4.5 Stars

From being a land of universities like Takshasila and Nalanda, which attracted scholars from across the world, why is India struggling to regain its dignity and establish its ancient language? We know what had happened to the universities, no matter what a progressive scholar wants us to think. Books don’t burn themselves, nor do build crumble overnight.

Sanskrit is much more than just a language. It is the root that holds the country deep down and keeps it alive. Kill the root, and you kill a country. Plain and simple.

Sanskrit Non-Translatables talks about how even the simplest words in Sanskrit have been given wrong and superfluous meanings, which led to the ancient scripts being reduced to nothing more than a jumble of words. A word without its original meaning has no value in a paragraph. That is what has been happening with Sanskrit.

The book explains how by learning the actual meanings of Sanskrit words and not equating them with insufficient English terms, we can save the language from being butchered and declared useless. This is an attempt to prevent the dilution of diverse identities. In a world that wants to have a diverse workforce, why is being an Indian Hindu a bad thing?

Aren’t our identities being replaced with the so-called polished and civilized versions as the West wants us to be? Why should we not resist this attack on our identity?

Sanskrit Non-Translatables explains how a Sanskrit word should be understood. It talks about Shabda- Brahman- the dhvani (sound) and artha (meaning), interconnected in a Sanskrit word.

A Sanskrit word starts with vibrations. Call it energy waves if it makes things easier to understand. The vibration is a combination of the sound and the object. It is a manifestation of the sound and its meaning.

An alphabet is called an Akshara in Sanskrit, which means imperishable. That’s how the language is, eternal and indestructible. The book explains the role of Vyakaranam (grammar), Madhyama (medium), and the importance of the Bija mantra, the source of vibrations in Sanskrit.

There is an easy-to-understand table in the book for ready reference about how-
• Kavya is not poetry
• Kama is not lust
• Naga is not naked
• Atman is not soul
• Prema is not love
• Shakti is not Energy

And many more. There is another chart at the end of the book that explains the difference between the Sanskrit word and its so-called English equivalent. There is a detailed bibliography in case one wants to look up the references.

Sanskrit Non-Translatables is much more than an attempt to decolonize the brainwashed generations. It is about teaching the citizens that they should try to look beyond the popular opinions and learn how a culture has been able to survive as many attacks. It is a nudge to understand that one has to take pride in their culture if they need to have an identity of their own.

If my review made you curious, I suggest you pick up the book. The writing is dry and sounds more like a thesis paper at times. But you will gain new insight into how civilizations have been destroyed. Remember that there are people out there who have no idea about the origins of their land because there is no one left to tell them the truth.

And if the review made you order the book without a second thought, I wish you the very best. May you learn the intricacies of this beautiful language. It is not easy. I’m a newbie too, and still am guilty of trying to find equivalents in English. I’m trying to change that and hope you will also try. We don’t have to apologize for being Hindus or for learning Sanskrit.

Remember- Sanskrit is not a dead language. It is the root of our land, and we will nourish it back to its original glory.

This review has been posted as a part of The Thousand Reviewers Club. Thank you, Indic Academy and Indic Book Club, for a copy of the book.

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Read the full review on my blog- Sanskrit Non-Translatables- Book Review