INDO  EUROPEAN  LINEAGE  OF  SANSKRIT

Sanskrit is the oldest documented classical Indian language which dates back to 1000 to 1500 BC. It is the mother root of most North Indian languages. It has been included within 23 Indian official languages. It will be interesting to know its evolution.

There are two ways two languages can have many common words. In the first instance both languages are derived from a common root. Many words are similar in north Indian languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali etc because all are derived from the parent root Sanskrit. The other way is interaction between two groups speaking different languages either by way of invasion, trade or emigration. English has absorbed many Indian languages and vice versa.

There could not have been frequent interaction between people around Rome and Indians during pre Christ era due lack of communication and transportation facilities in those days. Surprisingly there are lot of similar words in Sanskrit and Latin languages which were the languages spoken by Indians and Romans. The only tenable explanation can be both languages had a common root.

Some of the words having phonetic similarities between the two languages with their meaning in English are enumerated as under:

ENGLISH              LATIN                    SANSKRIT

Two                         Duo                         Dwee

Three                      Tres                        Trayas

Five                          Pente                     Pancha

Seven                       Septem                    Sapta

Eight                       Octa                       Astha

Nine                        Noven                     Nava

Ten                          Decem                      Dasha

Father                    Pater                       Pitar

Mother                   Mater                     Matar

Brother                  Frater                     Bhratar

God                         Divus                       Deva

King                        Ragem                    Raja

Month                     Mensis                    Masa

Night                       Nox                         Nishi

Nose                        Nox                         Nasika

Serpent                   Serpens                   Sarpa

Hundred                 Centum                   Shata

Tooth                      Dent                        Dantya

Foot                        Ped                          Pada

Bear                        Fer-o                       Bhara

Heart                      Cord-is                   Hridai

Water                     Aqua                       Aap

Know                      Gno                         Gnan

Middle                    Med                        Madhya

Death                      Mort                       Mrityu

First                        Prim                       Pratham

Manliness               Vir                          Vir

Bone                       Osteo                      Asthi

Birth                       Genus                     Ganma

Man                        Manus                    Manusya

Eye                          Oculus                    Akshi

You                         Tu                           Twam

Sun                          Solar                       Surya

Circle                     Circulus                 Chatra

Prime                      Primus                    Param

Day                         Dies                         Divas

Month                     Mensis                    Maas

Saturn                    Saturni                   Shani

New                         Novus                      Nava

In fact there are other evidences of commonality between Sanskrit and Latin language. The grammar of both is strikingly similar. The noun has three persons and three genders and three numbers. The case (Karak in Sanskrit) is on the same principle and almost identical. Both languages are highly inflexed. The verb changes according to the gender, person and number of the noun. The adjectives inflex as per the gender and case of the noun.

It is well established that both languages arose from Indo European language. The evolution of Sanskrit is through Indo European – Indo Iranian – Indo Aryan. The exact Proto Indo European language from which Latin and Sanskrit branched out is however still enigmatic.

The credit of tracing Sanskrit about its Indo European root goes to William Jones (1746 – 1794), who was a Judge in British India. He was a great lover of Philology. He read a paper in Asiatic Society Calcutta (now Kolkata) on 2^nd April 1786 regarding his finding of similar words in Latin and Sanskrit and possible Indo European heritage.