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The Mystery of Written Sanskrit: How Old is it Really?

Many people are fascinated by ancient languages, and Sanskrit, with its rich history and influence on many modern languages, is no exception. It’s often cited as one of the oldest languages in the world, but how old is written Sanskrit, really? The answer may surprise you, because the history of spoken Sanskrit and written Sanskrit are not the same thing.


Spoken Sanskrit: Ancient Origins

The oldest known example of the Sanskrit language is the Rig Veda, a collection of ancient Hindu hymns. Scholars have concluded that these hymns were composed around 1500 BCE, which is approximately 3,500 years ago. However, it is crucial to understand that the Rig Veda was originally passed down orally. There were no written versions of the Rig Veda at this time. The language spoken at that time is known as Vedic Sanskrit.

This means that while the spoken form of Sanskrit is indeed very old, the written form is a different story. The spoken language predates the existence of written Sanskrit.

Written Sanskrit: A More Recent Development

So, when did Sanskrit actually get written down? The oldest surviving examples we have of written Sanskrit date back to around 100 BCE, approximately 2,100 years ago. These are inscriptions, such as the Hatti Bada Ghassan D inscriptions, carved into stone using the Brahmi script.

It is important to note that the oldest physical copy of the Rig Veda is only about 600 years old. There is no dusty 3,500-year-old original version sitting in a museum somewhere. All modern copies of the Rig Veda are based on much later written versions, not an original written version. The original Rig Veda was not written; it was orally transmitted.

This demonstrates the distinction between the age of the language and the age of its written form.

The Brahmi Script and Its Mysterious Origins

The Brahmi script is the earliest known writing system used to write Sanskrit. Its origins, however, are not fully understood. Although there's a theory suggesting that Brahmi evolved from the Aramaic script due to some visual similarities, and an increase in contact between North India and the Middle East around the time of Alexander the Great, there are other possibilities:

  • It could be a completely new invention.
  • It might have descended from an unknown script that didn’t survive.
  • It could be a distant descendant of the Indus Valley script.

The Brahmi script itself is older than the oldest examples of written Sanskrit. The Edicts of Ashoka, dating back to around 250 BCE, were written in the Prakrit language using the Brahmi script, demonstrating its existence before any surviving examples of written Sanskrit. This shows that the Brahmi script existed prior to the earliest known examples of written Sanskrit.

Sanskrit in the Mahabharata and Ramayana

The Mahabharata and Ramayana are two of the greatest epic poems of ancient India, and they are traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa and the sage Valmiki, respectively. These epics are written in Classical Sanskrit, which is a later form of the language compared to Vedic Sanskrit.

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is believed to have been composed between 400 BCE and 400 CE, although its oral traditions likely date back much earlier. The written form of the Mahabharata that we have today was likely compiled over several centuries. The epic itself contains references to various events and teachings that were passed down orally before being written in Sanskrit.

Ramayana

The Ramayana is thought to have been composed between 500 BCE and 100 BCE. Like the Mahabharata, the Ramayana was also transmitted orally before being written down. The written versions of the Ramayana that exist today are in Classical Sanskrit, and they were likely compiled over many years.

The history of written Sanskrit is a fascinating example of how languages evolve and are recorded over time. The gap between the spoken and written forms of Sanskrit highlights the significance of oral traditions in the transmission of knowledge throughout history. While the search for the true origins of Brahmi continues, we can still appreciate the complexity and richness of the history of Sanskrit.

The Mahabharata and Ramayana, although written in Sanskrit, were part of a long oral tradition before they were ever committed to writing. This underscores the importance of oral culture in ancient India and the transition from oral to written traditions in preserving these monumental works.

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