hate you secretly because you are given a higher pedestal than them. As a kid, you want nothing of it, but hey you don’t have a choice. Isn’t that kid albeit a Brahmin, suffering from the caste system?

Brahmin women had even harder times with no right to education, child marriages, and if widowed they had absolutely terrifying situations. They had to burn themselves up in their husband’s pyres or live like a vegetable for the rest of their lives. Why? because their religion said so. Now would you say that your people were the only ones who suffered from the caste system?

What changed though? Why have Brahmins moved on and Dalits are still playing the victims? It’s because Brahmins adopted the reforms, forgot the past, and prepared themselves for the new age. It did not happen in a single day. They too faced all the difficulties from the fanatics. “You cannot educate your daughter”, “You cannot cross the seas”, “You cannot break bread with non-Brahmins” but guess what, generation after generation they showed the middle finger to these archaic laws and moved on. Yes, they broke their own shackles.

When these reforms were happening, they spend little time blaming others and concentrated on reaping the benefits of the new age. Their educated generation made sure that the next generation becomes even more educated. Babasaheb[2]was well aware of it and that is why he asked all to break their own limiting beliefs. He knew while the masses are still following the age-old traditions, the alleged guardians of the traditions have already started to abolish it for their own good.

The Brahmin bashing was a good idea back in those days to forcefully break beliefs in the minds of timid people. Those who are doing it now, they are late by at least 40–50 years. They are living in the past.


(pixabay.com)

Do you consider Brahmins as your enemies? Learn how not to feel victimized and how to move on in the new age.

Have I not faced the so-called Brahmanism? Yes, I have. At times. It felt bad, but then I faced even more horrible discrimination from the Babudom in government offices.

I have seen so many benevolent people from the Brahmin community that those incidents of favoritism seem like an aberration. Heck until recently, it never occurred to me that I would have to write anything about it.

Observe! The Sindhis were deprived of their lands and all of their belongings post-independence, they had to scatter all over India in search of bread and butter. Today, they are a respected business community. The same is with the Boharas and Parsis. They are small in numbers but have helped themselves to become the wealthiest communities in India. I have never heard anyone from these communities crying for their rights or calling bandhs because they did not get something. They have helped flourish their own communities and even the nation instead of blaming some other communities for their hardships. Getting an education and spreading skills, not hatred is the key.

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Footnotes

[1] Heliocentric model 300 years before Copernicus.

[2] Ashish Shete's answer to Why do people celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti?