Before we even begin to discuss (and hopefully you start to assimilate and learn) the shlokas, subhashitas, suktis or kathas to follow, one question that may pop up in one’s mind is why speak in Sanskrit or learn and chant the stotras/shlokas/subhashitas?
My daughter once asked me why should one learn and recite say, the RamRaksha strotram every day? “Without even knowing the meaning, it’s just some gibberish that you are saying out loud”, she mused.
So, let’s begin with the science behind the Sanskrit Pronunciations – without going into technicalities of course that will not interest you folks!
Stated simply, our body is made up of vibrations… During meditation, in vipassana, many have experienced this. Sound is also a vibration, as most of you would already be aware.
Now Sanskrit is a phonetic language – each word is pronounced as per the sound of the letters it is made up now. The Sanskrit alphabet (or Varnamala) comprises of similar sound groupings, which when pronounced correctly cause different kinds of vibrations. The Sanskrit literature composed of hymns, suktis, subhashitas, shlokas, songs, stotras and all the rest, follows certain rules related to number of syllables, meter and grammar.
Stated simply, our body is made up of vibrations… During meditation, in vipassana, many have experienced this. Sound is also a vibration, as most of you would already be aware.
It is said that correct Chanting of Sanskrit Shlokas causes good vibrations within the body and helps attune the mind and body to the vibrational frequency of the ancient Yogis.
A hallmark study by Dr. Hartzell, a Sanskrit proponent and postdoctoral researcher at Spain’s Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, showed that the brains of Sanskrit Pandits had marked changes in many parameters. It was proved that people who learn and recite Sanskrit regularly display some marked parameters, including improvement in speech, logical thinking, and memory retention.
It was proved that people who learn and recite Sanskrit regularly display some marked parameters, including improvement in speech, logical thinking, and memory retention.
Could this be the reason that for ages the Vedic knowledge was passed from generation to generation through the oral tradition only? Rather than keeping it confined in texts and manuscripts, each one learning, chanting and remembering it on a regular basis and getting the benefit of the being one of body, mind and soul? …While we are shying away from this simple easy technique to maintain an active mind in a healthy body by just making recitation of our Sanskrit Stotras or Mantras a daily habit!
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