Humour Sanskrit, Dad, & Mom And School Last Bench

@Thyagarajan Very nice, interesting and it put a smile on my face.

So sitting in the last row does have its benefits. The only problem would have been if the teacher started from the last row, for a change

I agree that our ancient civilization discovered many scientific facts; unfortunately the later generations never did anything to take it out to the world. India could have been pioneer in so many areas had those treasures been shared and built upon by the many generations since their discoveries.

 

Dear @Thyagarajan sir,

Reading your snippet brought back my own memories. I too was in a similar situation like yours and by the time I came to 8th standard, dad's job had taken us to a few states, even some very remote places, a few local language schools and eventually we were in our native place, Bangalore. But the problem was I did not know to read and write in Kannada and my last school of study was Telugu medium, knew no English, not confident of my spoken Kannada even! Th bigger fear was not Kannada but the fact that how do I manage in this big city and that too in English medium?

Moms being moms, mine too had taken an effort to teach us children Sanskrit as an outside school activity - I have been in these classes from age 7. That was my only strength. So here we come to the big city and as dad looks for school, me being a high schooler and not being good in English and Kannada was refused admission right away. Some pleading and promising by dad about my intelligence (?) got me admission but then it also put me in an awkward position of not knowing what to do - all subjects taught in English, I was still learning alphabets in Kannada, big school, suave children but Sanskrit gave me a relief. I would not talk to anyone at school - what else do you expect of an awkward young teenager? One day as I was quietly standing outside school during recess, walks in a girl from my class and says "You are so good in Sanskrit will you be my friend?" in perfect English. She being a Tamilian wasn't proficient either in Kannada. I don't know what we did after that as friends but we are still best of friends - after all these years!

While I hear all these things about Sanskrit, my eternal gratefulness comes from the fact that this language gave me life, to say! I continue to learn and teach Sanskrit after all these years and ever grateful to the language, not just because of the shlokas and the joy they bring me , but also for bringing me my first Sanskrit teacher, the later teachers and my very good friend....not to mention the other people I get to interact because of this language!

Oh I do miss those good old Sanskrit teachers and you must been one smart cookie - not only come up with the idea of writing those shlokas in Tamil, but also paying attention and memorizing them. Last benchers and benches are something else aren't they? And oh! by the time I passed high school, mom realized I need Hindi too and she made sure that I finish all the exams of dakshin bharath hindi prachar sabha and received my supposedly degree in Hindi from none other than Vyjayanthimala herself - that experience of visiting Chennai, whole another story!

Thank you sir for this snippet - I usually don't share personal anecdotes, but here I am, having done just that!

 

@Thyagarajan Sir,

I don't know Sanskrit and never had to learn it in all these years. When my son had to learn it in school as a compulsory subject, I hoped to pick it up a bit but...my son never enjoyed his Sanskrit lessons and he studied it strictly to score high marks. Looking at his disinterest, even I lost interest.

I feel bad that I don't even understand the basic shlokas I utter. When I tried to understand those shlokas, my logical mind refused to accept them. So I prefer my ignorance while chanting these few shlokas that I know. I am glad that God understands my sincerity, accepts my prayers and continues to love me.

 

Nice narration.

ha ha ...

what a description

wow that’s really good. Never learnt Sanskrit.

Wherever we moved I happily sat at the last bench and within a weeks time I would be asked to read or recite and again will be moved to first bench. Exception was in college where we retained our last bench. I still remember our HODs reaction when she handed me the evaluated answer sheet looking at the paper and me with so much doubts and finally doubted her own correction. Ha ha .... what a moment it was. Thanks for refreshing my memories

 

Dear Shri Thyagarajan,
As I do have some severe spinal problem,I have been advised not to go near PC for more than 20 mts a day at least for 3 months until my health gets stabilized.
I rarely read the snippets.

Today I happened to read your mail and responses thereto. Sanskrit was my second language from 6th std to graduation. We had great scholars as Sanskrit pundits and a learned lecturer in College too.I loved Sanskrit, enjoyed the literature, experienced the structure and wondered at every step when we had to study the History of Sanskrit literature as one of the subjects.

Sanskrit has a speciality for Chitra Kavyas-the same shlokas will give one meaning from left to right and give some other meaning when read backwards.

Raghava-yadaviyam by Venkatadhvari (17th cent.) is an “anuloma-viloma kavya” that narrates the story of Rama. But the Shlokas read in the reverse relate an adventure of Shri Krishna.

This interesting though brief work

– shows that verbal ingenuity of the composer Arasanpalai Venkitacharya (also known as Venkatadhvari) and also

– proves the encryption capability of the Sanskrit language.

Here is a random sloka from the text.

वन्देऽहं देवं तं श्रीतं रन्तारं कालं भासा यः ।
रामो रामाधीराप्यागो लीलामारायोध्ये वासे ॥

“I pay my obeisance to Lord Shri Rama, who with his heart pining for Sita, travelled across the Sahyadri Hills and returned to Ayodhya after killing Ravana and sported with his consort, Sita, in Ayodhya for a long time.”

In reverse

सेवाध्येयो रामालाली गोप्याराधी मारामोरा ।
यस्साभालंकारं तारं तं श्रीतं वन्देहं देवं ॥

“I bow to Lord Shri Krishna, whose chest is the sporting resort of Shri Lakshmi;who is fit to be contemplated through penance and sacrifice, who fondles Rukmani and his other consorts and who is worshipped by the gopis, and who is decked with jewels radiating splendour.”

We have got so many books in Astronomy, Vaimaanika Sastras ets in Sanskrit.The saddest part is we can only boast of those things that we had so many advanced knowledge of Science in Sanskrit, and Sanskrit is the most suited to Computers and so on. Actually practically nothing was done to bring those hidden scientific literature out and popularise then globally.

What is the use of saying that Sanskrit is a beautiful language?

What is beauty?Beauty lies when ordinary human beings, not much educated, have a say in it, have a feel of the language.When it is confined to elite circles, elitists can appreciate and write thesis which again is circulated among the Hi-fi people.

Real beauty of a language is seen when it runs daily lives;when people chit chat ,bargain in that language;when people start negotiating in that language;Sadly Sanskrit is used for none of this .Though it has a substantial volume of literature, scriptures, Epics,Puranas etc .Unless it is spoken by millions in daily life, all our essays and snippets hailing about the so called greatness will be a futile exercise only. A few Sanskrit spoken classes , and a few Universities teaching Sanskrit globally may help a few appreciate our ancient seers for their in depth knowledge but in no way stand against other languages like English which has rendered substantial help for the science as well as language to grow.
I feel much ashamed when some great scientists make a remark" If Sanskrit has a real beauty as accredited by great scholars, it would have gone to the peak, even if nobody took initiative to heighten the same.The growth would have been automatic.This is mere paper boasting"

We do not have any counter arguments to substantiate our stand.

Jayasala42

 

True. Everything is mentioned in our ancient literature .for example Aircraft , surgery was conducted , about atoms and molecules , everything is mentioned .Bagavat githa can be used in management lessons. Thanks for the snippet.