 |
| Rigveda manuscript on birch bark in Sharada script (a writing system of the Brahmic family of scripts), was found in Kashmir. (Photo: Twitter/@AnupamSharmaIFS) |
Historians
generally believe that Vedic Sanskrit came to India with the entry of the
Aryans. Some of new researchers, however, assert on having a relook on this
belief. They reject the Aryan migration theory. If there is no Aryan incoming
to India then there would no introduction of Vedic Sanskrit to India. Simply
put, both Aryans and Sanskrit are indigenous to India, according to these
scholars.
First Literary Material
Vedic
literature comes as the first literary material on the Indian continent. Indus
Valley writings have not been deciphered. Indus people’s language remains
unknown. The language of Vedic literature is Sanskrit, called Vedic Sanskrit to
differentiate it from more popular Classical Sanskrit. All Vedic Age literature
is in Vedic Sanskrit with an evolution streak from complex to simpler language.
The
language of Vedic literature shows that Vedic Sanskrit was already in a
well-developed state. Sanskrit literally means well-cultured, finely cultivated
and well-nuanced. However, it was not the language of the masses. Historians
believe Sanskrit probably was the lingua franca of the elite, rich or educated
class. Bigger population was possibly uninitiated in Sanskrit language and
literature.
A spoken
simplified version of Sanskrit was possibly the language was the medium of
communication in homes and society. Historians and linguists commonly hold that
three new languages evolved from Vedic Sanskrit. They are secular Sanskrit,
Prakrit and Pali.
Rethinking Prakrit
However,
there could be another point of view. Let’s briefly consider Prakrit, meaning
the natural language in contrast to refined Sanskrit. In their names, Prakrit
and Sanskrit reflect a linguistic dichotomy – natural versus artificial or
cultivated.
The names
suggest that Sanskrit might have followed from Prakrit since it was the
language that meant refined, revised, cultured or cultivated. Natural or
organically developed form comes first and revision or refinement can only take
place thereafter. As such, Sanskrit logically should have arrived later. If
that was the case, the dominant narrative of Indian languages evolving from
Sanskrit gets reversed.
This also
signals that Prakrit or the natural language could have evolved in two streams.
One led to refinement bound by strict rules of grammar. The other flowed freely
in spoken and popular languages. Sanskrit always accommodated popular words
into the refined language.
In other
words, popular usages were sanskritised to conform to the rules of the grammar.
That could be the reason why when social reformation movements took place, all
of them focused on popular languages and not Sanskrit whereas puritan movements
brought Sanskrit to central scheme. This created another social dichotomy of
Sanskrit elite and vernacular commoner.
Of the three Vedic age languages, secular Sanskrit was primarily sourced from Vedic Sanskrit and did not have the elements of common writing-spoken language. In comparison, Pali had common or public elements in plenty compared to Vedic elements. Same is also true about Prakrit.
Both Prakrit and Pali were spoken in
different areas and both were essentially Aryan languages but the public
elements dominated these languages as against Vedic character of the Vedic
Sanskrit. All three – secular Sanskrit, Prakrit and Pali – developed around
sixth century BC, historians believe.
[Missing]
Literature
Some of
these people are from this period and some others emerge in later periods. All
these six Vedangas have their own relevance, and all are necessary but from the
socio-religious view Kalpa is the most important part. Kalp is linked to Karmakand (religious rituals) and Dharma
(religious beliefs). Religious rituals or Karmakand could not be performed
without hand (hasta), that is why Kalpa was also called hasta or hand.
What a
person following Vedic-Brahmin faith should be doing during one’s lifetime and
in which manner those religious rituals should be performed are contained in
the Kalpa literature. It prescribes that every person has some duties towards
oneself (includes spiritualism), some towards the family and to society as
well. The Kalpa literature helps that person in undertaking these duties
adequately. It is contained in the Kalpa Sutra.
All the
personal, familial and social prescriptions are mentioned in the form of Sutras
or formulae in the Kalpa literature. This is why it is also known as the Sutra
literature.
Shraut
Sutra: Duty towards onself
Gruh Sutra:
Duty towards family
Dharma
Sutra: Duty towards society
Dharma
Sutra is extremely important in Vedic literature. Owing to changes,
modifications and evolution of Vedic belief system, Dharma Sutra is often
linked to the origin of Smruti-Brahmin faith.
Due to
dominance of Sutra literature, the phase is also known as Vedang-Sutra Age.
