Sanskrit: The Lost Language That Gave Birth to the World’s Tongues
Colonial Erasure of Linguistic Supremacy
During British rule, Sanskrit was systematically downgraded. British linguists like Max Müller, under colonial directive, distorted the origins of Indian languages, pushing the Aryan Invasion Theory and separating Sanskrit from the mainstream Indian psyche. They elevated Latin and Greek while branding Sanskrit as “dead,” when in truth, it was the root of Indo-European languages.
This linguistic propaganda was designed to uproot India’s intellectual self-confidence and impose a Western superiority.
Evidence From Comparative Linguistics
Renowned linguists such as Sir William Jones (founder of the Asiatic Society in 1784) were the first to admit:
“The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either.”
The similarities between Sanskrit and Latin or Greek are not coincidences — they are clues to a common source. Here are a few examples:
English | Latin | Greek | Sanskrit |
Mother | Mater | Mētēr | Mātṛ |
Brother | Frater | Phratēr | Bhrātṛ |
Name | Nomen | Onoma | Nāma |
Three | Tres | Treis | Trayaḥ |
These are not isolated cases. Over 5,000 English words have direct or near-identical roots in Sanskrit.
Scientific Structure of Sanskrit
Sanskrit isn’t just old — it’s perfectly engineered. NASA scientists and computer programmers have studied its structure for use in artificial intelligence and machine learning because it’s free of ambiguity and has perfect syntax.
Pāṇini, the ancient grammarian who lived over 2,500 years ago, wrote the Ashtadhyayi, a grammar of over 4,000 rules that even modern linguists struggle to match in complexity and precision.
No other language on Earth has a more systematic foundation.
Sanskrit and World Religions
The influence of Sanskrit goes beyond linguistics. It shaped the spiritual vocabulary of Buddhism, Jainism, and even early Christianity. Words like karma, dharma, nirvana, and mantra are now global.
In Tibet, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, Sanskrit mantras and phonetics remain sacred.
Even in the West, many ancient scripts, incantations, and philosophical texts borrowed from the wisdom of Sanskrit.
Colonial Suppression of Sanskrit in Education
In 1835, Lord Macaulay deliberately excluded Sanskrit from the education system of British India. His infamous “Minute on Education” declared:
“A single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia.”
This decision was not academic—it was strategic. Sanskrit had to be removed to ensure the mental colonization of Indians.
Why Reclaiming Sanskrit Matters Today
India is awakening. From schools in Gujarat and Karnataka teaching Sanskrit again to global universities offering Sanskrit courses, the revival has begun.
The Indian Constitution recognizes Sanskrit as one of the 22 scheduled languages. Even NASA and European space agencies are exploring it for machine logic and AI applications.
If we want to truly reclaim our glory and identity, we must restore Sanskrit as a living, breathing language — not just a ceremonial chant.
Sanskrit: A Global Gift
Sanskrit is not a relic; it is a legacy. A gift of India to the world — the mother that gave birth to languages, philosophies, sciences, and spiritual practices.
It’s time we say it aloud:
Sanskrit is not dead. It is eternal.