Rants on the Topic of Sanskrit in English ....

A few comments on Sanskrit

1 ) Sandhi......Whether I use sandhi  in my Sanskrit writings/sentences or not the meaning that is being conveyed is not changed. So sometimes I write words with sandhi and sometimes without. I seem not to share the over emphasis view  on using sandhi with every few words I know or write, also making unnecessary long sentences with all the words joined "sandhied" together. I seem to thinks it shows your skill but confuses the living daylights out of me because I don't even bother to read it. Trying to have a simple conversation via social networks with someone who chooses to write like that is painstaking .......

2 ) Learn like a child .....One consensus among a large number of Sanskritist is the language should be learned like a child in a home where everyone speaks the language. This is a very good idea however not everyone is privy to be in a Sanskrit speaking environment . So some people learn via grammar , texts, correspondences internet etc. Any means to get they try to grasp as much as they can of the language .....So they become very dictionary friendly using any Sanskrit online resource they can obtain. I cant blame them for being like this its their means of learning the language ...

3 )Social Media ..... There is a growing community of Sanskrit enthusiasts on social media networks eg Twitter Facebook etc.... of all who share the view mentioned in rant 2 .However interestingly they  have a lot of knowledge on Sanskritist but one issue I am having is their need to correct grammar and leaving out the train of thought..Any random person would write something in Sanskrit and comments  would come from near and far but most would be on correcting what was written rather than dealing with the essence of the topic. Strangely questioning every word someone writes about its grammar spelling etc is good for learning but it can be annoying ... In some cases it throws off the aspiring student not to write anything at all or keep his writing private. When what is written  is understood,I think the conversation can continue bringing out new ideas as to what the topic was, rather than straying into grammatical gymnastics where the question that was asked or statement written everyone in the debate forgot what it was being stated in the first place. I would love to see these Sanskrit teachers correct writings online and also join the conversation, not just butt in to correct a misspelling, a typo , or grammar etc but add to the discourse help us build vocabulary conversational skills, written skills etc .....There is one Sanskrit teacher who would send his correction of my grammar spelling etc privately and would continue the conversation that is in the public forum.So I am learning both ways and keeping my thoughts which are in English flowing somewhat very naturally into Sanskrit . He helps me "kill two birds with one stone" so to speak....knowingly that I have all my dictionaries open, online resources on the go when I am conversing or replying in Sanskrit...

I am Trinidadian lol

तथा केचित् ट्रिणिडाडीयजनाः मन्यन्ते भवान् अन्यादृशः एव अस्ति | भवान् अपि च कालद्विपीयापरपुरुषः अस्ति | तथापि भारतीयसंस्कृतिः संस्कृतभाषा च  भवते एव रोचेते इति  | किमर्थम्  ? अथ किम् ? भवान् कालद्विपीयसंस्कृतिं न पठति इति प्रच्छन्ति | अधुना च मम मित्रम् यत् भारतात् अस्ति | सः अग्नौ काष्ठम् भूयस् स्थापयितुम् इच्छति | स उक्तवान् भवान् भारताय आगच्छेत् | भवान् अपि च संस्कृतं  पठितुम्  चर्तुवर्षेभ्यः गुरुकुले प्रतिवसेत् इति.........
यदि यदा वा अहं  प्रत्यागच्छामि तदा अहं ट्रिणिडाडीयः न भविष्यामि इति जाने || अट्टम् हसामि ||

So some Trinidadians think," you are really different, you're African descendant , yet you so like Indian Culture and Sanskrit, why?" Then why you don't study African culture? and now my friend who is from India, he wants to put more wood in the fire. He said," you should come to India , and also you should live in the house of a guru for four years to study Sanskrit. .........I know," if or whenever I return, I will not be Trinidadian ......lol ...

I didn't believe he said that..

स उक्तवान् आम् खलु ! भवन्तः शिवस्यप्रार्थनाम् कुर्वन्ति |  काल इति तु तस्य एकं नाम अस्ति | अङ्ग्लभाषायाम् नाम्नः अर्थःTime इति अस्ति | अस्मिन् रूपे सः कालस्य  प्रभुः अस्ति | यदि च भवन्तः वदन्ति वयं हिन्दवः स्मः शिवः च अस्माभिः पूज्यते इति | किन्तु यदा भवन्तः सत्सङ्गे भवेयुः  | भवन्तःच समये न जातु  भवन्ति तदा यूयम् लिङ्गिनः एव स्थ इति  ||

He said," yes indeed , you all pray to Shiva, but kAla is one of his names. In English it means time . In this form he is the lord of Time, and if you all say," We are Hindus, and Shiva is worshiped by us. However when you all should be in Satsang and you all are never on time , then you all are hypocrites."......