Chapter 38 - Modern Sanskrit literature—Linguistic and Stylistic appraisal

Language With such a large corpus of modern Sanskrit literature written over the years, it was but natural that modernity in it should not have remained confined to themes, style and literary forms only but also should have stretched to language and style. In the Symposium on Ancient and Modern Sanskrit at the Sixth World Sanskrit Conference at Philadelphia in 1984 an Indian linguist had questioned the very term Modern Sanskrit. According to him if it is Sanskrit, it is Sanskrit all right. What is modern about it? What follows now is an answer to his query or to the possible query of those who may be entertaining a similar doubt. What is being written now by way of Sanskrit is in no way different from the Sanskrit of old if strict adherence to grammatical rules were to be the sole criterion of determining its character. That is what makes it Sanskrit in the strictest sense of the term. The way of nominal and verbal formations, the primary and secondary forms, the cases and the compounds are all the same, What, however, is not the same is the vocabulary Vrat Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

and the mode of expression including idioms, proverbs and metaphors and style which impart a different look to it. With exposure to the west the entire way of life of the educated upper and lower middle class in India has undergone a sea change. In dress, food and life-style it has come deeply under the western influence. What was left out by the western civilization was supplied by science and technology. On Indian roads no longer ply the bullock carts, the sakatas, or the chariots, the rathas, only. Bicycles, cars, buses, tempos, scooters, motor bikes and motor cycles are seen racing now even in the remotest parts. The country has now a network of railways which is one of the most extensive in the world. So has it a fleet of aeroplanes, from Fokker Friendship to Jumbo Jets, both for internal and external travel. Radios, transistors and television sets are a common enough sight in Indian households, even in the countryside in some parts. Gramaphones are getting obsolete. The cassetes and the stereo system are the in-things. Vaidyas and Ausadhalayas are getting sidelined in preference to modern doctors, clinics and hospitals. Telephone, postal services and email now connect all parts of the world. Sofas, tables and chairs now decorate the drawing rooms. The standing kitchens now have the most modern gadgets. The food and drink habits of the people are fast undergoing change. Toasts, sandwitches, biscuits and fast food are common enough items for breakfast and tiffin. Tea and coffee among hot beverages are now national drinks, even the poorest of the poor and the lowliest of the lowly beginning their day with them. Cold drinks of the cola variety are the rage, especially among the urban populace. Of vegetables potatoes and tomatoes, both of non-Indian origin, are the most popular. Lunches and dinners are now served on dining tables in chinaware while drinks are poured in glass tumblers. A Sanskritist to be realist may have to describe some of these things or may have at least to refer to them in the context of his themes relevant to modern life. For words for them he may have to CC-0. Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri Collection, New Delhi.

depend upon other languages. He may either have to adopt them as such which means that he may have them as loan words or approximate them in sound and sense to Sanskrit to make them look like Sanskritic or coin words for them which may carry in them their sense somehow, i.e., have them in loan translations. And this is precisely what he has done. The result: Modern Sanskrit has come to have a large corpus of new and hitherto non-existent words. For loan words the Sanskritist has to assign, in keeping with the genius of the language, the gender which has to be by and large arbitrary. To old Sanskrit stock of Indeclinables, particularly the exclamatory ones among them, he may add quite a few like aha, oh, wah as current in vernaculars. Many of the idioms and proverbs too he may incorporate in the form of loan translation which he has done. Similarly, the way of expression in a foreign language like 'this is not far from truth' he has incorporated as such just in literal translation: idam satyan natidure'sti. So has he the expression 'he fell from grace': as sa adarat pracyuto 'bhavat. Some of the new words in Hindi and other vernaculars like sambhranta for well-to-do, samaroha for function, pratiyogita for competition are now common enough occurrence in modern Sanskrit and have been accepted as part of the Sanskrit vocabulary though totally nonexistent in older Sanskrit in the senses in which they are used now. The same is the case with a plethora of Sanskrit-based Hindi and other vernacular words to serve as equivalents of English technical terms. Araksana for reservation, adhiksaka for superintendent, panjikarana for registration, svagata-kaksa for reception hall are now freely used in Sanskrit in the necessary case formations. All this cumulatively adds upto the rise of the phenomenon designated the modern Sanskrit. Any discerning critic cannot but notice the wide chasm between old Sanskrit which after a period came to have a stereotyped character with little inlets for fresh introductions and the modern one flooded with large inroads imparting to it a new look, leaving a new impression in its new era, it - Prof Satya Vrat Shastri Collection New Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation

stands out as an entity in itself, old yet new, stereotyped yet progressive, classical yet modern . It is this which is modern Sanskrit. For full appreciation of this modern Sanskrit it is worthwhile to have reproductions from a cross-section of the modern Sanskrit writings, especially those which deal with modern themes for it is in them that there is greater opportunity for modern Sanskrit surfacing itself in that in attempting to depict the modern world as such, through a medium which as it is may be inadequate to do so, the modern Sanskrit writers have to reinforce their works with words and expressions from other media. In vocabulary modern Sanskrit writers have adopted a three-fold approach: (1) They have either retained the foreign words, particularly those of English that have crept into modern Indian vernaculars and have acquired a tinge of familiarity or (2) they have made them as also in many cases words and expressions in vernaculars look Sanskrit to avoid in all probability their appearing as odd things out in Sanskrit compositions by Sanskritizing them keeping them as close as possible in sound and in certain cases even in sense to their foreign originals or (3) rendering them into Sanskrit by coining their Sanskrit equivalents, keeping them fairly close to them in sense and in an isolated case or two even in sound. In the first category could be mentioned words like bomb, revolver, plague, coat, pant, etc., e.g., bombasphotanani¹, atra plega utpatsyate², Madanalalas tam rivhalvarasya golikanam balicakara³, kotadikam apaniya nagadante sthapayati, pantam niskasya." In the second category could be mentioned words like Tamasa for the river Thames in England: Tamasakhya tarangini nagaram abhitah pravahati pramodakarini, svaphena for sabun or soap: sugandhisvaphenena snatavyam", maruttara for motor car: bhramanaya caksumsi camatkurvanto maruttarah.8 A few more imaginative of the modern Sanskrit writers cc-have adopted some of the foreign words with a slight phonetic Vrat Shastri Collection, New Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

change connecting them fancifully with some Sanskrit root or the other, e.g., tobha for long range gun derived from √tubh, tubha himsayam: akasmad eva tobhah calitah; hala for English hall ratnakara iva visale hale 10, hall being derived from Vhal, hala vilekhane, the derivation being suggested by the writer himself halyate = vilikhyate = bhidyate janasamudayena yugapat sa halah, hala vilekhane ghan; vanijyara for bazar 10; haramanoyama for harmonium capala candrakala haramanoyam adaya; apasara for officer; apasare labdho vijayah.12 = In certain cases the modern vernacular expressions have been Sanskritized as if they were to have been derived from the original ones uddhama for udhami, uddhama kim api karyam kuru; punjavada for punjivada, tasya puja punjavadayuge pravrtta; dvigala for dogala, dvigalo na samaje sammanabhajanam; sambhalayisyati for samhalegi, kanya uttama vidyate grham sambhalayisyati; rangila for rangila, rangilenanena bahihkaksayam dhvanimudrikah pracalitah; hasamukha for hamsamukha, hasamukha uddhavah prasthitah; varan varan for bade badon ko, varan varan api tat nihsattvatam nayati sma. In an odd case or two the pure Sanskrit word not much current in older literature but current in modern vernaculars is used, e.g., mali for gardener: pravrddhayam latayam mali tadasrayavisaye cintito bhavaty eva. In the third category which incidentally has many times more the number of words than the first two could be mentioned words like nalastra for gun, paraidhita or parasite, gananika for accountant, fivanasvasana for life insurance, arthapatraka for budget, pasukridapradarsana for circus, durasandesavahaka 13 for telegraph peon. The common word for watch is ghati or ghatika.14 If English has words for its different types, so has modern Sanskrit. For wrist watch it has manibandhaghati 15, for time piece Patalaghatika 16 and for wall clock Bhittighatika.17

It will be interesting to note that a modern Sanskrit writer has given in Sanskrit words, all his coinages, for all the different types of bomb which he calls vama connecting it fancifully with √vama, tuvama udgirane, in quick succession: explosive bomb. visphotakavama, poisonous bomb, visodvamaka vama, incindiary bomb, agnivama, time bomb, samayapeksivama jagatim sandehasindhau jughuksitum visodvamaka vama, visphotaka vama nagarabhasmakarmano 'gnivama sighravisphutanasila samayapeksinas ca vamah pracuramatraya nirmitah.18 So does he give words for different types of gases narasamharana visakta asrusarinah ksavinah todotpadino visarpasampadinas ca gesah.19 The poisonous gases, the tear gas, the nose-irritant gas, the lung-irritant gas and the blister gas. The word gesa is also an attempt on his part apiece with vama to Sanskritize the foreign word by fancifully connecting it, on the basis of affinity of sound as also the contrived one of that of sense, with a Sanskrit root: gesa, gesa anvicchayam. A feature of the modern Sanskrit language that deserves special mention is the lack in it of the standard vocabulary of coinages which varies from work to work depending upon individual perception and effort. Thus for tea while one work uses kasayapana or kasayapeya 20, the other uses usnajala²¹ while still another prefers cayapana 22 or the popular words caya 23 or caha 24. For railway train while at one place a work uses the word baspanas 25 at another place it employs the word vahnivahana 26 while at still another place it goes in for the word agniratha.27 Other works have other words like gantri 28 or lohasakata 29 or dhumasakata 30 or the feminine forms of the last two lohasakati³ and dhumasakati 32 or in an isolated case just sakata.33 A work, since it has to refer to a mail train, goes in for an altogether a different word patragniratha.34 For necktie while one work uses the word grivabandhana 35, the other goes in for the word kanthabandha 36. For handkerchief while one CC-0 works has the word karakarpata and karavasas at two different at

places the other work has the word karapata³, the difference being restricted, interestingly enough, to the second component of the word. The sweetmeat Rasagulla is designated as rasagulma³8, in one and rasagolaka³ in another. The torch is called vimardaprakasika 40 in one and vartil in another. The pocket is denoted by gutika 42 in one and gupti¹³ in another and goha 44 in still another. The pistol is called bhindipala 45 in one and pistula 46 in another. A lock is called nalikayantra in one, lohasuci 48 in another, viskambhaka 49 in still another and tala 50 in yet another. Petrol is called bhutaila in one and prataila in another, indicating as it does an attempt, very ingenious indeed, of a modern writer to approximate the Sanskrit equivalent to the foreign original in both sound and sense. In some of the cases cited above, an attempt is made to put foreign words in Sanskrit in their sense taking some element or the other which according to the modern writer is more prominent in the things denoted by the foreign words, be it agni, fire or dhuma, smoke or iron or steel, loha in railway train or the pungent taste kasaya or the hot warter, usnajala in tea or pressing or pushing, vimarda in torch or security or safety gupti or goha in pocket. Sometimes the proverbs used in modern works have a foreign or vernacular colouring. The English proverb "while the dogs bark the caravan goes on moving" is represented almost in literal translation in Sanskrit in a modern work nakrosat sarameyanam vijahati patham gajah51 The Hindi idiom lohe ke cane cabana is represented the same way in another work: granthasya vikrayakaryam apyayasacanakacarvanam eva. 52 Another Hindi idiom pranom ke sath khelana is represented in a modern Sanskrit work as mahatam sevanam nama pranaih saha kridanam. In the light of all the wide variation in terms noticeable at present some standardization is the need of the hour. For this it is necessary to compile a dictionary of all the

varied terms for one and the same object as in use at present and then decide one from among them after a thorough discussion at well-attended seminars. This will bring about uniformity which is a desideratum in literature. References 1. Bharatiyadesabhaktacaritam, p. 46. 2. Viravinayakagatha, p. 18. 3. ibid., p. 24. 4. ibid. 5. Camatkarah, p. 60. 6. Bharatiyadesabhaktacaritam, p. 24. 7. Camatkarah, p. 81. 8. Candramahipatih, p. 254. 9. ibid., p. 79. 10. ibid., p. 241. 11. ibid. p. 255. nov Jambile no 900 gense bite busted 12. Camatkarah, p. 102. 13. Kascid durasandesavahakah, Camat., p. 214. 14. ibid., p. 22. 15. Candra., p. 192. 16. Camat., p. 71. 5011 i sadia well 17. ibid., p. 57. 18. ibid., p. 8. 19. Candra., p. 199. 20. Tilakayasornavah, 16.38. 21. ibid. Sa 29 th 22. cayapanam samanyena kaphipanam ca visesena na vismaraniyam-Paristidarsanam, p. 11. 23. cayam canayami, ubhe cayam pibatah, jate cayam sadhaya, tvaya cayam pitam va, Camatkarah, pp. 56, 69, 73, 86, 91. 24. cahapanam, Tilakayasornavah, 16.39; 16. 82; Cahagita, Sarada, April 1972, p. 78. 25. Tilakayasornavah, 18.372. 26. ibid., 37.142. 27. ibid., 9. 100. Satya Vrat Shastri Collection, New Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation Prbid., 16. 38.

. Savarakara lohasakatam aropitah, Bharatiyadesabhaktacaritam, p. 36. 30. tato dhumasakatam asthaya chikagopattanam praptah, chikagodhumasakatasthanam agatya-ibid., pp. 74, 75. 31. mahata vegena dhavantim lohasakatim drstva, Viravinayakagatha, p. 40. 32. aham dhumasakatipathikavase bhramann asam- Candramahipatih, p. 169. 33. atmanam drastum agatayandrusaya sakatasulkapradanaya dasarupyakani dadau-Bharatiyadesabhaktacaritam, p. 36. 34. Tilakayasornavah, 41.77. 35. nyayadhisanam mandalam grivabandhanena cancaddandenopanetrena manibandhaghatim pasyat-Candramahipatih, p. 192. 36. kanthabandho 'pi drsyate-Camatkarah, p. 53. 37. karapatena mukham upanahau ca pronchati-Camatkarah, p. 81. 38. Candramahipatih, p. 29. 39. panca rasagolakani ca khaditva-Camatakarah, p. 6. 40. vimardaprakasikaprakasas cakhilavastujatam prakasata; vimardaprakasikam adaya purnam arogyasalam pasyanti avartata-Candramahipatih, pp. 77, 226. 41. kascid durasandesavahakah tasya skandhe jholakam kare varfiCamatkarah, p. 14. 42. bhindipalam ekam nihsarya kuksigutikayam samsthapyaCandramahipatih, p. 77. 43. paristisamprktena janena sarvadaiva svaguptikayam taphitinamadheyani mistannani prayaso gopaniyani- Paristidarsanam, p. 10. 44. iti dasarupyakani Nalinyai dadati, sa ca grhitva gohe sthapayati-Camatkarah, p. 11. 45. bhittimanjusatah pancagutikam bhindipalam ekam nihsaryaCandramahipatih, p. 77. 46. Perisanagaryam krantikarakaih kritani braunin pistulani Bharatabhavanam praptani; etani pistulani Bharate presitani. 49. laghur eva viskambhaka asit tadagre-Candramahipatih, p. 77. 50. (sacivah talam udghatayati) Camatkarah, pp. 25, 26. 51. Paristidarsanam, p. 24. 52. Rishi Maharaj, Madanadahanam, Kalidasiyoparupakanam Samuccayah Printection,