Dr. Baldevananda Sager is a well-known Sanskrit broadcaster and scholar. His 120 part series, "Learn Sanskrit, Be Modern" is available on YouTube.
In this feature he shares more about his experiences with Sanskrit, and why he feels it is an impactful way to personal development.
Pañcarakṣā (MS Add.1688) Pañcarakṣā (MS Add.1688) (14th regnal year of Nayapāla of Bengal (1054/1057))Cambridge University Library
He says, "in my more than forty-six years of presenting Sanskrit through radio and television via India’s national broadcasters, I’ve often been asked two questions, both very important."
"The first is 'why Sanskrit is necessary?'
And second, 'what is Sanskrit’s usefulness in the twentieth or twenty-first centuries?'"
Saraswati (1890) by Ravi Varma PressOriginal Source: From the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation
He continues, "over the decades, as my engagement with Sanskrit has deepened, my response too has crystallized. The words that I found a few years ago - and which I share each time I’m asked - are that 'just as water and breath are essential for life, so Sanskrit is for us.'"
Learning at the Yoga InstituteThe Yoga Institute
Dr. Sagar reminds, "there are many more reasons which lead us to firmly accept that we have no other better identity than through Sanskrit. Just as it is self-evident that following Ayurveda is beneficial for all - Indian or global citizen...
"..in the way the practice of Maharishi Patanjali’s Yoga is, the study of Sanskrit too enriches in infinite ways."
Swami Vivekananda - Signed picture (1893-09)Vivekananda House
"Vivekananda said once that the maturity, sweetness and meaningfulness of Sanskrit words are not found in the words of other languages.
It is believed in some quarters that one of the reasons for the decline of Buddhism in India is a move away from Sanskrit," he continues.
Swami Vivekananda with Chennai devotes (1897)Vivekananda House
Naming eminents, he says, "it is a powerful tool for everyone interested in the history and culture of different nations. Many teachers and great sages like Maharishi Arvind, Swami Dayananand Saraswati, Lokamanya Tilak, Swami Chinmayanand, Sri Ramachandra Dongre, Morari Bapu...
Closeup of the Sculptures of Indian Sages by Team LHILive History India
..Rameshbhai Ojha, Mother Amritanandamayi and others have presented the necessity of studying Sanskrit in varied contexts. Figures like Max Müller and Goethe have emphasized the importance of Sanskrit studies for Western scholars."
The Susruta-Samhita or Sahottara-Tantra (A Treatise on Ayurvedic Medicine) (Text: 12th-13th century; Images: 18th-19th century) by UnknownLos Angeles County Museum of Art
"Sanskrit is essential for the study of our scriptures, and without it, the study of Ayurveda - which began with the Atharva Veda - is not feasible. Knowledge of Sanskrit is considered mandatory to be eligible for admission to the Mahashastra of Astrology."
Radha and Krishna in the boat of love by Nihal ChandNational Museum - New Delhi
"The language hosts an incomparable corpus of poetry… and a consequence of not knowing the language is that those with an appreciation for such flavours shall never experience the subtlest verse ever composed," Dr. Sagar observes.
"Above all", he feels, "I believe that anyone who wants to develop their personality should also be a Sanskrit learner."
Brick with Sanskrit inscription (1217-06-11/1217-06-11)British Museum
Might translation make a difference? Not really, in Dr. Sagar's view, as "might the semantic and scriptural meaning of the word भूभृत् - pron. BHU-BHRIT i.e. that which fills the earth - be understood by the word MOUNTAIN mentioned in the translation?"
Rear View Mirror #70 (c. 1970) by Panchal Mansaram (b. 1934)Royal Ontario Museum
He continues, "many scripture writers, technologists and linguists too endorse the great benefits that can be attained by studying Sanskrit in this age of science and technology, an era whose greatest gift is the computer."
Referring to his ‘Learn Sanskrit: Be Modern’ series of lectures, Dr. Sagar feels that the great sage Panini's ‘Ashtadhyaayi’ has the nature of software, to make Sanskrit grammar a well organized, mathematical, scientific and discipline of words.
"Panini's style of formulas is such that it makes Sanskrit precise and comprehensive, yet open to the new worlds that language shows us."
F|S Sculpture of South Asia and the Himalayas - 11 Indian Subcontinent (2014-01-01)Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Thus, the Sanskrit language, which is everywhere in culture, literature, science, technology and many other fields, for Dr. Sagar constantly enhances self-esteem, self-reliance, love for one’s country and the world, tolerance, and wealth.
"This is why it is said that Sanskrit is the lifeblood of the nation. I believe that if the identity of the nation is to be secured and expanded, the study of Sanskrit is essential," he asserts.
Rama with his brothers studying in the Gurukula of Sage Vasishtha by UnknownNational Museum - New Delhi
Many of these changes have made learning Sanskrit easier than ever before. In general, Sanskrit teaching has been prescribed in traditional Sanskrit schools, Vedic schools, colleges and universities.
Rear View Mirror #70 (c. 1970) by Panchal Mansaram (b. 1934)Royal Ontario Museum
However, in the present era of advanced information technology, the scope of learning and teaching through computers and the Internet has become wider and easier. Sanskrit can now be taught through a variety of electronic multi-media and social media.
In Dr. Sagar's experience, "we can learn Sanskrit easily with contemporary technologies and platforms, like YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and through websites and blogs."
Released today, the Woolaroo app offers a simple and interesting way to learn Sanskrit words by exploring the world around oneself. With tools like this finally available to everyone, it can be said without a doubt that the study of Sanskrit is easier, Dr. Sagar feels.
About the author:
Dr. Baldevananda Sagar is an eminent Scholar in the field of Sanskrit, Journalism & Theatre. He was the first to serve as a Sanskrit anchor for Doordarshan News and only the third person ever to deliver news in Sanskrit on All India Radio. He has given lectures at various universities, teaching translation, dictation, presentation and soft-skills in the capacity of visiting faculty at National School of Drama, New Delhi. He has served as Director, Kalidasa Sanskrit Academy, Ujjain.
Since April 2015, he has been engaged in telecasting live lectures for “DD Vyas Channel” under the Consortium for Educational Communication (an Inter-University Centre of the University Grants Commission on electronic media. Till date he has delivered 120 lectures under the series ‘Learn Sanskrit: Be Modern’.
From May 2017, Dr. Sagar has been engaged in the project of translating into Sanskrit and broadcasting the Prime Minister of India’s “Mann Ki Baat” (Manogatam) on All India Radio.
