Sanskrit, along with Tamil and Pali, is an Indian language of ancient origin. Though it is no longer in active use, its contribution towards shaping various modern Indian languages has been substantial. This volume of the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, Sanskrit (volume thirty-six), provides an analytical view of the origin, development and decline of the language. It also presents the philosophy of language and linguistics that emerged within the Sanskrit tradition. Edited by the late Professor Avadhesh Kumar Singh, the volume will be an invaluable contribution towards a serious study of the history and the literary contribution of the Sanskrit language.
G. N. Devy is the chief editor of the PLSI series. He taught at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, till 1996 before leaving to set up the Bhasha Research Centre in Baroda and the Adivasi Akademi at Tejgadh. There, he worked towards conserving and promoting the languages and culture of indigenous and nomadic communities. Apart from being awarded the Padma Shree, he has received many awards for his work in literature and language conservation.
Professor Avadhesh K. Singh, a Member of the National Collective of the People's Linguistic Survey of India and the editor of this volume, was an important bilingual scholar whose contribution to literary criticism and cultural studies has a place of significance in the history of Indian Literary Criticism. He was Professor of English and Head of the Department of English at the Rajkot University, and was later appointed Vice Chancellor of the Ambedkar Open University in Gujarat. Thereafter he joined the Indira Gandhi National Open University as Director of the School of Translation Studies. At the time of his untimely demise in 2019, he was Vice Chancellor of the Auro University at Surat.
The People’s Linguistic Survey of India The National Editorial Collective List of Volumes Acknowledgements Foreword A Nation Proud of Its Language Diversity: Chief Editor’s Introduction Introduction to the Volume Contributors to the Volume
1. Sanskrit: An Introduction Avadhesh K. Singh
2. Sanskrit: A Brief Overview Shakuntala Gawde
3. Origin of the Sanskrit Language Shakuntala Gawde
4. Sanskrit: Theories of its Evolution Vivek M. Bhat
5. Pali, Prakrit and Apabhramsha as Cornerstones of Sanskrit Ajay Kumar Singh
6. Sanskrit as a Carrier of India’s Cultural Continuity Shashiprabha Kumar
7. Sanskrit Knowledge Traditions Kapil Kapoor
8. Sanskrit Linguistics Kapil Kapoor
9. Sanskrit Aesthetics and Ethics Kapil Kapoor
10. Sanskrit Poetics Kapil Kapoor
11. History of Sanskrit Criticism Avadhesh K. Singh
12. Myths Related to Writing in Sanskrit Vijay Pandya
13. Early ‘Kavya’ in Sanskrit Vijay Pandya
14. Epics (Mahakavyas) and Early Drama in Sanskrit Vijay Pandya
15. Contribution of Women Writers to Sanskrit and its Affiliate Prakrit and Pali Literatures Manibhai K. Prajapati
16. The Colonial Interest in Sanskrit and its Impact on Western Linguistics Satyapal Singh 17. Sanskrit Studies and Indology Vijay Pandya
18. Initiation into Sanskrit Learning: Ritual of Upanayana (Initiation) Gauri Mahulikar
19. Svadhyaya as a Mode of Learning in Sanskrit Vladimir Yatsenko
20. Sanskrit in the Middle of the Twentieth Century K. K. Handiqui
21. Sanskrit Literature in the Twenty-first Century Harshdev Madhav
22. Sanskrit in/and Digital Age Jagdish Sharma
Appendices 1. Sanskrit Teaching Institutions in India Shakuntala Gawde
2. Sanskrit Teaching Institutions outside India Shakuntala Gawde
Bibliography Index
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES