Pls forward to Advaita List (fwd)

[Subhanu Saxena]

On Wednesday December 16, Jaldhar Vyas wrote:
> To get back to the point, the sociocultural use of the Devabhasha is to
> talk to the Devas not our neighbors.  And in that situation it does make
> more sense to concentrate on grammar rather than speech.
>
There is ample evidence to support the view that Sanskrit at one time was
indeed flourishing as a spoken language. Witness the use of language of
bhAsa in his plays, and the language of the vAlmIki rAmAyaNa which, although
written in verse form, is flowing with a style that could only have come
from a language that was actually spoken Also, pANini's last sutra "a a
iti", which closes out his teaching by saying "now from the vedic "a", we
restore the "a" we use when we speak". That is to say that he is concluding
the "teaching" bit, and now it is time to get back into normal "speaking"
mode.


> Again a non-spoken language is not necessarily a dead one.  A language
> without meaning is dead and Sanskrit still has great meaning even to
> people who do not speak it conversationally.  The approach that will work
> best is the one that is most meaningful.  And by all means that approach
> should be fun, just because something is serious doesn't mean it cant be
> fun.  We should just keep our priorities that's all.
>
>
I think you have summed it up beautifully, and I thank you for all your
learned observations.  Other members of the list will have been able to draw
their own conclusions from the discussions we have had, and I will have no
more to say in the matter. I wish all members the best in their Sanskrit
studies (whatever form this may take) as they use that to reveal the
teachings of vedAnta.


"vAgaksharam prathamajA R^itasya, vedAnAm mAtA amrtasya nAbhihi"

"The Divine Speech was the imperishable first born of the eternal cosmic
order, the mother of the veda's and the navel of immortality" (Tai Bra)

Regards


Subhanu

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