Sanskrit
Ancient Indian tongue
Sanskrit is an ancient language of India, the classical literary and religious language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
The Vedas, Upanishads, and epic poems like the Mahabharata were composed in Sanskrit.
Though no longer spoken as a native language, it remains central to Hindu ritual and Indian scholarship.
Many English words trace back to Sanskrit through Indo-European roots.
Sanskrit grammar's founding author
- declensionNoun form variation
- conjugationVerb form variation system
- compoundsBonded element substances
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
morphology · phonology · syntax · inflection · cases · stems · suffixes · derivation
Hindu canonical texts
- UpanishadsVedic philosophical scriptures
- MahabharataSanskrit war epic
- RamayanaSanskrit heroic verse narrative
- sutrasAphoristic teaching verses
mantras · hymns · epics · scriptures · Bhagavad Gita · Kamasutra
Ancient Indian spiritual tradition
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- JainismIndian religion emphasizing nonviolence
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
prayer · sacred · devotional · ceremonial · mantra · puja · temple · priest
Of ancient Greece/Rome
- liturgicalOf public worship rites
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- revitalizationRestoring vigor or vitality
- teachingProfession of instructing others
scholarship · recitation · spoken · modern · vernacular · endangered · heritage
India's official language
- PaliBuddhist scriptural language
- BengaliLanguage of Bangladesh
- MarathiWestern Indian language
- GujaratiIndo-Aryan western language
Punjabi · Nepali · Urdu · Sinhalese · Kashmiri · Assamese · Telugu · Kannada
Study of historical texts
- etymologyWord origin study
- linguisticsScience of language structure
- translationConverting between languages
- commentaryExplanatory remarks on events
manuscript · academia · lexicon · dictionary · research · paleography
Cross-script phonetic spelling
- diacriticsMarks altering letter pronunciation
- ligaturesThreads for tying off
- alphabetsOrdered letter collections
- calligraphyOrnamental handwriting art
Panini
Sanskrit grammar's founding author
- declensionNoun form variation
- conjugationVerb form variation system
- compoundsBonded element substances
roots · morphology · phonology · syntax · inflection · cases · stems · suffixes · derivation
Vedas
Hindu canonical texts
- UpanishadsVedic philosophical scriptures
- MahabharataSanskrit war epic
- RamayanaSanskrit heroic verse narrative
sutras · mantras · hymns · epics · scriptures · Bhagavad Gita · Kamasutra
Hinduism
Ancient Indian spiritual tradition
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- JainismIndian religion emphasizing nonviolence
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
chanting · prayer · sacred · devotional · ceremonial · mantra · puja · temple · priest · ashram
classical
Of ancient Greece/Rome
- liturgicalOf public worship rites
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- revitalizationRestoring vigor or vitality
teaching · scholarship · recitation · spoken · modern · vernacular · endangered · heritage
Hindi
India's official language
Gujarati · Punjabi · Nepali · Urdu · Sinhalese · Kashmiri · Assamese · Telugu · Kannada · Malayalam
philology
Study of historical texts
- etymologyWord origin study
- linguisticsScience of language structure
- translationConverting between languages
commentary · manuscript · academia · lexicon · dictionary · research · paleography
transliteration
Cross-script phonetic spelling
- diacriticsMarks altering letter pronunciation
- ligaturesThreads for tying off
- alphabetsOrdered letter collections
- Indo-European LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Spanish, Italian
- Ancient IndiaIndus Valley, Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Ramayana
- Indian languagesHindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati
- South Asian culturecaste system, Hinduism, joint family, varna, dowry
- Hindu educationgurus, traditional knowledge, Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita
- Indic languagesHindi, Pali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi
Sanskritvernacular
Everyday regional speech
spoken language · street language · demotic · slang · dialect
Sanskritliving language
Language still naturally spoken
modern language · spoken language · Mandarin Chinese · mother tongue · Spanish