Literature in Sanskrit, India's oldest language, and the mother language of several modern languages in India. Given its extensive use in religious literature, primarily of Hinduism, and the fact that most modern Indian languages have been directly derived from or strongly influenced by Sanskrit, it is not surprising that the position of Sanskrit in Indian culture is not unlike that of Latin in European culture. Sanskrit has a long tradition of literature. This article tries to touch the major phases of Sanskrit literature. ...

Including:

• Sanskrit literature - The Vedic Period
• Sanskrit literature - The Epics
• Sanskrit literature - The Ramayana
• Sanskrit literature - The Mahabharata
• Sanskrit literature - Panini and Ashtadhyayi
• Sanskrit literature - Sanskrit Plays
• Sanskrit literature - Mricchakatika The Little Clay Cart
• Sanskrit literature - Bhasa's plays
• Sanskrit literature - Kalidasa
• Sanskrit literature - Bharata's Natyasastra
• Sanskrit literature - Classical Poetry
• Sanskrit literature - Later Sanskrit literature
• Sanskrit literature - Reference

Read more here: » Sanskrit literature: Encyclopedia - Sanskrit literature

See also:

Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit literature - The Vedic Period, Sanskrit literature - The Epics, Sanskrit literature - The Ramayana, Sanskrit literature - The Mahabharata, Sanskrit literature - Panini and Ashtadhyayi, Sanskrit literature - Sanskrit Plays, Sanskrit literature - Mricchakatika The Little Clay Cart, Sanskrit literature - Bhasa's plays, Sanskrit literature - Kalidasa, Sanskrit literature - Bharata's Natyasastra, Sanskrit literature - Classical Poetry, Sanskrit literature - Later Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit literature - Reference

Read more here: » Sanskrit literature: Encyclopedia II - Sanskrit literature - Later Sanskrit literature

Arguably, no grammarian has had as much influence over the grammar of any language as much as Panini has had over Sanskrit grammar and phonetics. Panini was a Vaishnava grammarian from approximately the 5th cent BC. The Ashtadhyayi was his magnum-opus. The book completely standardized Sanskrit grammar and phonetics. Panini's grammar became widely accepted and is still the standard (a common way to classify ancient Sanskrit b ...

See also:

Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit literature - The Vedic Period, Sanskrit literature - The Epics, Sanskrit literature - The Ramayana, Sanskrit literature - The Mahabharata, Sanskrit literature - Panini and Ashtadhyayi, Sanskrit literature - Sanskrit Plays, Sanskrit literature - Mricchakatika The Little Clay Cart, Sanskrit literature - Bhasa's plays, Sanskrit literature - Kalidasa, Sanskrit literature - Bharata's Natyasastra, Sanskrit literature - Classical Poetry, Sanskrit literature - Later Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit literature - Reference

Read more here: » Sanskrit literature: Encyclopedia II - Sanskrit literature - Panini and Ashtadhyayi

Sanskrit literature can be classified under six orthodox heads and four secular heads. The six orthodox sections form the authoritative scriptures of the Hindus. The four secular sections embody the later developments in classical Sanskrit literature.

The six scriptures are: Srutis, Smritis, Itihasas, Puranas, Agamas and Darsanas.

The four secular writings are: Subhashitas, Kavyas, Natakas and Alankaras.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Hindu Scriptures: A full overview of the Hindu and Vedic Scriptures

Avadana is the name given to a type of Buddhist romance literature represented by a large number of Sanskrit (Nepalese) collections, of which the chief are the Avadanasataka (Century of Legends), and the Divyavadana (The Heavenly Legend). Though of later date than most of the canonical Buddhist books, they are held in veneration by the orthodox, and occupy much the same position with regard to Bu

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Saptaŗişhi or Saptarşi (सप्तर्षि, pronounced as "səptərŞhi") in Sanskrit means the Seven Sages or rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and other Hindu literature. The Vedas never actually enumerate these rishis by name, though later texts do so. They are regarded in the Vedas as the patriarchs of the Vedic religion. The constellation of Ursa Major is also named as Saptarshi. Saptarishi - Names of the Saptarishis incomplete. There are many contradictory lis ...

Including:

• Saptarishi - Names of the Saptarishis incomplete

Read more here: » Saptarishi: Encyclopedia - Saptarishi

Aryan invasion theory, often abbreviated to AIT, is a term used to refer to the theory developed by 19th Century European linguists to explain the similarity between Sanskrit and European languages, supposing the invasion or migration of peoples who originated outside of India. The term is now most used by Indian opponents of the theory, or to label obsolete forms of the theory. The term "Aryan" derives from the word arya, used in the Vedas in a sense of "nobility", and as an ethnic term in Iran. The phrase "Aryan ...

Including:

• Aryan invasion theory - Origin of the theory
• Aryan invasion theory - Racial aspects of the theory
• Aryan invasion theory - Role in Imperialism and Nazism
• Aryan invasion theory - Later developments
• Aryan invasion theory - Political and religious issues
• Aryan invasion theory - Modern Theory
• Aryan invasion theory - Literature

Read more here: » Aryan invasion theory: Encyclopedia - Aryan invasion theory

"Yona" (also sometimes "Yonaka") is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate ancient Greek people. Its equivalent in Sanskrit is the word "Yavana". "Yona" and "Yavana" are both transliterations of the Greek word for "Ionians" (Homer Iāones, older *Iāwones), who were probably the first Greeks to be known in the East. Yona - Old World usage. This usage was shared by many of the countries east of Greece, from the Mediterranean to India and China: Egyptians used ...

Including:

• Yona - Old World usage
• Yona - Indian references
• Yona - Role in Buddhism
• Yona - Invasion of India
• Yona - Scientific abilities
• Yona - Other references
• Yona - The Yonas and other northwestern invaders in Indian literature
• Yona - Later meanings
• Yona - Contemporary usage
• Yona - Notes
• Yona - External link

Read more here: » Yona: Encyclopedia - Yona

Indian epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita have influenced countless other works, including Balinese Kecak and other performances such as shadow puppetry (wayang), and many European influenced works. See main articles: Indian literature Sanskrit literature Tamil literature Hindi literature Urdu literature Indian writing in English Bengali literature ...

See also:

History of literature, History of literature - The beginnings of literature, History of literature - Early Indian literature, History of literature - Early Chinese literature, History of literature - The Greeks and the Romans, History of literature - The Greeks, History of literature - The Romans, History of literature - Persian literature, History of literature - The Medieval Period, History of literature - Later Chinese literature, History of literature - European Renaissance Literature, History of literature - The early modern period, History of literature - European literature in the 18th century, History of literature - The 19th century and onwards

Read more here: » History of literature: Encyclopedia II - History of literature - Early Indian literature

While the classical "Aryan invasion" scenario – the idea that a wave of Vedic Aryan invaders were the cause of the Indus Valley Civilization's destruction – has fallen out of favor, the majority of archaeologists would not dispute that the Sanskrit language and Hindu religion have some external sources in addition to internal ones. Sanskrit and other Indic languages are clearly related to the Iranian languages which historically have occupied much of Central Asia. However, even as early as the Rig-Veda (1500-1200 BCE), Sanskrit contains ...

See also:

Aryan invasion theory, Aryan invasion theory - Origin of the theory, Aryan invasion theory - Racial aspects of the theory, Aryan invasion theory - Role in Imperialism and Nazism, Aryan invasion theory - Later developments, Aryan invasion theory - Political and religious issues, Aryan invasion theory - Modern Theory, Aryan invasion theory - Literature

Read more here: » Aryan invasion theory: Encyclopedia II - Aryan invasion theory - Modern Theory

The Vedas, the earliest comprehensive literature of the Indo-European people, contain mantras for pleasing the devas to obtain blessings. The Rig Veda, the earliest of the four, enumerates 33 devas, which in later Hinduism became exaggerated to 330 million, likely because the same Sanskrit word means "ten million" and "class, group", i.e. "33 types of divine manifestations". Some devas represent the forces of nature and some represent moral values. The main deva addressed in the Rig Veda is Indra. Agni (fire) and Soma represent modes ...

See also:

Deva Hinduism, Deva Hinduism - Etymology, Deva Hinduism - Vedic religion, Deva Hinduism - Classical Hinduism

Read more here: » Deva Hinduism: Encyclopedia II - Deva Hinduism - Vedic religion

The history of the language can be traced back to 12th c. CE. A formal grammar of the precursor of this language was written by Jain monk and eminent scholar Hemachandra-charya in the reign of Rajput king Siddharaj Jayasinh of Anhilwara (Patan). This was called Apabhransa grammar, signifying a language which is a corrupted form of languages like Sanskrit and Ardha-magadhi. The earliest literature in the language survives in oral tradition and can be traced to two stalwarts, the Krishna devotee and great egalitarian Narsinh Mehta (later a sou ...

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Gujarati language, Gujarati language - History, Gujarati language - Geographic distribution, Gujarati language - Official Status, Gujarati language - Dialects, Gujarati language - Derived languages, Gujarati language - Vocabulary, Gujarati language - Writing system

Read more here: » Gujarati language: Encyclopedia II - Gujarati language - History

The theory arose from the discovery by William Jones that Sanskrit was related to the classical European languages Latin and Greek, and to Avestan, the ancient language of Iran. Jones surmised that all four languages derived from a common source "which perhaps no longer exists". For Jones, writing in the 1790s, this discovery was consistent with the biblical account of the origins of the tribe of Japheth, one of the sons of Noah, who was thought to have been the ancestor of the European peoples, and to have migrated from Mount Ararat into Eu ...

See also:

Aryan invasion theory, Aryan invasion theory - Origin of the theory, Aryan invasion theory - Racial aspects of the theory, Aryan invasion theory - Role in Imperialism and Nazism, Aryan invasion theory - Later developments, Aryan invasion theory - Political and religious issues, Aryan invasion theory - Modern Theory, Aryan invasion theory - Literature

Read more here: » Aryan invasion theory: Encyclopedia II - Aryan invasion theory - Origin of the theory

In Sanskrit literature number words for 1-9, 10, 100 and further powers of 10 - up to 10 - were used (similar to decimal system). [2]. The most widely used place value symbols belong to the Nagari script numerals, very similar to the Brahmi numerals, which form the basis of the modern Hindu-Arabic numerals. [3] Historians trace many modern numerals to the Brahmi numerals, which were in use around the middle of the third century BC.[4] The place value system, however, evolved later. The Brahmi numerals have been found in inscriptions i ...

See also:

History of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, History of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system - Origins, History of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system - Positional notation, History of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system - Adoption by the Arabs, History of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system - Adoption in Europe

Read more here: » History of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system: Encyclopedia II - History of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system - Origins

Yavana (Sanskrit) Young, a young person; the name by which the Greeks were designated in India. In later times the word was applied to the Moslems and to Europeans in general; hence in Sanskrit literature often equivalent to foreigner.

(See also: Yavana, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Vohu-Mano, Vohu-Mana (Avestan) Vahman (Pahlavi) Bahman (Persian) [from Avestan vohu goodness from the verbal root vah to love cf Sanskrit verbal root vas + the verbal root man to think, be aware]

In the Gathas, Vangaheush Manangho, Vohu-Manangha. Good thoughts, good state of being, which is pure consciousness and the most exalted state of existence. It is only through Vohuman, as said in the Gathas, that the laws of life are fulfilled and ever renewed. In Mazdean literature, white is the color of Vohu-Mano. In later mystic Persian literature, it has been regarded as the first intellect, homogeneously in harmony with the totality of life.

Bahman is the name of the 11th month of the Iranian calendar (Aquarius) and the ancient feast of Sadeh (fire celebration) is held on the 10th of this month.

(See also: Vohu-Mano, Vohu-Mana, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Rishi rsi (Sanskrit) An adept, seer, inspired person; in Vedic literature, used for the seers through whom the various mantras or hymns of the Veda were revealed.

In later times the rishis were regarded as a particular class of beings, distinct from gods and men, the patriarchs or creators: thus there were the ten maharshis -- the mind-born sons of Prajapati.

In the Mahabharata, the seven rishis of the first manvantara are enumerated as Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, and Vasishtha. In Satapatha-Brahmana the Vedic rishis are named as: Gotama, Bharadvaja, Visvamitra, Jamadagni, Vasishtha, Kasyapa, and Atri. The seven rishis (saptarshis) are especially associated with the constellation of the Great Bear.

(See also: Rishi, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

A Theosophical definition of Aupapaduka :

Aupapaduka

(Sanskrit) A compound term meaning "self-produced," "spontaneously generated." It is a term applied in Buddhism to a class of celestial beings called dhyani-buddhas; and because these dhyani-buddhas are conceived of as issuing forth from the bosom of Adi-buddhi or the kosmic mahat without intermediary agency, are they mystically said to be, as H. P. Blavatsky puts it, "parentless" or "self-existing," i.e., born without any parents or progenitors. They are therefore the originants or root from which the hierarchy of buddhas of various grades flows forth in mystical procession or emanation or evolution.

There are variants of this word in Sanskrit literature, but they all have the same meaning. The term aupapaduka is actually a key word, opening a doctrine which is extremely difficult to set forth; but the doctrine itself is inexpressibly sublime. Indeed, not only are there aupapaduka divinities of the solar system, but also of every organic entity, because the core of the core of any organic entity is such an aupapaduka divinity. It is, in fact, a very mystical way of stating the doctrine of the "inner god."

[NOTE: Later research shows that anupapadaka, as found in Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, is a misreading of aupapaduka. Cf. Franklin Edgerton, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1953, 2:162.  - PUBLISHER]

See also: Aupapaduka, Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sanskrit [from Sanskrit sanskrita or samskrita]

The ancient sacred language of the Aryans, originally the sacred or secret language of the initiates of the fifth root-race. The Sanskrit language possesses voluminous and valuable works in prose and in verse, some of which, like the Vedas, date back, in the opinion of certain scholars, to the years 30,000 BC or even far beyond. Almost every phase of philosophic thought, expressed and studied in the West, is represented in one form or another in ancient Hindu literature. Besides this, these old Sanskrit writings are replete with recondite subjects dealing with the wondrous potentialities of the human spirit and mind, the building and destruction of worlds and universes, etc.

The Sanskrit language, derives from one of the earliest of the Aryan tongues, a lineal descendant of an Atlantean progenitor.

"In ancient times in India, and in the homeland of the Aryans before they reached India by way of Central Asia, this very early Aryan speech was used not only by the Aryan populace, but in the sanctuaries of the Temples was taken in hand and developed or composed or builded to be a far finer vehicle for expressing abstract religious and philosophic conceptions and thoughts. This tongue thus composed or developed by initiates of the Aryan stock, because of this formative work upon it was finally given the name Sanskrita, signifying an original natural language which had become perfected by initiates for the purpose of expressing far more subtle and profound distinctions than ordinary people would ever find needful. So great was the admiration in which the Sanskrit language thus perfected was held, that it was commonly said of it that it was the work of the Gods, because it had thus become capable of expressing godlike thoughts: profound spiritual subtleties and philosophical distinctions. Thus it was that Sanskrit is really the mystery-language of the initiates of the Aryan race; as the Senzar of very similar history was the mystery-language of the later Atlanteans; and is still used as the noblest mystery-language by the Mahatmas.

"Sanskrit was not known as a spoken tongue to the Atlanteans in their prime, but in the degenerate or later times of Atlantis, when the earliest Aryans already had appeared on the scene of history, this early Aryan speech above alluded to, was already in existence; and the Aryan initiates were then in the course of perfecting it as their temple-language or mystery-tongue . . . Thus Sanskrit was not spoken among the Atlanteans, nor can it therefore be called an Atlantean language; although its verbal roots of course go back to earliest Atlantean times, but only its verbal roots" -- G. de Purucker

"The Vedas, Brahmanism, and along with these, Sanskrit, were importations into what we now regard as India. They were never indigenous to its soil. There was a time when the ancient nations of the West included under the generic name of India many of the countries of Asia now classified under other names. There was an Upper, a Lower, and a Western India, even during the comparatively late period of Alexander; and Persia (Iran) is called Western India in some ancient classics. The countries now named Tibet, Mongolia, and Great Tartary were considered by them as forming part of India. When we say, therefore, that India has civilized the world, and was the Alma Mater of the civilizations, arts, and sciences of all other nations (Babylonia, and perhaps even Egypt, included) we mean archaic, pre-historic India, India of the time when the great Gobi was a sea, and the lost 'Atlantis' formed part of an unbroken continent which began at the Himalayas and ran down over Southern India, Ceylon, and Java, to far-away Tasmania" (Five Years of Theosophy 179).

Blavatsky states that Sanskrit has never been known nor spoken in its true systematized form except by the initiated Brahmins. This form of Sanskrit was called -- as well as by other names -- Vach, the mystic speech, which resides in the sounds of the mantra. "The chanting of a Mantra is not a prayer, but rather a magical sentence in which the law of Occult causation connects itself with, and depends on, the will and acts of its singer. It is a succession of Sanskrit sounds, and when its strings of words and sentences is pronounced according to the magical formulae in the Atharva Veda, but understood by the few, some Mantras produce an instantaneous and very wonderful effect" (BCW 14:428n). This Vach, or the mystic self of Sanskrit, was the sacerdotal speech of the initiated Brahmins and was studied by initiates from all over the world.

"It is admitted that, however inferior to the classical Sanskrit of Panini, the language of the oldest portions of Rig Veda, notwithstanding the antiquity of its grammatical forms, is the same as that of the latest texts. Every one sees -- cannot fail to

See and to know -- that for a language so old and so perfect as the Sanskrit to have survived alone, among all languages, it must have had its cycles of perfection and its cycles of degeneration. And, if one had any intuition, he might have seen that what they call a 'dead language' being an anomaly, a useless thing in Nature, it would not have survived, even as a 'dead' tongue, had it not its special purpose in the reign of immutable cyclic laws; and that Sanskrit, which came to be nearly lost to the world, is now slowly spreading in Europe, and will one day have the extension it had thousands upon thousands of years back -- that of a universal language. The same as to the Greek and the Latin: there will be a time when the Greek of Aeschylus (and more perfect still in its future form) will be spoken by all in Southern Europe, while Sanskrit will be resting in its periodical pralaya; and the Attic will be followed later by the Latin of Virgil. Something ought to have whispered to us that there was also a time -- before the original Aryan settlers among the Dravidian and other aborigines, admitted within the fold of Brahmanical initiation, marred the purity of the sacred Sanskrita Bhasha -- when Sanskrit was spoken in all its unalloyed subsequent purity, and therefore must have had more than once its rise and fall. The reason for it is simply this: classical Sanskrit was only restored, if in some things perfected, by Panin. Panini, Katyayana, or Patanjali did not create it; it has existed throughout cycles, and will pass through other cycles still" (Five Years of Theosophy 419-20).

See also DEVANAGARI

(See also: Sanskrit, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Rabbi (Hebrew) [from rab great, a chief, leader]

My master, my teacher; the master was addressed by his pupils with the word rabbi or rabbenu (our teacher), Moses being customarily called Mosheh rabbenu (our teacher Moses). Equivalent to the Sanskrit guru, but during the closing decades of the Second Temple, the term became commonly associated with the scribes as merely an honorary title. Then during the time of the Mishnah period, all scholars were termed Rabs (or Chaldean plural Rabbin). Later the sect of the Qaraites, who rejected the Talmud, designated all believers in its by this term. Rabbi is likewise now applied to the modern Jewish clergy.

Rabbinical literature is generally understood to mean writings concerning the Jewish traditions since the beginning of the Talmudic period.

(See also: Rabbi, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)