Sanskrit mother of nearly all Indian languages: Amit Shah

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said there is no opposition to any language as no one can be distanced from their mother tongue and Sanskrit is the mother of nearly all Indian languages.

Addressing the closing ceremony of 1008 Sanskrit Sambhashan Shivirs here, Shah said as the mother of most Indian languages, Sanskrit's promotion is not just about its revival, but also about advancing the nation's overall progress.

He said as Sanskrit becomes richer and stronger, it will, in turn, empower every language and dialect across the country.

"While there is no opposition to any language, no one can be distanced from their mother tongue, and Sanskrit is the mother of nearly all Indian languages," he said.

The home minister said Sanskrit is not only the most scientific language in the world but also possesses an unparalleled grammatical structure.

Lauding the Sanskrit Bharati for its remarkable and courageous initiative in organising 1008 Sanskrit Sambhashan Shivirs, he said the decline of Sanskrit began even before the era of colonial rule, and its revival will require time and sustained effort.

He emphasised that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a favourable atmosphere has emerged across the country for the resurgence of Sanskrit.

Shah said the government, the public and the collective mindset are all firmly dedicated and committed to the revival and promotion of Sanskrit.

He said since 1981, Sanskrit Bharati has been working to present the vast knowledge available in Sanskrit to the world and to train and enable millions of people to speak and learn Sanskrit.

He highlighted that many renowned global scholars have acknowledged Sanskrit as the most scientific language.

Emphasising a forward-looking approach, the home minister said rather than dwelling on the history of Sanskrit's decline, efforts should now focus on its resurgence.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has launched various initiatives to promote Sanskrit," he said.

He mentioned that around 18 projects have been implemented under the 'Ashtadashi' scheme, and the central government provides financial support for the publication, bulk purchase and reprinting of rare Sanskrit texts.

Moreover, the honorarium for distinguished Sanskrit scholars has been increased, he said.

Shah highlighted that the Modi government's new National Education Policy (NEP) places strong emphasis on the Indian knowledge system, with Sanskrit as its core pillar.

He noted that the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan has been elevated to the status of a Central Sanskrit University.

He also mentioned that under the 'Sahasra Chudamani Yojana', the government has facilitated the appointment of retired eminent Sanskrit scholars as educators.

The home minister emphasised that one of the most significant initiatives of the Modi government is a nationwide campaign with a budget of approximately Rs 500 crore aimed at collecting scattered manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit.

He said Prime Minister Modi has launched the Gyan Bharatam Mission with a foundational corpus of Rs 500 crore dedicated to manuscript preservation, with allocations planned in every budget going forward.

He said over 52 lakh manuscripts have already been documented, around 3.5 lakh digitised and 1,37,000 made available online at .

To support this massive effort, a team comprising scholars from various disciplines and languages has been constituted to translate and preserve these rare manuscripts, he said.

Shah emphasised that the solutions to many of the world's challenges can be found through the revival, propagation and simplification of the profound knowledge contained in Sanskrit.

He highlighted that since its inception, Sanskrit Bharati has introduced over one crore people to spoken Sanskrit, trained more than one lakh Sanskrit teachers, and nurtured 6,000 families who converse exclusively in Sanskrit.

Moreover, there are now 4,000 villages in India where all communication is conducted entirely in Sanskrit.

He noted that Sanskrit Bharati has established 4,500 centres across 26 countries and, in 2011, organised the world's first World Sanskrit Book Fair.

The home minister said Sanskrit represents India's faith, tradition, truth and timeless essence.

The light of knowledge and wisdom is deeply embedded in the Sanskrit language, he said.

He noted that for thousands of years, the churning of ideas across various disciplines has produced a wealth of knowledge preserved in Sanskrit.

Shah stressed that the profound wisdom contained in the Vedas, Upanishads and countless Sanskrit manuscripts must reach a global audience.

The ongoing efforts by Sanskrit Bharati are a significant first step toward achieving this goal, he said, adding Sanskrit was the first language to refine the use of meter and syllables, which has contributed to its continued vitality and relevance even today.

Those who attended the event include Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.