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(30) The six
unmatched
features
of the Sanskrit language.
1. The vowel-consonant pronunciation of the alphabet
2. Formation of the Sanskrit words
3. The uniqueness of the grammar
4. The three kinds of prime Sanskrit scriptures
(Vedas, Puranas, and their
style of literary presentation
1. The vowel-consonant pronunciation of the alphabet.
The most striking feature of the Sanskrit language is
the vowel-consonant pronunciation of the alphabet and the uniqueness of
every consonant (or its combination) as a complete syllabic unit when it
is joined with a vowel. For example: Its 16 vowels are the actual ‘voice
pattern’ of the sound and 36 consonants are only the ‘form’ of the ‘voice
pattern’ of the sound. So a consonantalone cannot be pronounced as it is
only a ‘form’ of the ‘voice pattern’ until it is attached to a vowel.
Thus, a vowel, which itself is a ‘voice pattern,’ can be pronounced
alone or it can be modulated by adding a consonant to it (like,
).
This system was not adopted in the languages of the
world. Thus, their syllables have no uniformity, like in come
and coma where ‘co’ has two different pronunciations, and in
come and kind or kiss, the letter ‘c’ and ‘k’ both have
the same pronunciation.
The Greeks adopted five vowels from the Sanskrit
literature, and some of the daily usable apbhransh words and
numerals, like trya, panch etc. Trya (three)
became trias and panch (five) became pente in Greek.
These words reached their country through the trade
routes by word of mouth during trade communications with India. The
English language during Great Vowel Shift used some
diphthongizations like ai and au. But still the range of
vowels as compared to Sanskrit was always less and incomplete and, apart
from the vowels, consonants also had their own sound (like vowelless
sly, fry, dry) which was also not always the same, like
the word chaos where the sound of ch is k and o
is a. This situation created a permanent ambiguity of the
pronunciations and the vowels lost their true effects, like, top,
mop, hum, chum, where o and u both sound as
long or short a. Thus, a language which is developed on imperfect
grounds can never be perfect, no matter how far it advances.
In Sanskrit, the basic structure of its vowel-consonant
pronunciation is the unique foundation of the language that precisely
stabilizes the word pronunciation where each letter (or a combination of
consonants with a vowel) is a syllable.
2. Formation of the Sanskrit words.
The second unmatched feature is the formation of the
Sanskrit words. Since the beginning we had a complete dictionary of root
words called dhatu that could create any number of words
according to the requirement by adding a proper prefix and suffix which
are described in detail in the Sanskrit grammar.
The formation, modulation and creation of words have
been originally the same, in an absolutely perfect state since the
beginning, as they are today.
3. The uniqueness of the grammar.
The most impressive uniqueness of the Sanskrit grammar
is that, along with the Sanskrit language, it is unchanged in every age
because it is a Divinely produced grammar. Its conjugation system, word
formation and the style of poetry formation are all unique, unchanged and
perfectly detailed since it appeared on the earth planet through
the descended Saints. Take a line of the Yajurved,
There is a noun janah
(people), and verb gacchanti (to go into) which is formed of
gam dhatu (to go), like, gacchati, gacchatah, gacchanti.
All the 90 conjugations of the verb gacch (to go) and all
the 21 forms of the noun jan (people) are used in the same
way without any change in the Vedas, in the Puranas and in other Sanskrit
literature as well, because they are ever perfect without any sound shift.
The Sanskrit language represents the literal form of the Divinity on the
earth planet. Such is the Sanskrit grammar.
4. The three kinds of prime Sanskrit scriptures (Vedas, Upnishads and
the Puranas) and their style of literary presentation.
The three styles of Sanskrit are: (a) the Vedas (sanhita),
(b) the Upnishads and (c) the Puranas. All of them were reproduced during
the same period before 3102 BC. But their literature has its own style.
The difference in the style and the uses of words in all the three kinds
of scriptures does not mean any evolution or improvement in the
vocabulary. It is just their style. For example, the word khalu
has been used only once in the Rigved sanhita. Vedic verses do
not use the full range of words as is used in the Puranas and the
Bhagwatam because they are mainly the invocation mantras for the
celestial gods and that too for ritualistic purposes, not for the devotion
to supreme God. So they don’t need too many words to relate a
mantra. They have their own character, and use some of their own
wordings which are unusual to regular Sanskrit literature. For example:
devebhih in the Vedas and devaih (celestial gods) in
common Sanskrit. Similarly, vyoman in the Vedas and
vyomni (Divine dimensions) in common Sanskrit. But the formation of
these words is explained in the Vedic grammar and in the Nirukt, a special
book for explaining such words.
The language of the Bhagwatam is very scholarly,
poetic and rich as it explains the richest philosophy of God, God’s love
and God realization along with its other affiliated theories. It also
explains the total history of this brahmand and its creation. The
true Divine love form of the supreme God is described in the Bhagwatam.
The language of the other 17 Puranas is less
rich, and the language of the Upnishads sometimes leans towards the
Vedic sanhita side.
Now we know that the difference in the literary presentation of the
Vedic sanhita and the Puranas are their own nature and style, they
do not relate to their seniority or juniority.
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