an interesting insight to Sanskrit language - NASA report

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> > This interesting article refers to a NASA article on Sanskrit in AI

> >(Artificial Intelligence) Magazine in Spring of 1985 written by NASA

> >researcher, Rick Briggs.

 

 

> >In ancient India the intention to discover truth was so consuming, that

in

> >the process, they discovered perhaps the most perfect tool for fulfilling

> >such a search that the world has ever known -- the Sanskrit language.

> >

> >Of all the discoveries that have occurred and developed in the course of

> >human history, language is the most significant and probably the most

taken

> >for granted. Without language, civilization could obviously not

> >exist. On the other hand, to the degree that language becomes

sophisticated

> >and accurate in describing the subtlety and complexity of human life, we

> >gain power and effectiveness in meeting its challenges. The access to

> >modern

> >technology which has been designed to give ease, efficiency and enjoyment

> >in

> >meeting our daily needs did not exist at the beginning of the century. It

> >was made possible by accelerated advancement in the field of mathematics,

a

> >"language" which has helped us to discover the interrelationship of

energy

> >and matter with a high degree of precision. The resulting technology

> >is evidence of the tremendous power that is unleashed simply by being

able

> >to make the finer and finer distinction that a language like mathematics

> >affords.

> >

> >At the same time humankind has fallen far behind the advancements in

> >technology. The precarious state of political and ecological imbalance

that

> >we are now experiencing is an obvious sign of the power of technology far

> >exceeding the power of human beings to be in control of it. It could

easily

> >be argued that we have fallen far behind the advancements in technology,

> >simply because the languages we use for daily communication do not help

us

> >to make the distinctions required to be in balance with the technology

that

> >has taken over our lives.

> >

> >Relevant to this there has recently been an astounding discovery made at

> >the

> >NASA research center. The following quote is from an article which

appeared

> >in AI Magazine (Artificial Intelligence) in Spring of 1985 written NASA

> >researcher, Rick Briggs.

> >

> >In the past twenty years, much time, effort, and money has been expended

on

> >designing an unambiguous representation of natural languages to make them

> >accessible to computer processing. These efforts have centered around

> >creating schemata designed to parallel logical relations with relations

> >expressed by the syntax and semantics of natural languages, which are

> >clearly cumbersome and ambiguous in their function as vehicles for the

> >transmission of logical data. Understandably, there is a widespread

belief

> >that natural languages are unsuitable for the transmission of many

> >ideas that artificial languages can render with great precision and

> >mathematical rigor.

> >

> >But this dichotomy, which has served as a premise underlying much work in

> >the areas of linguistics and artificial intelligence, is a false one.

There

> >is at least one language, Sanskrit, which for the duration of almost

> >1000 years was a living spoken language with a considerable literature of

> >its own. Besides works of literary value, there was a long philosophical

> >and

> >grammatical tradition that has continued to exist with undiminished vigor

> >until the present century. Among the accomplishments of the grammarians

can

> >be reckoned a method for paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is

> >identical not only in essence but in form with current work in Artificial

> >Intelligence. This article demonstrates that a natural language can serve

> >as

> >an artificial language also, and that much work in AI has been

> >reinventing a wheel millennia old.

> >

> >The discovery is of monumental significance. It is mind-boggling to

> >consider

> >that we have available to us a language which has been spoken for 4-7000

> >years that appears to be in every respect a perfect language designed for

> >enlightened communication. But the most stunning aspect of the discovery

is

> >this: NASA the most advanced research center in the world for cutting

> >edge technology has discovered that Sanskrit, the world's oldest

spiritual

> >language is the only unambiguous spoken language on the planet.

> >

> >In early AI research it was discovered that in order to clear up the

> >inherent ambiguity of natural languages for computer comprehension, it

was

> >necessary to utilize semantic net systems to encode the actual meaning of

> >the sentence. Briggs gives the example of how a simple sentence would be

> >represented in a semantic net.

> >

> >Example: "John gave the ball to Mary."

> >give, agent, John

> >give, object, ball

> >give, recipient, Mary

> >give, time, past

> >

> >He further comments, "The degree to which a semantic net (or any

> >unambiguous

> >nonsyntactic representation) is cumbersome and odd-sounding in a natural

> >language is the degree to which that language is "natural" and

> >deviates from the precise or "artificial". As we shall see, there was a

> >language (Sanskrit) spoken among an ancient scientific community that has

a

> >deviation

> >of zero."

> >

> >Considering Sanskrit's status as a spiritual language, a further

> >implication

> >of this discovery is that the age old dichotomy between religion and

> >science

> >is an entirely unjustified one.

> >

> >It is also relevant to note that in the last decade physicists have begun

> >to

> >comment on the striking similarities between their own discoveries

> >and the discoveries made thousands of years ago in India which went on to

> >form the basis of most Eastern religions.

> >

> >Because of the high level of collaboration required in uncovering the

> >nature

> >of energy and matter, it is inconceivable that it ever could have taken

> >place without a common language, namely mathematics. This is a perfect

> >example of using a language for discovering and designing life. The

> >language

> >of mathematics, being inherently unambiguous, minimizes personal

> >interpretation and therefore maximizes opportunity for exploration and

> >discovery. The result of this is a worldwide community of scientists

> >working

> >together with extraordinary vitality and excitement about uncovering the

> >unknown.

> >

> >It can also be inferred that the discoveries that occurred in India in

the

> >first millennia B.C. were also the result of collaboration and inquiry by

a

> >community of spiritual scientists utilizing a common scientific language,

> >Sanskrit. The truth of this is further accented by the fact that

throughout

> >the history and development of Indian thought the science of grammar and

> >linguistics was attributed a status equal to that of mathematics in

> >the context of modern scientific investigation. In deference to the

> >thoroughness and depth with which the ancient grammatical scientists

> >established the

> >science of language, modern linguistic researchers in Russia have

concluded

> >about Sanskrit, "The time has come to continue the tradition of the

ancient

> >grammarians on the basis of the modern ideas in general linguistics."

> >

> >Sanskrit is the most ancient member of the European family of languages.

It

> >is an elder sister of Latin and Greek from which most of the modern

> >European

> >languages have been derived. The oldest preserved form of Sanskrit is

> >referred to as Vedic . The oldest extant example of the literature of the

> >Vedic period is the Rig-Veda . Being strictly in verse, the Rig-Veda does

> >not give us a record of the contemporary spoken language.

> >

> >The very name "Sanskrit" meant "language brought to formal perfection" in

> >contrast to the common languages, Prakrits or "natural" languages. The

form

> >of Sanskrit which has been used for the last 2500 years is known

> >today as Classical Sanskrit. The norms of classical Sanskrit were

> >established by the ancient grammarians. Although no records are available

> >of

> >their work, their efforts reached a climax in the 5th century B.C. in

> >the great grammatical treatise of Panini, which became the standard for

> >correct speech with such comprehensive authority that it has remained so,

> >with

> >little alteration until present times.

> >

> >Based on what the grammarians themselves have stated, we may conclude

that

> >the Sanskrit grammar was an attempt to discipline and explain a spoken

> >language.

> >

> >The NASA article corroborates this in saying that Indian grammatical

> >analysis "probably has to do with an age old Indo-Aryan preoccupation to

> >discover the nature of reality behind the impressions we human beings

> >receive through the operation of our senses."

> >

> >Until 1100 A.D., Sanskrit was without interruption the official language

of

> >the whole of India. The dominance of Sanskrit is indicated by a wealth of

> >literature of widely diverse genres including religious and

> >philosophical; fiction (short story, fable, novels, and plays);

scientific

> >literature including linguistics, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine;

as

> >well

> >as law and politics.

> >

> >With the Muslim invasions from 1100 A.D. onwards, Sanskrit gradually

became

> >displaced by common languages patronized by the Muslim kings as a

> >tactic to suppress Indian cultural and religious tradition and supplant

it

> >with their own beliefs. But they could not eliminate the literary and

> >spiritual- ritual use of Sanskrit.

> >

> >Even today in India, there is a strong movement to return Sanskrit to the

> >status of "national language of India." Sanskrit being a language derived

> >from simple monosyllabic verbal roots through the addition of

> >appropriate prefixes and suffixes according to precise grammatical laws

has

> >an infinite capacity to grow, adapt and expand according to the

> >requirements

> >of change

> >in a rapidly evolving world.

> >

> >Even in the last two centuries, due to the rapid advances in technology

and

> >science, a literature abundant with new and improvised vocabulary has

> >come into existence. Although such additions are based on the grammatical

> >principles of Sanskrit, and mostly composed of Sanskrit roots, still

> >contributions from Hindi and other national and international languages

> >have

> >been assimilated. For example: The word for television,

> >duuradarshanam, meaning "that which provides a vision of what is far away

"

> >is derived purely from Sanskrit.

> >

> >Furthermore, there are at least a dozen periodicals published in

Sanskrit,

> >all-India radio news broadcast in Sanskrit, television shows and feature

> >movies produced in Sanskrit, one village of 3000 inhabitants who

> >communicate through Sanskrit alone, not to mention countless smaller

> >intellectual communities throughout India, schools, as well as families

> >where Sanskrit is

> >fostered. Contemporary Sanskrit is alive and well.

> >

> >The discussion until now has been about Sanskrit, the language of

> >mathematical precision, the world's only unambiguous spoken language. But

> >the linguistic perfection of Sanskrit offers only a partial explanation

for

> >its sustained presence in the world for at least 3000 years. High

precision

> >in and of itself is of limited scope. Generally it excites the brain but

> >not

> >the heart. Sanskrit is indeed a perfect language in the same sense as

> >mathematics, but Sanskrit is also a perfect language in the sense that,

> >like

> >music, it has the power to uplift the heart.

> >

> >It's conceivable that for a few rare and inspired geniuses, mathematics

can

> >reach the point of becoming music or music becoming mathematics. The

> >extraordinary thing about Sanskrit is that it offers direct

> >accessibility by anyone to that elevated plane where the two, mathematics

> >and music, brain and heart, analytical and intuitive, scientific and

> >spiritual become one.

> >This is fertile ground for revelation. Great discoveries occur, whether

> >through mathematics or music or Sanskrit, not by the calculations or

> >manipulations of the human mind, but where the living language is

> >expressed and heard in a state of joy and communion with the natural laws

> >of

> >existence.

> >

> >Why has Sanskrit endured? Fundamentally it generates clarity and

> >inspiration. And that clarity and inspiration is directly responsible for

a

> >brilliance of creative expression such as the world has rarely seen.

> >

> >The Ancient and classical creations of the Sanskrit tongue both in

quality

> >and in body and abundance of excellence, in their potent originality and

> >force and beauty, in their substance and art and structure, in grandeur

and

> >justice and charm of speech and in the height and width of the reach of

> >their spirit stand very evidently in the front rank among the world's

> >great literatures. The language itself, as has been universally

recognized

> >by those competent to form a judgment, is one of the most magnificent,

the

> >most

> >perfect and wonderfully sufficient literary instruments developed by the

> >human mind, at once majestic and sweet and flexible, strong and

> >clearly-formed and full and vibrant and subtle, and its quality and

> >character would be of itself a sufficient evidence of the character

> >and quality of the race whose mind it expressed and the culture of which

it

> >was the reflecting medium.

> >

> >Sanskrit after all is the language of mantra -- words of power that are

> >subtly attuned to the unseen harmonies of the matrix of creation, the

world

> >as yet unformed. The possibility of such a finely attuned language is

> >only conceivable by drawing upon sounds so inherently pure in

combinations

> >so harmoniously blended that the result is as refreshing and pure as the

> >energy of creation forming into mountain streams and lakes and the

flawless

> >crystal structures of natural gems, while at the same time wielding the

> >power of nebulae and galaxies expanding into the infinitude of space.

> >

> >But from the perception of Rishis, the source of language transcends such

> >conceptions. In Sanskrit, Vaak,speech, the "word" of Genesis,

incorporates

> >both the sense of "voice" and "word". It has four forms of _expression.

The

> >first, Paraa , represents cosmic ideation arising from the original and

> >absolute divine presence. The second, Pashyantii (literally "seeing") is

> >Vaak as subject "seeing," which creates the object of madhyamaavaak , the

> >third and subtle form of speech before it manifests as vaikhariivaak, the

> >gross production of letters in spoken speech.

> >

> >Sanskrit is a language whose harmonic subtlety, mysteriously sources the

> >successive phases of creation all the way to origination. This implies

the

> >p

> >ossibility of having speech oriented to a direct living truth which

> >transcends individual preoccupation with the limited information

available

> >through the senses. Spoken words as such are creative living things of

> >power. They penetrate to the essence of what they describe. They give

birth

> >to meaning which reflects the profound interrelatedness of life.

> >

> >It is a tantalizing proposition to consider speaking a language whose

> >sounds

> >are so pure and euphonically combined. The mere listening or speaking

> >inspires and produces joy and clarity. And yet it has been precisely

> >the tendency of humanity as a whole to merely be tantalized by happiness,

> >but not actually to choose it. It's as though we had been offered the

most

> >precious gem and we answered, "No, I'd rather be poor." The only possible

> >background for such a choice is the unconscious belief that, "I can't

have

> >it. I can't be that."

> >

> >Interestingly enough, this is exactly what is triggered in people who are

> >faced with the opportunity to learn Sanskrit. The basic attitude towards

> >learning Sanskrit in India today is, "It's too difficult." Actually

> >Sanskrit

> >is not difficult. On the contrary, there are few greater enjoyments. The

> >first stage, experiencing the individual power of each of the 49 basic

> >sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet is pure discovery, especially for

> >Westerners

> >who have never paid attention to the unique distinctions of individual

> >letters such as location of resonance and tongue position. The complete

> >alphabet must have been worked out by learned grammarians on phonetic

> >principles by long before it was codified by Panini around 500 B.C. It is

> >arranged on a thoroughly scientific method, the simple vowels (short and

> >long) coming first, then the complex vowels (dipthongs), followed by the

> >consonants in uniform groups according to the organs of speech with which

> >they are pronounced.

> >

> >The unique organization of the Sanskrit alphabet serves to focus one's

> >attention on qualities and patterns of articulated sound in a way that

> >occurs in no other language. By paying continuous attention to the

> >point of location, degree of resonance and effort of breath, one's

> >awareness

> >becomes more and more consumed by the direct experience of articulated

> >sound.

> >This in itself produces and unprecedented clarity of mind and revelry in

> >the

> >joy of language. Every combination of sound in Sanskrit follows strict

laws

> >which essentially make possible an uninterrupted flow of the most

> >perfect euphonic blending of letters into words and verse.

> >

> >The script used to depict written Sanskrit is known as Devanaagari or

that

> >"spoken by the Gods." Suitably for Sanskrit, it is a perfect system of

> >phonetic representation. According to linguists, the phonetic

> >accuracy of the Devanaagari compares well with that of the modern

phonetic

> >transcriptions.

> >

> >Because of its inherent logic, systematic presentation and adherence to

> >only

> >the most clear and most pure sounds, the Sanskrit alphabet in its spoken

> >form, is perhaps the easiest in the world to learn and recall. Once the

> >alphabet is learned, there is just one major step to take in gaining

access

> >to the Sanskrit language: learning the case and tense endings. The

endings

> >are what make Sanskrit a language of math-like precision. By the endings

> >added onto nouns or verbs, there is an obvious determination of the

precise

> >interrelationship of words describing activity of persons and things in

> >time

> >and space, regardless of word order. Essentially, the endings constitute

> >the

> >software or basic program of the Sanskrit language.

> >

> >The rigor of learning the case endings is precisely the reason why many

> >stop

> >in their pursuit of Sanskrit. Yet by an effective immersion method,

fluent

> >reading of the Devanagari script, accurate pronunciation, and the

> >inputting of the case and tense endings can easily be accomplished. Such

a

> >method must take advantage of the fact that Sanskrit grammar is

structured

> >by

> >precise patterns, and once a pattern has been noted it is a simple

exercise

> >to recognize all the individual instances that fit the pattern; rather

than

> >see the pattern after all the individual instances have been learned.

Color

> >coding provides a tremendous support in this regard.

> >

> >Learning the case endings through the chanting of basic pure sound

> >combinations in musical and rhythmic sequences is a way to overcome

> >learning

> >inhibitions, attune to the root power of the Sanskrit language and

> >access the natural computer efficiency, speed and clarity of the mind.

> >

> >Although learning Sanskrit in some ways presents challenges similar to

> >those

> >of learning calculus or music, it also induces a lubrication and

> >acceleration of mental function that actually makes such a process

exciting

> >and enjoyable. Perhaps the greatest immediate benefit of learning

Sanskrit

> >by this method is that it requires participants to relinquish control,

> >abandon prior learning structures and come into a direct experience of

the

> >language.

> >

> >The actual simplicity and enjoyment of the sounds of Sanskrit provides

> >everyone with an opportunity to learn a subject which is technically

> >precise

> >with fluidity and ease. This tends to produce a complete reversal of

> >the inhibiting competitive environment in which most life education

> >traditionally took place, by creating an atmosphere in which mutual

support

> >generates personal breakthrough and vice-versa.

> >

> >One thing is certain, Sanskrit will only become the planetary language

when

> >it is taught in a way which is exciting and enjoyable. Furthermore it

must

> >address individual learning inhibitions with clarity and compassion

> >in a setting which encourages everyone to step forth, take risks, make

> >mistakes and learn. Already we have outstanding examples of this approach

> >in

> >the work

> >of teachers such as Jaime Escalante, whose remarkable achievements in

> >teaching advanced calculus to underprivileged high school students in

East

> >Los Angeles were featured in the Academy Award nominated movie, "Stand

and

> >Deliver."

> >

> >Another hope for the return of Sanskrit lies in computers. Sanskrit and

> >computers are a perfect fit. The precision play of Sanskrit with computer

> >to

> >ols will awaken the capacity in human beings to utilize their innate

higher

> >mental faculty with a momentum that would inevitably transform the world.

> >In

> >fact the mere learning of Sanskrit by large numbers of people in

> >itself represents a quantum leap in consciousness, not to mention the

rich

> >endowment it will provide in the arena of future communication.

> >

> >Sanskrit has always inspired the hearts, mind and souls of wise people.

The

> >great German scholar Max Muller, who did more than anyone to introduce

> >Sanskrit to the West in the latter part of the 19th century, contended

that

> >without a knowledge of the language (Sanskrit), literature, art, religion

> >and philosophy of India, a liberal education could hardly be complete --

> >India being the intellectual and spiritual ancestor of the race,

> >historically and through Sanskrit.

> >

> >Max Muller also pointed out that Sanskrit provides perfect examples of

the

> >unity and foundation it offers to the Celtic, Teutonic, Slavonic,

Germanic

> >and Anglo-Saxon languages, not to mention its influence on Asian

> >languages.The transmission of Buddhism to Asia can be attributed largely

to

> >the appeal to Sanskrit. Even in translation the works of Sanskrit evoked

> >the

> >supreme

> >admiration of Western poets and philosophers like Emerson, Whitman,

> >Thoreau,

> >Melville, Goethe, Schlegel and Schopenhauer.

> >

> >The fact is that Sanskrit is more deeply interwoven into the fabric of

the

> >collective world consciousness than anyone perhaps knows. After many

> >thousands of years, Sanskrit still lives with a vitality that can breathe

> >life, restore unity and inspire peace on our tired and troubled planet.

It

> >is a sacred gift, an opportunity. The future could be very bright.