संस्कृतं संस्कृतिः संस्कारश्च- Samskrta, Samskrti and Samskara

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The present volume incorporates several articles on the theme of Samskrta, Samskṛti and Samskāra presented by renowned scholars at a symposium organized by Nihshreyasa at the Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, JNU.

Prof. George Cardona, Prof. R.P. Goldman, Prof. M.K. Byrski, Prof. N. Kazanas, Dr. Karan Singh, Dr. Lokesh Chandra, Prof. R.K. Saxena, Dr. N. Gopalaswami and Dr. Lakhan Lal Mehrotra are a few of the distinguished contributors to this volume. Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, Chairperson, Asia Project, IIC, has written a foreword.

Samskṛta, Samskrti and Samskara apparently seem to be three different domains but are actually intertwined in such a manner that none of these can be seperated from each other. From this point of view, Samskṛta represents refined speech, Samskṛti signifies the socio-cultural influences preserved in and manifested through it, while Samskara reflects all the psycho-physical impressions embedded in it.

In brief, just as three seperate lines, when joined to three dots, constitute a single triangle, similarly all the three aspects of the theme for the volume in hand not only denote a unfined vision of Indian thought but also present an extremely copious and enormously wide treasure of the same. Since Nihshreyasa aims at promoting and propagating the rich heritage of Indian tradition, hence this maiden publication from the trust will hopefully be a right step in the same direction.

It is indeed very gracious of Dr. Shashiprabha Kumar to request me to write a Foreword to this valuable volume. Articles in the volume are presentations made by eminent scholars, both from India and abroad, at the seminar held in 2004. Amongst the foreign scholars were some who have spent a lifetime exploring different aspects of either Sanskrit, the language, or particular texts or the culture embodied through the language. It was a pleasure to listen to the presentations made in the seminar by these scholars. It was an equal pleasure to hear eminent Indian scholars who have also dedicated most of their life to the study of Sanskrit, Sanskriti and the Sanskara, that Sanskrit and its culture has given to the Indian.

From the presentation of this volume it is clear that there can be different persspectives to the learning of the language and the methodology of comprehending the grammatical structure of this language. Understandably there has been a renewed interest in Indian linguistics and the relevance of Panini's grammar. Essays in this volume bring out the different facets of the language, be it that of Professor George Cardona or the presentation of Mr. Lakhan Lal Mehrotra.

The epics of India have been the centre of attention of scholars both in India and the West. Valmiki's Ramayana has been considered the adikavya, but the multiple traditions of Ramayana continue to be a subject of both scholarship as also debate. Although Professor Goldman does not refer to this in his presentation, he draws attention to the historiography of the understanding of Sanskrit literature during the last hundred years.