Sanskrit, the mother of all languages, is the oldest, most mathematic, systematic, scientific and versatile language on this Earth. Also christened Dev Vaani, Sanskrit is said to have been taught by Brahma ji to the sages and the people on this earth. It is not only the language of the past, but it also holds the potential to be the technological language of the future. At this crucial moment in the present, we face a challenge though. Sanskrit, as a language, seems to be fading away, with lesser people opting to learn the magical language, Sanskrit struggles to be the language of the common today.
Realizing this, Manthan SVK, the holistic education programme for the underprivileged, decided to introduce Sanskrit to their students from the early stages of their lives. Not only do they aim to keep children connected to their roots, but also hope they shall take the baton forward and respect their legacy. In wake of this, this educational initiative of Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan celebrated Sanskrit Saptah (Sanskrit Week, 31 July to 6 August) - a week-long celebration of the heritage and grandeur of our ancient language, Sanskrit, in collaboration with Divya Jyoti Ved Mandir. Sanskrit Saptah included the auspicious Sanskrit Diwas (3 August) as well.
The celebrations witnessed the contribution and collective participation of students and teachers from the 20 centres of Manthan SVK across India along with the participation of Ved Paathi students of Divya Jyoti Ved Mandir. Moreover, several preachers from Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan also took part in the online sessions. In fact, the week-long celebration has been made possible only with the contribution of over 1500 selfless volunteers. The esteemed guests included Dr. Vijay Singh ji (Education Head, Sanskrit Bharti), Shri Vinayak Hegde ji (Sanskrit Bharti), Shri Arjun Pandit ji, Sadhvi Bhavana Bharti ji, Sadhvi Deepa Bharti ji, Sadhvi Shivani Bharti ji, Sadhvi Mridula Bharti ji, Sadhvi Asha Bharti ji, Sadhvi Shyama Bharti ji, Sadhvi Pratibha Bharti ji, Sadhvi Yogdivya Bharti ji, Sadhvi Rajni Bharti ji, Swami Guru Kirpanand ji, Sadhvi Aneesha Bharti ji, and Shri Ganesh Pandit ji.
Each day, with over a 100 attendees, these online Sanskrit workshops are a spectacle of their own. The hour-long sessions are completely in Sanskrit, with students, preachers, Ved Paathis, and esteemed guests, all conversing and performing in Sanskrit. Manthanites participated in the Sanskrit Week celebrations with immense zeal and showcased their proficiency in Sanskrit through Vedic Manglacharan (guru stotram chanting), Lokik Mantrochharan (mantra chanting), Subhaashitaani (Positive teachings in Sanskrit) explained with meanings, Shiv Tandav Stotram recitation, divine music and dance performances from “Jayatu Samskrutam” to “Bhavatu Bharatam”, short stories told in Sanskrit, Ganesh Vandana recitation, Saraswati Vandana recitation, and many more. Each session also included informative and thought-provoking speeches by the esteemed guests.
Sanskrit has been very dear to His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj ji, the sole inspiration and guidance behind Manthan SVK and Divya Jyoti Ved Mandir. He has always been very vocal about the significance of the divine language. The Sanskrit Saptah celebrations were possible only with His blessings and guidance.
