Sanskrit

(proper noun)

A classical language of India ("Indian Latin"), a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. 

Related Terms

Examples of Sanskrit in the following topics:

  • Vedic and Upanishadic Periods

    • The grammar of Pāini marks a final apex in the codification of Sutra texts and, at the same time, the beginning of Classical Sanskrit.
    • Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
    • The Sutra language texts: This is the last stratum of Vedic Sanskrit leading up to c. 500 BCE, comprising the bulk of the Śrauta and Grhya Sutras as well as some Upanishads.
    • The Sanskrit term upaniṣad means "sitting down near", implying sitting near a teacher to receive instruction.
    • Here, river Indus is shown by its Sanskrit name Sindhu.

  • Temple Style of the North

    • Darśana is a Sanskrit term meaning sight, vision, apparition, or glimpse, and is most commonly used for "visions of the divine" in Hindu worship.
    • Śikhara, a Sanskrit word that translates literally to "mountain peak", refers to the tallest tower in Northern Hindu temple architecture.

  • Sculpture in Southeast Asia

    • The Pali and Sanskrit languages, Indian script, and Hindu epic literature—such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—were transmitted to Southeast Asia during this period.
    • A number of votive tablets and Sanskrit inscriptions are also found in the region.

  • Southern Style Temples in Southeast Asia

    • Ritual within these temples tends to be orthodox and elaborate, especially in the large vedic brahminical temples, which follow the pan-Indian Sanskrit agama scriptural traditions.
    • The large vedic brahminical temples of southern India follow the pan-Indian Sanskrit agama scriptural traditions.

  • Temple Style of the South

    • Ritual within these temples tends to be orthodox and elaborate, especially in the large vedic brahminical temples, which follow the pan-Indian Sanskrit agama scriptural traditions .

  • Northern Style Temples in Southeast Asia

    • Darśana is a Sanskrit term meaning sight, vision, apparition, or glimpse, and is most commonly used for "visions of the divine" in Hindu worship.
    • Śikhara, a Sanskrit word that translates literally to "mountain peak", refers to the tallest tower in Northern Hindu temple architecture.

  • Hindu Sculpture

    • Many deities have their name based on the Sanskrit word for lotus, such as Lakshimi.

  • Painting in the Vijayanagar Empire

    • Other Sanskrit literary sources such as the Visnudharmottara Purana, Abhilasitarthacintamani, and Sivatatvaratnakara also highlight the objectives and principles of painting, methods of preparing pigments, brushes, qualifications of the chitrakar (the traditional community of painters), and the technique to be followed.

  • Hindu Rajput Kingdoms

    • The Rajputs (from Sanskrit raja-putra, "son of a king") are members of patrilineal clans in western, central, and northern India who claim to be descendants of the kshatriyas, the Hindu ruling warrior caste.

  • Geometric Symbolism

    • Derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "circle," the basic form of most mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point, exhibiting radial balance.