Sanskrit – The Language of Ayurveda

As a linguist, I'm naturally very interested in Sanskrit, the language of Ayurveda. And the more I learn about it, the more fascinating I find it.

Sanskrit is an ancient language with a history stretching back thousands of years. It belongs to the Indo-European language family, which includes English, Latin, Greek and many other languages spoken today. These languages all share roots in an earlier language called Proto-Indo-European. So although Sanskrit may seem very different from the languages we're familiar with, there are actually some interesting connections between them.

What I find particularly fascinating is that Sanskrit was passed down through an oral tradition for generations, long before the ancient Vedic texts were written down. The Vedic mantras were memorised and chanted, passed from teacher to student, with great attention to pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. This tradition has been preserved in India for thousands of years and has played an important role in keeping these ancient teachings alive.

Sanskrit is the language through which much of the knowledge of Yoga and Ayurveda has been passed on to us. It's a language of transmitting knowledge and wisdom. And there's something quite extraordinary about the way Sanskrit works. In English, we have an enormous vocabulary, but Sanskrit has a particularly rich system of word formation. By combining different roots, prefixes and suffixes, new words can be created, often with very subtle differences in meaning. So when you look at a Sanskrit word, you can explore how it's put together and sometimes discover layers of meaning that aren't immediately obvious from its English translation.

But what I find even more fascinating is that, in the Vedic tradition, Sanskrit is considered to be much more than just a language. It's also understood as a system of sounds, vibrations and patterns. There is a traditional belief that certain combinations of sounds resonate with the qualities of what they describe. In this way of understanding Sanskrit, the sound of a word isn't necessarily separate from its meaning. By connecting with the sound itself, it is believed that we can connect more deeply with what it represents.

I find this a fascinating idea, that language isn't just something we use to describe the world, but that sound itself can be part of how we experience and connect with it.

This is also why Sanskrit is so closely associated with mantras. A mantra isn't just about the meaning of the words. The sounds themselves, their rhythm and their repetition are considered important. In these traditions, sound is also closely connected with intention and manifestation.

Now, let me give you an example of how looking at Sanskrit words and their meanings can offer a different perspective on something we already know.

Let's take the English word water. In English, we use the word water whether we're talking about water flowing in a river, water dripping from a tap, water that has frozen into ice or water we drink. In Sanskrit however, there are many different words for water, some with slightly different meanings or associations. For example, there's jala, a general word for water, which is also used when referring to water as one of the elements. Salila is another word for water, which is associated with flowing water. Ambu is water with its own sound. Then there's āpas, a word used in the Vedic tradition, where water is associated with life, water that generates and protects. And pānīya refers to water suitable for drinking.

Of course, these words don't necessarily describe completely different kinds of water. Their meanings often overlap. But what I find interesting is that they can bring our attention to different qualities and associations of something as familiar as water.

And that's what I love about exploring Sanskrit. You can take a word, look a little more closely at its meaning and where it comes from and sometimes discover a whole new way of thinking about what it describes.

But what does the word Ayurveda actually mean, you might ask?

The word Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words: āyuh, meaning life and veda, meaning knowledge. When the two words are joined, āyuh becomes āyur.

Put them together and we get the knowledge of life.

Ayurveda is also called the science of life. In fact, it is a philosophy rather than science because where the science ends, a philosophy begins. 🌿