World Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit
Diwas is celebrated on the Poornima of the Shravana month in Hindu calendar.
The day is celebrated to focus on the ancient Indian language to promote its
revival and maintenance.
In India, the University Grants
Commission (UGC) has asked all its affiliated universities and colleges to mark
the World Sanskrit day or World ‘Samskrita’ Day with appropriate celebrations.
The Consortium of Sankrit Universities will celebrate the day by organising
‘Samskrita Week' celebration.
History
The objective of the day is to
illuminate the younger generation about the ancient Indian language which is
believed to have originated about 3500 years ago. The idea is to advocate the
people about the Sanskrit language and the need to preserve our national
heritage.
The word Sanskrit is derived from
the prefix 'Sam' which refers to 'Samyak' meaning 'entirely'. While the word
'krit' means 'done'. The language is also termed as Dev Vani which means God-language as it is believed to have
generated by God Brahma. According to the Hindu mythology, it is God Brahma who
then passed on the knowledge of this language to the sages who then
communicated it to the earthly disciples.
In some sources, the origin of the
language is said to be since the 2nd Millenium BCE, when the Rig Vida was assumed to be written. In
literature, Sanskrit is however classified into Vedic and Classical periods
where the Vedic Sanskrit refers to the language mainly found in the Rig Veda,
the Puranas and the Upanishads.
Sanskrit Diwas significance
The main significance of
celebrating this day is to promote the use of the language Sanskrit. Even being
an ancient Indian language, a very small percentage of Indian population
actually speaks the language. However, over the years due to various programmes
and initiatives, many people are volunteering to keep themselves rooted towards
this ancient Indian heritage and thus are registering themselves for learning
the Sanskrit language.
Sanskrit Diwas celebration
The UGC mentioned that in 1969 the
Government of India decided to celebrate World Sanskrit Day on Raksha Bandhan
that falls on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravana. Thus, UGC has
asked all universities to organise events that will fall in the same line as
organised by the Consortium of Sankrit Universities.
Competitions will be held virtually through online modes also. For students in Acharya level or MA and Shashtri or BA programmes, the competitions will include story-telling in the traditional language, Sanskrit song competitions and Sanksrit poem recitation. According to UGC, these activities would promote the language and "cherish the glory" of Sanskrit.