New Delhi: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday made a strong pitch to further promote Sanskrit language in the country, saying increasing its spread will not only enrich all other Indian languages and act as a bridge between them, but will also connect people with ancient ideas and culture of Bharat.
Addressing an event organized here to inaugurate the newly constructed central office of Sanskrit Bharati, Bhagwat said the essence of the name ‘Bharat’ is not just geographical; Nor is it merely a political-economic entity.
“Bharat is a tradition, the foundation upon which life continues to flow. It is a tradition that sustains life throughout the entire universe, including all its living and non-living components. The world remains in constant need of this tradition; fulfilling this need is the duty of those who identify themselves as Indians,” he said.
For this, Bhagwat said one has to “know and understand Bharat” along with the entire “wealth of knowledge” to keep it alive and take it forward.
He added: “And if all this is to happen, understanding Sanskrit is essential to understanding India. India is home to many languages. Every language in India is, in itself, a national language. But what is the link that links these diverse national languages? It is Sanskrit.”
Calling on Sanskrit Bharati to make efforts for greater promotion of the Sanskrit language in the country, Bhagwat said that work in this regard should progress to the extent that everyone in India is able to speak Sanskrit.
“Sanskrit is not just a language. In India, Sanskrit is the prana of the nation. Because the oldest traditions that still exist today – thought, life and culture – are India,” he said.
The RSS chief further said that the increase in the spread of Sanskrit will enrich all other languages in India because “the basic current of sentiment is the same”.
He added that it serves as a “tool of emotion.”
Bhagwat said that Sanskrit does not establish itself by replacing any other language.
“This is its virtue. The Sanskrit language still flourishes in India. Its flow was weak at times, and at other times it was strong. The Sanskrit language still flourishes today. There are families and villages that speak Sanskrit,” he said.
It has never flourished at the expense of other Indian languages, preventing its development, and it will never do so in the future, Bhagwat said.
“Sanskrit is a unifying language. It is the mother of languages. Moreover, it acts as a bridge language. Sanskrit is the link that connects all the languages of India. In each language, at least 30 to 40 per cent of the vocabulary consists of words derived from Sanskrit or its ‘tidbhav’,” he added.
Sanskrit Bharati is an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
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