Sanskrit, India's Ancient Language And Its related Words in European Languages

Navrang India November 16, 2024

Judge and scholar William Jones slideserve.com 

Sir William Jones  1746 –1794), Colonial Judge  and language expert took keen and interest in Sanskrit. India's ancient Language and after his extensive research made his observation in The Asiatic Society in Calcutta on 2 February, 1786.  Sir William Jones He,  for the first time in 1786 suggested in his book '' The Sanskrit Language" that Greek and Latin were related to Sanskrit and perhaps even Gothic, Celtic and Persian languages were related to Sanskrit. His  detailed studies ultimately led to the theory called PIE - Proto-Indo-European  language, meaning  all Indo-European  languages including Sanskrit had their origin in an  unheard of language. 

Sir William Jones, Colonial Indiaslideserve.com
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''The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could have been produced by accident; so strong, indeed, that no philologist could examine them all three, without believing them to have sprung from some common source, which, perhaps, no longer exists''.

 Max Muller, scholars like Voltaire, Immanuel Kant etc after their studies corroborated Stone's theory, concluding that Sanskrit was the root of all Indo-European languages. Voltaire said ,''I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of  the Ganges''

 Max Muller aged 30. en.wikipedia.org

The word `Sanskrit' (meaning “prepared, pure, refined or prefect”    ) has god literature and other works that include  almost every field - Astronomy, Maths, science, Philosophy, Law, etc. Sanskrit , language for humanity and once used for communication within a society its  surviving literature of the world, the Vedas,, etc. encompass knowledge in every sphere of human activity.  As old as as Latin or Greek,  Sanskrit still today has retained its  purity structured grammar,verb patterns and vocabulary as in the past. Except Tamil Nadu, almost in all Indian states, the colleges and universities teach Sanskrit courses to retain India's old culture. Many rituals and worships in temples are conducted in Sanskrit, so in Jainism.  In Buddhism Sanskrit is used to chant mantras, etc  and its philosophy  and spiritual knowledge is rooted in that language.  

Below iven is a list of English words, most probably derived from Sanskrit or PIE (Proto Indo- European). Though the origins of certain English words is still a subject of debate, general consensus among Scholars is that Sanskrit has much closer link with European languages with common origin.


 Sanskrit           Median word               Derived
 root                   Greek(G),Arabic(A)    English
                            Latin(L)                        word
-------------                 -------------------------         ---------------
 
Agni-fire                                                    Fire  igneous                                                                   

Gau                              Bous                     cow
(Cow)

Matr                            Mater (L)              Mother

Jan (Generation)         Genea                   Gene

Navagatha
(Navigation)               Navigationeum      Navigation                                       (L)                                       

Sarpa (Snake)            Serpentem(L)        Serpent

Naama- Name             Nomen                  Name

Ashta (Eight)              Octo (L)                 Eight

Danta (Teeth)              Dentis (L)              Dental

 Devas                         divus (divine)         god


Dwar ( Door)               Doru                      Door

Kri - do                       Creatus (L)            Create
                                                          
Madhyam                   Medium (L)            Medium    Medium                  
            
Pithr                            Pater (L)               Father
(Father)

Loka                            Locus (L)               Locale
(Place)

Mala (Dirt/Bad)           Malus (L)              Malicious,       
Matra(Dead)                Mortis (L              Murder

Na (No)                       Nocturnalis (L)     Nocturnal   

Nava"                          Novem                 Nine                                        
Paad (Foot)                  Pedis (L                Pedestrian (Pada)   ,                                                            Peda   

Pancha                        Pente (G)              Penta 
(Five)
 
Patha (Path)                Pathes (G             Path

Raja                            Regem                   King

Sama - Similar            Similis (L)            Similar

Sharkara -                   Succarum            Sucrose      Sugar                                                                                                                                                                                    

Vachas (Speech)         Vocem (L)             Voice

Vahaami-Carry           Vehere (L)           Vehicle

Vastr (cloth)                Vestire (L)           Vest

Narangi (orange)        Naranj                Orange               
Pippali-Pepper             Piperi (G)            Pepper

Nava (New)                 Novus (L)             Nova

Kafa (Mucus)              Coughen             Cough

Thrayas -Three (G)     Tres(L)                Three               
Samiti-Committee      committere          Committee
                                      L
 Sama -Same              Samaz
                               (Proto Germanic)      Same

(Word tabulation based on  an article By Gurudev
Dec 29, 2009)

Additional words:

Aniline - German: Anilin, French: Aniline and Portuguese: Anil from Arabic al-nili and Persian  nila, ultimately from Sanskrit नीली nili.

Aryan - Latin Ariana, from Greek  Areia, ultimately from Sanskrit आर्य Arya-s "noble, honorable"

Asana - Maldivean probably ultimately from Sanskrit अन्तला antala.

Avatar - from Sanskrit avatāra, meaning "descent", an avatar refers to the human incarnation of God during times of distress on earth. Ex: Krishna and Rāma  avatars of Vishnu,
 
Beryl - Old French beryl, via Latin beryllus, Greek  and Prakrit  (veluriya) ultimately from Sanskrit वैडूर्य vaidūrya, of Dravidian origin, maybe from the name of Belur.

Brinjal - Persian badingān, probably from Sanskrit  bhaṇṭākī.
Buddha

Cheetah  - Sanskrit chitra-s "uniquely marked".

Cot  from Hindi  khaat "a couch", which is from Sanskrit khatva.

Crimson - Old Spanish cremesin, via Medieval Latin cremesinus, from Arabic qirmiz "a kermes", which is ultimately from Sanskrit  krmi-ja literally: "red dye produced by a worm."

Interim - Latin interim, ultimately from Sanskrit  antarim, which means "intermediate".

Juggernaut from Odia  Jagannatha ultimately from Sanskrit जगन्नाथ jagat-nathas , which means "lord of the world

Jungle - Hindi  jangal "a desert, forest" ultimately from Sanskrit  jangala-, which means "arid".

Jute - Bengali jhuto ultimately from Sanskrit  juta-s, which means "twisted hair".

Loot - from Sanskrit  lota-m or luṇṭhati meaning "he steals" through Hindi लूट  which means "a booty, stolen thin

Saccharo- Latin Saccharon and Greek from Pali  sakkharā, ultimately from Sanskrit  sarkarā.