Books in Sanskrit on Language & Literature

Before the world wide web came into existence, it was exclusively in India where an excess of knowledge and information existed, so much that it would inspire wonder. Indeed, even today, an overview of the ancient literature of India can make our heads reel. If simply the Sanskrit language is considered, which was the most widely used language of ancient India, a human lifetime is inadequate to read all of the literature written in the language, even if a human being devoted their entire life doing solely that. To taste the flavors of the finest Sanskrit literature, here are the top 4 books everyone should read-

Panchatantra: The stories in Panchatantra are moral lessons, a piece like Aesop's Fables. The Sanskrit is straightforward and through these purposeful anecdotes, one finds out about the human way of behaving and strategy, not just for rulers. Large numbers of these accounts are popular/familiar, through well-known renderings. The five moral principles imparted by Panchatantra are 'Mitra Bhedha' (Loss of Friends), 'Mitra Laabha' (Gaining Friends), and 'Suhrudbheda' (Causing dissension between Friends), 'Vigraha' (Separation) and 'Sandhi' (Union). Panchatantra shows the worth of equity and gives significant life examples while being interesting and engaging. Never does it become horrid and captures the interest of the child reading it through its rich illustrations and creative usage of the animal world.

Panini’s Ashtadhyayi: Ashtadhyayi is the Sanskrit text on language written between the sixth to fifth-century BCE by the Indian grammarian Panini. This work set the etymological principles for Classical Sanskrit. It summarizes in 4,000 sutras the study of phonetics and sentence structure that had developed in the Vedic religion.

Nalacharitham: Nalacharitham is a Kathakali play composed by Unnayi Warrier. Given the Mahabharatha, it recounts the narrative of King Nalan and his partner Damayanthi. The play comprises four sections - called First, Second, Third, and Fourth Day - each part being sufficiently long to be performed over an entire evening.

The rich Sanskrit literary story can't end without Jayadeva and Gitagovindam, who carried something else altogether to Sanskrit verse, like rhyming, notwithstanding the custom of meters (Chanda).

Arthashastra: Kautilya/Chanakya's Arthashastra is a surprising text on statecraft and administration and is a deep dive into the subject of international relations, economic/ military strategies, tax assessment, and law. The Arthashastra investigates issues of social welfare, the aggregate morals that keep a general public intact, exhorting the ruler that in times and regions crushed by starvation, pandemic, and such demonstrations of nature, or by war, he ought to start public tasks, for example, making water irrigation systems, amending economic regulations.

Q1. Why is it beneficial to use Sanskrit?

Through Sanskrit, children can comprehend spiritual ideas that aren't promptly accessible in English. No other language can interpret the mysterious, otherworldly, and heavenly as successfully as Sanskrit. Learning Sanskrit improves our perspectives by enacting specific parts of our cerebrum. The language is very well shaped and empowers us to learn numerous different dialects easily. Reciting Sanskrit texts ushers serenity and relaxation into our inner selves.

Q2. What is the most well-known Sanskrit literary work?

Among the most popular show stoppers of Sanskrit writing are the sonnets and plays of Kalidasa, the extraordinary sagas Ramayana and Mahabharata, including the Bhagavad-gita, and the Upanishads. The old Sanskrit legends the Ramayana and Mahabharata include the Itihāsa ("Writer has himself seen the story") or Mahākāvya ("Great Compositions"), a canonical feature of Hindu sacred text.

Books in Sanskrit on Language & Literature

Literary treasures from the oldest language to ever exist in the world, Sanskrit