Sanskrit

Sanskrit is an ancient language that holds a special place in the School, not only because it is a wonderfully rich and beautiful language in its own right, but also because of the breadth and depth of its philosophical literature and the unsurpassed intelligence and orderliness of its grammar. The School has developed a Sanskrit course that highlights these features, and this is open to all Philosophy students.

The origins of Sanskrit are not precisely known; linguistic studies indicate its relationship to Indo-European languages such as Greek, Latin and most of the modern European and northern Indian languages as well as the ancient and modern languages of Iran. Some of the world’s oldest available literature is written in Sanskrit. The Rgveda, Samaveda and Yajurveda were passed by an oral tradition from generation to generation before being written sometime in the middle of the first millennium BCE. The principal (early) Upanishads are thought to have originated over several centuries from the sixth to seventh centuries BCE until the first century BCE.

As students progress through School, they are able to use their knowledge of Sanskrit to study and reflect on passages from Sanskrit literature in order to deepen their understanding of philosophy. The Bhagavad Gita and several of the early Upanishads are the usual focus of study. When students have completed the basic course they are encouraged to study Sanskrit Grammar by reference to the Laghusiddhantakaumudi, a shortened version of the Astadhyayi of Panini.

In each Sanskrit class considerable time is devoted to sounding of verses. Many students find the stilling and purifying effect of this practice to be beneficial.

Students of Sanskrit have the opportunity to gather together nationally and internationally to study verses from scriptures, reflect upon their meaning and discuss their insights. Study meetings may take place over a morning, a weekend or a week. Traditionally there is an annual week-long meeting in the UK, with large numbers of students attending from schools all around the world; and a similar week in Australasia. More recently, these have also been held online. These meetings are a practical expression of the unity, friendship and love that philosophy strives for.

Those who wish to study Sanskrit outside of the School can do so with the Melbourne Sanskrit Language School which uses the same curriculum; the MSLS can be contacted through the School of Philosophy office.