Q: >> Dear bandhu,
> Would appreciate info. on when the word 'samskrtam' was used in ancient texts.
> dhanyavaadah.
> kalyanaraman
>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
>From Gouthaman, gouthaman_gopalan
Earliest use of the word, 'samskrtam' in ancient texts
Dear sir
In sundrakandam, Sarga 30 - Sloka 17 and 18 you can find mention of Samskritam.
The context is Sita is depressed after threats from Ravana and Rakshashis.
Hanuman in a small Vanara form is hiding in Golden Simshuba tree. He wants to
initiate conversation with Sita and wonders what language to speak. First he
decides to speak in Mansha samskritam instead of Vanara language. But then he
decides against speaking in the grammatical error-free language of twice born
as he is afraid she will mistake him for Ravana and yell, thereby alerting the
guards nearby. So he decides to speak in a sweet (madura) bhasha. The
implication is he speak in a language other than Sanskrit! In one Harikatha
expert says he speak in the dilect of people of Mithila ( I could not find
such mention in Valmiki Ramayana). Another expert has stretched further to say
Hanuman must have spoken in Tamil!
In one of the earlier sarga, Ravana comes meet Sita followed by Brahma-Rakshas
chanting Vedas. These mention of Sanskrit being language of Ravana has
important implication for the infamous Aryan-Dravidian philosophy. Using the
battles between Devas and and Asuras, a theory was created that there once
existed a Deva clan with Indra as the King. This clan speaking Sanskrit and
called aryans subjugated the natives - Dravidians and imposed their culture
and language on them. That the mention of devas and asuras in Sanskrit
literature is derived from these ancient battles! Later excavations in indua
valley supported this theory as no horse ( which was mentioned in Vedas) was
found! Finnish/Russian scholars further found that the script in indus seals is
probably proto-dravidian.
Dravidian leaders including our great CM Karunanidhi have used this half-baked
aryan/dravidian theory to their advance. In fact Karunanidhi has said several
times he is Ravana ( Ravana was dravidian in his opinion)! Most important he
along with other dravidian enthusiasts feel that sanskrit and vedic culture has
been imposed on Dravidian culture, ramayana is one such instance.
>From Valmiki Ramayana it can be clearly seen that Ravana spoke in Sanskrit,
>was a expotent of vedas and had vedic chanters in his company. The reason was
>simple. Ravana is a son of Rishi and a rakshashi. A frequent mistake is make
>even by learned equating Asuras with rakshas. In fact Rakshas are Durdevatas
>and not Asuras who inhabit naraka logas. Other durdevatas include Yakshas,
>Bhootha and Pisasus.
And Devas speak Sanskrit!
Gouthaman
_________________________________________________________________
Sir,
It is mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana, by Hanuman, in Ashoka vana, when he is
waiting to meet Sita, Hanuman thinks in which lanugage he shld spk to her.
That is when the world samskrtam is used in describing the thought process of
Hanuman.
trust this serves the purpose of yr research.
regds
hari dk
