Kalam on why Sanskrit is important

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad | February 01, 2007 | 17:14 IST

President A P J Abdul Kalam on Thursday termed Guru Raghavendraswamy of Mantralayam as a 'divine soul' and recalled the rich cultural heritage of Sanskrit in Indian history.

Dr Kalam interacted with the students of Sree Guru Sarvabhouma Sanskrit Vidyapeetam at Mantralayam in Kurnool district. Reciting the Moola Mantram of Raghavendraswamigal, he said "We worship Guru Raghavendraswamy, the divine soul who practiced and taught truth and dharma (the right conduct). We chant his name as Kalpavrisha (the giver of limitless material wealth) and bow before him as Kamadenu (the giver of spiritual knowledge)."

"Though I am not an expert in Sanskrit, I have many friends who are proficient in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is a beautiful language. It has enriched our society from time immemorial. Today many nations are trying to research Sanskrit writings which are there in our ancient scriptures. I understand that there is a wealth of knowledge available in Sanskrit which scientists and technologists are finding today," he said.

"There is a need to carry out research on our Vedas, particularly Atharvana Veda, for eliciting valuable information in science and technology relating to medicine, flight sciences, material sciences and many other related fields. Cryptology is another area where Sanskrit language is liberally used," he added.

He suggested that the Sanskrit Vidyapeetam, apart from their academic activity, should take up the task of locating missing literature in Sanskrit available on palm leaves spread in different parts of the country so that these could be documented and preserved. He suggested that they should avail the help of digital technology for documenting those scriptures both in audio and video form which can be preserved as long term wealth for use by many generations.?

He asked the Sanskrit Vidyapeetam to should go into details of lives of great scholars, poets, epic creators like Valmiki, Veda Vyasa, Kalidasa and Panini. He wanted the Vidyapeetam to invite well-known Sanskrit scholars so that they can stay and interact with the students for a certain period. "This will provide an opportunity for students to interact and get enriched in Sanskrit and Vedas," he noted.