Foreword
It is my firm conviction that one cannot claim to be a true Indian merely by having or acquiring the right of citizenship unless, along with that, he imbibes the spirit of Indianness - Bharitiyata in our own terminoloty- and develops the Indian outlook that considers the whole world as one family and craves for the welfare and happiness of mankind. This spirit which is an integral part of our cultural heritage has been bequeathed to us by the seers of yore and transmitted from generation to generation through the medium of Sanskrit language. Is it not then essential that every one in our county and all those who value this heritage should have some knowledge, I would even say a good knowledge, of Sanskrit? From this point of view the attempt that is being made by the compilers of the manual for the study of Sanskrit to provide an easy and interesting method of learning the language and getting acquainted with some of the gems of Sanskrit literature, could not have been more appropriate or more timely.
It is a good augury for the country and for the cause of Sanskrit that interest in the study of this language is definitely on the increase within and outside the country. The misconception that Sanskrit is a difficult language to tackle is getting dispelled, may be slowly, and with good results. To become acquainted with a language one should perforce open his mouth and speak it out. That is how the authors enter on their task. To speak correctly, then to write correctly and later to imbibe the knowledge contained in the literature it is necessary to have a good grounding in grammar with continuing accretions to the vocabulary. This has been attempted by the compilers with a good deal of discernment, step by step, and the student is always kept active without ever being overburdened.
If a student of Sanskrit is able to read and appreciate the compositions of the great master like Valmiki, Vyasa, Bhasa, Bhartrhari and Kalidasa, he could, with some self satisfaction, consider himself to be a scholar in the making. Shri Ved Prakash Shastri and Prof. R.K. Pandey have taken on themselves the task of reaching you to that stage through these fifty lessons. It is my hope, you students of Sanskrit, that this graduated study will create in you an urge to read more and gain much. My best wishes are with you!
I also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the authors for the good work undertaken by them and the Neeta Prakashan for bringing out such a useful publication with a good deal of dedication to the cause of Sanskrit.- K. P. A. Menon
Letter by Ranganath Misra
Neeta Prakashan has made a tempting offer of helping everyone to learn Sanskrit in fifty days. Many think that learning this language is not easy on account of its difficult grammar and extensive vocabulary. Neither of the two has any tenable base. In thousands of ten-day long spoken-Sanskrit exercises fresher go back with confidence speaking the language. The present offer of a five time longer exercise seeks to develop a stronger base emphasis on some amount of grammar and composition.
Sanskrit is perhaps the most scientific language known to mankind, while all other languages have their origin in human society; this language spoken in heaven has beeen borrowed by man from the gods. The treasure of human knowledge has been stored in this language and it has, therefore, become necessary for mankind, and more so for us in India, to learn the language and get an opening into the store house.
Sanskrit is very suitable for command giving and suits the computer most. It has, therefore, special relevance in the new millennium which is going to be the computer age.
One needs turning attention to the learning of Sanskrit with determination
Ranganath Misra, Chairman Central Sanskrit Board, Govt. of India.
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