Sanskrit and Marathi? Related?

India has 22 official state languages along with Hindi and English being the national languages, and not “Indian” which is popularly misunderstood by most of the foreigners.

To start with Sanskrit (संस्कृत), it is the ancient language of India, where it is believed that it was used as a medium of communication by the Hindu Celestial Gods, and then by the Indo-Aryans. Also known as "Dev Vani" (the language of gods), it is currently spoken by less than 1% of Indians and is mostly used by Hindu priests during religious ceremonies. However, Mattur, a village in state of Karnataka, remains only Sanskrit speaking village of India.

The origin of Sanskrit language could not be clearly defined, but it is thought to have come from the Indus valley (Pakistan) and the north-western India.

The composition of the two great epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana were in Sanskrit. Drama emerged as a distinct genre of Sanskrit literature, reaching its peak between the fourth and seventh centuries.

Due to its extensive use in religious literature, primarily in Hinduism, Sanskrit language and its literature are of great importance in Indian culture, similar to the importance of Latin in European culture.

Left: Epic of Ramayana ; Right: Epic of Mahabharata

World Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit Diwas is also known as Vishvasamskritadinam. It is celebrated on Shraavana Poornima, that is on full moon day in the month of Shraavana in the Hindu calendar. It was the first time celebrated in 1969. It is celebrated to spread awareness, promote and revive the ancient India Language.

Marathi (मराठी) on other hand, belongs to the group of Indo-Aryan languages that can be traced back far beyond the 10th century. It is considered that this language evolved from Sanskrit and Prakrit (group of languages spoken in ancient India).

In 12–13 th century when Islam came in Maharashtra, the Arabi, Farsi and Urdu words got mixed with Marathi. However, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took a historical decision and with the help of his literary scholars, he created a new dictionary named as Raj Vyavhar Kosh.

In this dictionary most of the Arabi, Farsi, Urdu were replaced with Sanskrit words. Because of this, many Sanskrit words again came in Marathi and it got new form which we speak today.

The script used for Marathi language is same to the Hindi language script, which is known as Devnagri script. It is the official state language of Maharashtra and co-official state language of state of Goa.

The great names of early Marathi literature came with Saint Dnyaneshwar, in the 13th century. Among the devotional poets of Maharashtra, the most famous is Saint Tukaram, who wrote many devotional poems in the 16th century. A unique contribution of Marathi literature is the tradition of Povadas, heroic stories popular among martial people. This tradition was particularly vital during the 17th century.

Left: Dnyaneshwari commentary by Saint Dnyaneshwar

Right: A line of a Powada composed as a tribute for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Apart from standardized Marathi, Indic scholars distinguish 42 dialects of spoken Marathi. Some of the popular dialects include Malwani, Varhadi, Thanjavur Marathi, Zadiboli, Aagri, Ahirani etc.

Marathi Language Day is celebrated on 27 February every year across the Indian states of Maharashtra and Goa. This day is regulated by the State Government. It is celebrated on the birthday of eminent Marathi poet Kusumagraj.

I hope that you have been now properly versed with the facts and relations of both these languages, at the same time realizing that every Indian language is unique and peculiar in its own way. Let me know your thoughts and questions if any in the comments…