World Sanskrit Day 2022: Date, History, Significance — All You Need To Know

World Sanskrit Day honours the Sanskrit language and promotes its global acceptance. This day is observed annually on the day known as Poornima in the Shravana month, as per the Hindu calendar.

A verse in Sanskrit and Hindi translation. ( Image Source :Getty )

World Sanskrit Day 2022: Sanskrit is one of the earliest written languages in the world. It was used to compose the Vedas and other Hindu religious texts. Evolved from Proto-Indo-European dialects, Sanskrit has a special place in Indian history. Many languages in India have been derived from Sanskrit.

World Sanskrit Day honours the Sanskrit language and promotes its global acceptance. This day is observed annually on the day known as Poornima in the Shravana month, as per the Hindu calendar which also corresponds to the sacred festival of Raksha Bandhan.

World Sanskrit Day: History

Sanskrit is a thousand-year-old Indo-Aryan language. Sir William Jones, a British orientalist and jurist, stated that Sanskrit is a better and more exciting language than Latin or Greek.

Scholars throughout India have used and appreciated the language. Even in Germany, Sanskrit is still an important form of communication.

To teach new generations about the ancient Indian language, the Indian government decided to celebrate Sanskrit Diwas on Raksha Bandhan Day in 1969. The event honours the beginning of the Sanskrit language and calls on people to continue using it.

Significance Of Sanskrit Language:

Sanskrit being the oldest language is significant in its authentic ways:

• It is the language of ancient scholars like Valmiki, Aryabhatta, Kalidasa, Veda Vyas etc.
• Being a rural Indian language, Sanskrit never left its roots in rural India
• Sanskrit crossed the borders of Vietnam and Cambodia and its way through people’s hearts.
• The people of Uttarakhand have accepted and acknowledged Sanskrit as their official language.

World Sanskrit Day: Significance

The main goal of this day was to encourage the use of the Sanskrit language outside traditional puja mandaps — in casual conversation. Additionally, Sanskrit Day is observed to raise awareness about it. It captures the depth of Indian culture and has existed for centuries through folktales and stories.