World Sanskrit Day 2023

• 31 Aug 2023

Source: TH

Why in News?

In 2023, the celebration of World Sanskrit Day takes place on 31^st August.

What are the Important Facts about World Sanskrit Day?

• History:
  • The first World Sanskrit Day was celebrated in 1969.
  • World Sanskrit Day or Vishwa Sanskrit Diwas is celebrated on Purnima Tithi (Full moon) of Shravana month every year.
  • It serves as a tribute to the birth anniversary of Paṇini, a distinguished Sanskrit scholar and grammarian.
• Importance:
  • This day is celebrated to show gratitude and respect towards the Sanskrit language.

What are Some of the Important Facts about the Sanskrit Language?

• It is an Indo-Aryan language and is considered to be one of the oldest languages and is known as the mother of most languages of India.
• It is believed to have originated in India around 3500 years ago and is often referred to as Dev Vani (the language of the deities).
• It is divided into two parts which are Vedic and classical.
  • Vedic Sanskrit is the older and more archaic form of Sanskrit, which is attested in the Rig Veda, the Upanishads, and the Puranas.
  • Classical Sanskrit is the later and more standardised form of Sanskrit, which is based on the grammar of Panini and used in literature, philosophy, science, and art.

Note:

• Sanskrit is among the 22 official languages included in the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• It is also included among 6 Classical languages besides Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia.
• In 2010, Sanskrit was declared the second official language of Uttarakhand.
• In Mattur village of Karnataka everyone speaks in the Sanskrit language.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims:

Q. Which one of the following was given classical language status recently? (2015)

(a) Odia 
(b) Konkani 
(c) Bhojpuri
(d) Assamese

Ans: (a)

Q. Consider the following languages: (2014)

1. Gujarati
2. Kannada
3. Telugu

Which of the above has/have been declared as ‘Classical Language/Languages’ by the Government?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (c)

Q. Under which one of the following Constitution Amendment Acts, four languages were added to the languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, thereby raising their number to 22? (2008)

(a) Constitution (Ninetieth Amendment) Act
(b) Constitution (Ninety-first Amendment) Act
(c) Constitution (Ninety-second Amendment) Act
(d) Constitution (Ninety-third Amendment) Act

Ans: (c)