SCIENCE AND CULTURE THROUGH ETYMOLOGY

SCIENCE AND CULTURE THROUGH ETYMOLOGY
Dr. Chilakamarthi Durga Prasada Rao
Bhasha Praveena,
Vedanta Vidya Praveena, P.O.L
M.A. (Sanskrit), M.A. (Telugu),
M.A. (Philosophy), Ph.D. (Sanskrit)
Reader-in-charge
Department of Sanskrit
Akkineni Nageswara Rao College
Gudivada – 521301(A.P)
Cell: +919440667942


Sanskrit being one of the most ancient languages of the world is considered to be the treasure house of Indian Culture and Scientific knowledge.

But in recent centuries it has become a popular notion that Sanskrit is a religious language and the grammatical system of which is very difficult to master and its learning is confined to a particular sect and so it is totally considered as a dead language.

But the fact is entirely different. The contribution of Sanskrit in protecting the Indian ness is remarkable. The contribution of Sanskrit in the field of Philosophy, Psychology, Literature and almost all of the disciplines is irrefutable. Though a classical language it is some thing more. It is a perennial river of knowledge catering to a variety of needs not only in an ideal society but also a practical one.

Coming to the language aspect, one notices that it presents a multi-dimensional linguistic pattern, with a perfectly and fully developed grammatical system. The Science of Etymology is one of the rarest aspects of this language.

Etymology is the study of Origin and sense development of words. Sanskrit has more than Two Thousand verbal roots possibly a rare distinction among the world's languages and each of the verbs gives rise to hundreds of verbal derivations.

Unlike the other Indo-European Languages Sanskrit has its own specialty in respect of Etymology. According to the view of Hoger Pederson, “The Romans did not know how to derive the stem of the word for a comparison of various inflectional forms and the Greeks in this respect were no wiser. But the Indian grammarians were never capable of floundering in such confusion. They derived the stem correctly from inflectional forms, and the roots from the several groups of the related words. They ascertained the laws of derivations and compositions and so forth”.

Our seers of Vedic age revealed many scientific facts allegorically through their hymns. For example:- the praise of the Sun God i.e.

“Saptaswarathamarudham Prachandam kasyapatmajam
Swethapadmadharam devamTam Suryam pranamamyaham”
Correlates with the idea of VIBGYOR and whiteness as a result of their combination.

In this article a humble attempt is made to introduce some selected words which throw light on some Socio-Scientific cultural and Economic aspects of the then existing Society,

“YASKACHARYA” The foremost Lexicographer of the world who lived in 8th Century B.C. gave Etymological derivations for all the Vedic words while “Kshiraswamin” who commentated on “AMARAKOSA” Lexicography of classical words, gave derivations for classical words too. Let us analyse some words.

The word “Jagat” which denotes the world, is derived as “Gacchati iti Jagat”. Here the world is called Jagat as it keeps on moving. This derivation reveals the “Movability” or Locomotion and Transitariness of the world. And according to modern science the whole Universe is expanding relentlessly. It is possible that our ancient seers of Vedic age might have been aware of this cosmic truth while coining the word Jagat.

Similarly the word ‘Graha’ which means planet is derived as “Grihnati iti Grahah”. The planet is Called: Graha” as it attracts and keeps in itself any thing that comes in to its gravitational field. This idea is implicit in the phenomenon of gravitation
In the same manner the Sun is called “Savita” which is derived from the root “Shung”[praniprasave]. The etymological meaning of the word is “Suyate iti Savita”. The sun is called “Savitha” because he sustains and supports all life on the planet.

Like wise the word “Amavasya” i.e. New Moon-day is derived as “Ama sahavasati chandrarkau” which means the Sun and the Moon are close together i.e., they are in a line.

Similarly the coining of the names of the months “Chaitra” “Vaisakha” etc., reveals the knowledge of our ancestors about astronomical matters. For example a particular month is called Chaitra as the full moon day of the same month is associated with Chitta nakshatra. The process is the same with other months also. And even today Aryabhatta’s law is considered to be the basis for calculating the occurrence and timing of Solar and Lunar eclipses. All the above aspects throw light on the astronomical knowledge of our ancients.

Let us now observe the Sociological aspect. The word “Pita” i.e., Father, is derived from the root “Pa”[ rakshane] to protect. Pati kulam iti pita. He is the father who pretects the whole family. Similrly the word “Duhita” (daughter} is derived from the root “Duh” to milk. In Vedic times it is the practice for girls in the family to milk cows. Hence they were called “Duhitas”.

Similarly the wife is called “Patni” as she assists her husband while performing sacrificial duties.

The word “Nananda” which means sister-in-law {husband’s sister} is derived as Na nandayati bhratrijayam iti nananda i.e., who does not let her brother’s wife in peace. The above terms indicate the functions performed by different members in the family relating to the familial relationship.

Coming to the educational aspect, “Yaska” while interpreting the word “Acharya” i.e, the teacher, has given three meanings.
Acharam grahayati iti Acharyah {He who cultivates mannerism; Acharati iti Acharyah{One who practices good manners]. Achinoti Arthan iti Acharyah [One who keeps on collecting material pertaining to knowledge].All these three are expected to be cultivated by an ideal teacher. The word “Antevasi” [Ante vasati iti antevasi] one who sits near a guru shows that the gurukula system of education was prevalent in those days.
Similarly the word Grama [villege] is derived as Grasyente Bhogibhih iti Gramah: which implies exploitation of the villages by the City dwellers for their enjoyment.

Similarly while interpreting the word “ Divakirthi” which means barbar, Ksheeraswami commented on the word as “ Divakirtyae iti divakirhih ratrau kshura karma nishedhat”. From this our Indian custom that the cutting of hair should be done in day time and never at night is revealed.

According to Yaska the “Hrdaya” {the heart}is also coined on a scientific basis. The word can be derived as “Harati dadati Yapayati Iti Hridayam”. The function of the heart is to draw blood from the other parts of the body, give blood to Lungs and make blood supplied to all the parts of the body. This derivation also reveals that our ancients were aware of the circulatory function of the heart.

A few words only are cited in this small article. Others can be obtained by a perusal of Etymological Dictionaries. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Sanskrit should be kept alive because of the rich cultural, literary, religious and linguistic heritage that it offers to us. Otherwise there is the possibility of the regional languages languishing. Let me conclude this article with the quotation of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Sanskrit is like the river Ganga for our languages. If it dries up, the regional languages also would lose their vitality and power”.
*Let Sanskrit language be glorious and victorious*

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THE WAY OF POPULARISING SANSKRIT INTO MASSES

Sanskrit which is considered to be a treasure house of Indian knowledge, wisdom and culture was once brushed aside due to many socio-political reasons. And it is our bounden duty to revive the language to regain its past glory. There are many evidences to prove that Sanskrit was once the lingua franca of our motherland and the reasons for its disappearance from the common man are also obvious.

In this modern and scientific age the majority of people think that the study of Sanskrit is of no use as it does not yield any monitory benefits. Even the scholars of Sanskrit are not providing Sanskrit education to their children. So the future of Sanskrit has become a big question.

In olden days people used to study the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and some other books of holy literature for acquiring Dharma and, being influenced by them common people also used to follow in their foot-steps either by listening to them and by studying them themselves. so a majority of people in the society whether educated or uneducated kept themselves in touch with the language and literature.

But now Sanskrit is only in the Schools, Colleges and some Universities. The number of students is decreasing year by year. A majority of students who are studying Sanskrit do not pay adequate interest and enthusiasm. The interest they evince towards learning Sanskrit in comparison with the other languages and subjects is insignificant.

The courses offered very recent by University Grants commission and other private institutions in the form of VADAT SAMSKRITAM, DASADINESHU SAMSKRITAM for taking Sanskrit to the common man leave much to be desired. In respect of Sanskrit magazines also much progress is no witnessed yet. Similar is the case with the radio and T.V. programmes.

The awards announced by the Government, autonomous institutions and private organisations are confined to scholars and the common man is not benefited by them. In this context here are some tips to improve the position of Sanskrit.

• At the very outset the wrong notion that Sanskrit is a language for a particular sect should be discarded.
• Those who claim themselves to be scholars of Sanskrit should encourage their children also for Sanskrit learning though not for livelihood at least for the sake of knowledge to keep the rich language and tradition alive.
• Every Sanskrit scholar is expected to contribute at least Rs. 100/- per month from his earnings for other readers also.
• The price of Sanskrit books should be kept within the reach of the common reader.
• The vedic scholars should continue their branch of learning uninterruptedly as otherwise the tradition will not be handed over to future generations.
• Professionals who study the Vedas, Astrology and Ayurveda for their livelihood should continue to read their books to keep themselves in touch with the literature of that particular branch.
• If two or more persons who know Sanskrit happen to meet together their conversation should be in Sanskrit only.
• The interaction between Sanskrit and science is quite essential in the present day circumstances. So every student should try to interact with the students of science to unearth the scientific knowledge of our ancestors. Then only the necessity of Sanskrit learning is felt by others.
• Steps should be taken to teach Sanskrit through the medium of Sanskrit and they should be implemented scrupulously.
• Sanskrit magazines should publish scientific articles also to enable the student of Sanskrit to be equipped with scientific knowledge.
• Articles in Sanskrit magazines should be written in such a manner as to be intelligible even to the common man.
• More magazines for children should be designed.
• In our society there are a number of philanthropists, priests, religious organizations who wish to contribute their mite for the benefit of mankind. We should bring them under one roof and plead with them to be of use for the propagation of Sanskrit.
• Scholars instead of concentrating upon one sastra should concentrate on the preservation of language.
• Sanskrit should be given place in the three language formula. One’s own mother tongue, Sanskrit and English for local, national and international purposes.
• Mottos which can be understood easily even by the common man should be kept everywhere to inspire the common man.
• Celebrities like film stars, sportspersons and other such men who matter should be requested to popularize Sanskrit Slogans.
• In religious places every mantra should be kept translated in their respective regional languages for the proper understanding of that particular mantra. Then only the common man will relish the beauty of Sanskrit language.
• More incentives are to be given for those who study Sanskrit as the main subject.
• Talks should be arranged in every possible forum on our epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata to inculcate interest in the people.
• In this age of Kali strength lies in unity and scholars and lovers of Sanskrit should try to influence the masses to fight in favour of Sanskrit.

The four steps of education Adhiti, Bodha, Acharana and Prachara, i.e., learning, teaching, practising and propagation should simultaneously be taken up. Then only we can achieve our goal.

LET SANSKRIT BE VICTORIOUS
LET INDIA BE VICTORIOUS