'The Wonder that is Sanskrit' has been published by Maitreya in association with Sri Aurobindo Society. It has been written by
Dr. Sampadananad & Vijay.
Cover concept and design- Vivechana Saraf
The book was officially launched on 8th January, at the World Sanskrit Conference at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi at 7PM.
Contents
Introduction
1. Sanskrit Grammar
2. Interesting and Amazing Creations in Sanskrit
3. Sanskrit in Arts, Sciences and Daily Life
4. The Beauty and Charm of Sanskrit Poetry
5. A Language of Upliftment and Enlightenment
6. A Sacred and Spiritual Language
7. Sanskrit as the National Language of India
8. Some Doubts and Questions
9. The Language of India's Soul
References
Transliteration
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the book
'The Wonder that is Sanskrit' is a book that goes into the depths of a precious language like Sanskrit and is by no means a tedious read. It is a book for beginners, for anyone who is interested and curious to gain more insights into the language and even for a Sanskrit scholar who would like to once again step into the world of this sacred language.
The book delves into the grammar and linguistics of the Sanskrit language. If one has studied and understood the linguistics of the English language, the gutturals, the dentals and the labio-dentals, very well, then it would be easier for one to comprehend the grammar of Sanskrit as well. A detailed explanation is given on the division of Vowels and Consonants according to the pronunciation /sound of the letters, whether the breath is held back (aspirate) or thrown out (non-aspirate) when the letter is uttered.
Akin to the English language, in which there are palindromes and anagrams, even in Sanskrit, there are examples of verses, where each line is a palindrome. There are examples of slokas where the consonants come in their natural order, some in which only 2-3 slokas are used and some slokas in which the letters form geometric patterns. This book also transports us to the days of the Ramayana and Mahabharata and slokas have been drawn from the same to narrate some parts of the story. This makes the read all the more interesting.
As we read further, we come to know how some discoveries in the field of Mathematics and Science are related to Sanskrit. Even in Literature, after Greek drama and Renaissance drama, Sanskrit plays are considered to be very important in the history of World drama. There are excerpts drawn from various poems like Kumarasambhava, Meghadutam and others in the book. These are considered to be milestones in the history of World Literature. There have been some extra-ordinary texts written in Sanskrit on subjects like medicine and architecture too. To show Sanskrit as a sacred and spiritual language, the authors have written about how the language has played a major role in Upanisads and the Gita. Some verses from both the texts have been mentioned.
Since examples have been drawn from almost all contexts and under all topics, and includes discussions towards the end on whether Sanskrit is a Hindu language and on the myth about Sanskrit being considered as a dead language. This style of writing makes the book a really interesting read.
