Sanskrit Literature

This blog is designed to be the forerunner of a fully-fledged Sanskrit literature forum which is as of now still in the concept stage.

The author, Venetia Ansell, read Classics and Sanskrit at Oxford and is currently working in Bangalore, India.

Background:

Sanskrit has a tradition of literature richer and more diverse than anything produced by its sister languages in Greece and Rome.  It is true that its prolixity naturally makes for a corpus that is in general less refined than that of Europe – although Kalidasa’s verse rivals the best Aeschylean choral ode. True too that the greatest wordsmiths often devoted too much energy, arguably, to poetry of supreme technical achievement to the detriment of meaning and beauty.  Nevertheless, these texts do not deserve the obscurity they have long been subjected to by almost all but Oxford dons and desi pandits. 

The study of Classics at venerable institutions around the world, although not mainstream, hardly lacks scholars or resources.  And rightly so – the imagery of Aeschylus for instance can never be studied to excess.  But for every 100 essays on Book 24 of the Iliad, there is perhaps one on the ending of the Ramayana.  And what is more, much Sanskrit textual criticism, literary appreciation, and even simple translation is the work of Sanskritists of formidable skill but who are firstly very much dead and secondly very much Western.  Why are there so few Indian scholars in India studying the language of their heritage?  The cynic would answer that India’s huge aspirant middle-class prefer to pursue more lucrative qualifications and careers.  After all, a degree needs to earn you a job and there are few employers looking for Sanskrit graduates. This may well be true – and Sanskrit is not the only academic discipline to have suffered as a result.  Nevertheless, given that almost every Indian school-goer (and it must be remembered that half of Indian children don’t go to school) has to learn Sanskrit alongside Hindi, the dearth of intellectual interest in India even at the amateur level is startling. 

Right now the rest of the world (university Classics departments excepted) is belatedly rediscovering Classical literature.  Authors have drawn upon literary giants from Homer and the tragedians to Ovid and Latin love poets.  The resulting classically-inspired work, such as Barry Unsworth’s The Songs of the Kings or Ted Hughes’ Metamorphoses offer fresh, and often reassuringly controversial, perspectives. In the theatre, every other play is a Euripidean tragedy and even the occasional film ventures into classical territory – the Coen Brothers’ O Brother Where art Thou for instance.  Scholars worldwide are debating just how misogynous Aeneas really was, and, naturally given that we live in a post post-modern era, why the Odyssey must be deconstructed to be fully understood.  Classical literature has become trendy.

Sanskrit, under-studied and under-researched at all but a few Western universities – Cambridge recently closed its Sanskrit department – and pretty much discarded as an academic discipline in India, can not be said to be a thriving subject.  Nor does it fare any better in the popular sphere.  Within India, the language has been relegated to the realm of religion and the school curriculum.  Indians are familiar with the sounds and script but very few can understand what is being said or written.  There are plenty of forums, blogs, societies and institutions attempting to correct this Sanskrit malaise, both within and without India.  However, these groups tend to focus on Sanskrit as a language of religion and learning; there is little or no concerted effort in India to promote Sanskrit’s literary possessions as opposed to the language itself.  Head West, and most people are only aware of Sanskrit, if at all, via their yoga teacher – everyone knows how to do the Surya Namaskar even if they would more naturally refer to it as the Sun Salutation. 

Sanskrit literature is benefiting from the valiant efforts of a few authors and publishers who are making headway with children’s versions of the literary corpus - some of which have proved popular even when up against Superman and his ilk.  But there is very little Sanskrit literature available in an easily accessible format for a global adult audience.  There are of course Indian-language translations and adaptations – some hugely successful, such as the televised Ramayan serial which regularly drew 100 million viewers in the 80s, and has just been relaunched in a new avatar – but these do not travel well.

Both India and the West are missing out.  There are stories here to rival the Trojan War, beauty to outshine the tender couplets of Sappho, and drama to challenge Oedipus’ self-revelation.  Such literature deserves to be read, watched, heard or experienced. For those of us who are unable to digest Shakuntala in the original, this means a translation, interpretation or adaptation into English, the language most accessible to audiences worldwide. 

In addition to the standard Penguin translations, readers can now enjoy a politically correct version of the Panchatantra, or R.K.Narayan’s retelling of the Indian Epics. Mahabharatas have graced the stage with great success – most notably Peter Brook’s and the recent Nitin Sawhney/Stephen Clarke/Stuart Wood extravaganza.  Kalidasa’s most famous play found expression last year via South Indian dance and music.  Vikramasena and his accompanying vetala have been resurrected in productions from Seattle to Bangalore.

The Clay Sanskrit Library represents the biggest publishing drive to popularise Sanskrit literature in recent times.  Its accessible English translations of canonical Sanskrit texts by reputed scholars worldwide are essentially Sanskrit versions of the Harvard Loeb collection (the small green hardbacks have the transliterated Sanskrit on the left hand page).  Their enthusiastic reception among faculty members, literary critics and ordinary readers alike suggests that Sanskrit’s literary star may well be rising. 

Nevertheless, all this barely touches the vast canon of literature waiting to be (re)discovered, and subsequently interpreted, moulded and expressed in books, art, drama, film and music.

This forum is intended to act as a stimulus, to provoke translators, authors and artists of every type into looking to Bhatti, Bana and Vedanta Deshika as well as Valmiki, Somadeva and Kalidasa for inspiration, and to awaken an appetite in audiences for the poems, prose and plays of ancient India in whatever form.  For more details on how this forum is designed to work and specific information for aspirant and established artists, keen readers and viewers, and those who wish to trade ideas and comments, please see the ‘How to contribute/participate’ post.

Aims:

To introduce Sanskrit literature to a wider global audience, via translations, adaptations and interpretations.

To revisit Sanskrit classics through novel media and interpretations, thereby giving scholars and others familiar with the canonical works a fresh and hopefully interesting perspective on these texts.

To reinvigorate an interest in and love for Sanskrit and its authors.

To serve as a hub where like-minded people can share ideas, discover more about the subject, participate in discussions, collaborate on projects, or simply observe and enjoy

To promote and support artists of every sort and Sanskrit enthusiasts who are trying to propagate this literature. 

As of now, the forum is simply an online community with no financial resources, and little logistical support.  In time, I hope it will assume a more solid form and leverage the resources of an online, global community to greater effect.