How does Sanskrit enhance the musical, artistic, and creative aspects of life and point to the underlying unity of the human family?
The captivating sound of Sanskrit: The vibratory properties of the pure sounds of Sanskrit are something special, having their own uplifting effect. When spoken or sung well, Sanskrit is relaxing, providing satisfaction and emotional nourishment. Precise combining of melody, rhythm, and articulation calls forth single-pointed attention which brings the singer into the joyful ‘here and now’. The experience can be exhilarating and addictive! Little wonder that the Sanskrit oral tradition has remained strong over thousands of years.
Natural rhythms and poetic artistry: Poetic verses, whilst full of meaning and often story-telling, incorporate intricate, rhythmic phrasing and repeating sequences. Just as many forms of music have a specific number of beats per bar, so Sanskrit verses also have specific numbers of beats, or syllables, per line.
Short and long forms of vowels, and combinations with conjunct consonants, give rise to stress, or emphasis, (light, laghu, heavy, guru) and metre, which results in remarkably unexpected and exciting rhythms. The singing of ancient prayers, or even simple chanting of noun and verb forms, comes alive, increasing the joy of learning by heart and nourishing the whole being. These rhythms also help to create patterns, making Sanskrit passages easy to memorise. Melody or accent (pitch) may be used to emphasise this.
Stories and rich mental images inspire creativity, artistry, and sense of unity: Sanskrit literature includes an amazing range of timeless philosophical ideas, extensive scientific knowledge, and unique linguistic analyses.
One of the most important aspects for education is the fantastic story-telling, including the longest poem known to humankind. Main characters are richly depicted, having interchangeable descriptive names which speak of their lineage, virtues, and exploits. Entertaining tales of gods and demons, sages, heroes and heroines, talking animals, magic mantras and weapons fit for superheroes, set against the backdrop of geographically identifiable locations, excite the imagination and incorporate challenging moral and social issues.
Hearing about similar ways of life and the depiction of a variety of emotional responses, can draw forth a sense of the underlying unity of the human family. Noticing the similarity between Sanskrit words used for mother, father, brother and sister, for instance, can also emphasise our common history.
Textbooks with carefully drawn, realistic illustrations stimulate imagination further, and encourage artistic expression. Even simple colouring-in of fine line drawings is valued today as calming, nourishing, and enriching.
Notions of beauty: The practice of writing the Devanagari script beautifully, even when completing grammatical exercises in class, encourages artistry and respect for the language. Also, hearing each letter in mind whilst writing draws the attention to the real, inner beauty and artistry of Sanskrit.
Importance in education: As a result of coming into direct contact with Sanskrit literature, students come to a present-day, personal understanding of timeless human wisdom and culture. The musical aspect nourishes emotional intelligence and helps to cultivate sensitivity and depth of feeling in all age-groups.
Expanding the mental vision transcends the immediate classroom. Such experiential expansion allows natural feelings of freedom, appreciation of bravery and of justice, and enlivens and enlightens the intelligence.
Practical teaching tips
· Encourage sounding Sanskrit letters mentally, whilst writing.
· Urge precise application of the 3 rules of stress when reading or speaking Sanskrit.
· Chant with natural joy, fun and rhythm, and practise verses with melody or accent .
· Point out commonly used Indo-European words/roots and common customs in human society.
· Tell dramatic stories about heroic characters and use textbooks with line-drawn illustrations.
Helen Harper www.sanskritatstjames.org.uk
