Sanskrit is the Divine Thread upon which are strung so many beads of ancient wisdom and inspiration like the spiritual science of Yoga, the life & medical knowledge of Ayurveda and the awareness of Time and its effects in Jyotisha (Vedic Astrology).
Yet beyond even this access to the ancient traditions is the beauty and inspiration of the language itself. Its crystalline clarity allows for the sunlight of Divine wisdom and love to shine clearly into this world illuminating many dark corners of ignorance and error.
To put it simply, Sanskrit is a way to connect head and heart into a fused whole that can then be offered ever more deeply to that Divine Mother of us all. Could there be a greater offering?
Why study Sanskrit?
Very briefly and the the point, Sanskrit is a powerful tool for spiritual development:
- It is inspiring and fills the heart with joy while calming and soothing the emotions and nervous system
- It was designed by the sages so that its very sound calms the mind and purifies the heart
- It gives direct access to the lucid and profound scriptures of India such as the 2 handbooks for yogis: Yoga Sutras & the Bhagavad Gita
- It strengthens one’s spiritual practices by improving concentration, memory and devotion
- It gives greater access to mantras and chants by correct pronunciation and knowledge of the grammar
- It is the language of the Vedic tradition and so it brings new depth to the various other Vedic sciences such as Ayurveda, Vedic Astrology, Vastu and so on
- It is beautiful!
What is Om & why is it important?
The word Om (sometimes written Aum) that we chant is only a pale imitation in human sound of the actual Om vibration. So our chanting of this sacred syllable is a symbol of the Absolute and an attempt to attune ourselves with the Divine.
Simply put, Om is the Source of the manifested universe, the Creative Word that projects everything into manifestation. “It is inseparable from and nothing but God Himself” as one great saint declared. Om is not a physical sound but can be experienced in deep meditation. The experience of this “soundless roar” in meditation has been variously referred to across religions and spiritual systems as the Word, Amen, Amin,the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, pranava, Hum, Vibratory Cosmic energy and so on. That great spiritual scientist and author of the Yoga sutras, Patanjali, calls Om the speech or expression of the Ishvara, the Divine.
Quotes
1. “The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin and more exquisitely refined than either.” Sir William Jones (British Philologist)
2. The great Yogi, Paramhansa Yoganandaji, sought out a Pandit to help with an upcoming Sanskrit examination and recalls that the Pandit’s “rich voice filled the air with the edgeless, honeyed beauty of the ancient tongue.” In a footnote to this memory, Yoganandaji says:
Sanskrit means polished or complete. Sanskrit is the eldest sister of all Indo-European tongues. Its alphabetical script is Devanagari, literally “divine abode.” “Who knows my grammar knows God!” Panini, great philologist of ancient India, paid this tribute to the mathematical and psychological perfection in Sanskrit. He who would track language to its lair must indeed end as omniscient.