Love for Sanskrit (a little known story)
Sanskrit College was founded on 1 January 1824, during the Governor-Generalship of Lord Amherst, based on a recommendation by HT James Prinsep and Thomas Babington Macaulay among others.
Mr. Horace Hayman Wilson (26 September 1786–8 May 1860) an English orientalist, was regarded as one of the chief motivators behind the establishment of Calcutta Sanskrit College by the British Govt. He also served the college as its officiating Secretary in 1832 and 1833.
Mr. H. H. Wilson studied Sanskrit from Pandit Jayagopal Tarkalankar and Pandit Prem Chandra Tarkavageesha whom he had given appointment in the Sanskrit College.
As a part of his agenda of destroying the Indian culture and its education system, Lord Macaulay (25 October 1800–28 December 1859) had a mind to close down the Sanskrit College.
Knowing Macaulay’s intention, the two Pandits wrote two letters in Sanskrit to Mr. HH Wilson who too replied them in Sanskrit.
Here I reproduce the letters of the two Pandits and Mr. HH Wilson’s reply to them.
Pandit Jayagopal Tarkalankara’s letter in śārdūlavikrīḍitam — a ninteen syllable metre:
अस्मिन् संस्कृतपाठसद्मसरसि त्वत्स्थापिता ये सुधी-
हंसाः कालवशेन पक्षरहिता दूरंगते ते त्वयि।
तत्तीरे निवसन्ति संहितशरा व्याधास्तदुच्छित्तये
तेभ्यस्त्वं यदि पासि पालक तदा कीर्तिश्चिरं स्थास्यति॥
asmin saṁskṛtapāṭhasadmasarasi tvatsthāpitā ye sudhī-
haṁsāḥ kālavaśena pakṣarahitā dūraṁgate te tvayi|
tattīre nivasanti saṁhitaśarā vyādhāstaducchittaye
tebhyastvaṁ yadi pāsi pālaka tadā kīrtiściraṁ sthāsyati||
Sir, after you left, on this lake of Sanskrit learning, the tutor-swans, appointed by you, are losing their wings one by one; On the shore now stand the hostile hunters determined with their weapons. Do protect us from them, and this will make you live long with all glories.
Mr. HH Wilson’s reply to Pandit Jaygopal, in the same meter:
निष्पिष्टापि परं पदाहतिशतैः शश्वद् बहुप्राणिनां
सन्तप्तापि करैः सहस्रकिरणेनाग्निस्फुलिङ्गोपमैः।
छागाद्यैश्च विचर्वितापि सततं मृष्टापि कुद्दालकैः
दूर्वा न म्रियते कृशापि नितरां धातुर्दया दुर्बले॥
niṣpiṣṭāpi paraṁ padāhatiśataiḥ śaśvad bahuprāṇināṁ
santaptāpi karaiḥ sahasrakiraṇenāgnisphuliṅgopamaiḥ|
chāgādyaiaśca vicarvitāpi satataṁ mṛṣṭāpi kuddālakaiḥ
dūrvā na mriyate kṛśāpi nitarāṁ dhāturdayā durbale||
Thrashed by the footfalls of many animals, tortured by the heat of sun rays as hot as flecks of fire, chewed by goats and others, crushed by working men, this holy grass — Sanskrit, though pruned and thinned, can never die. Providence always protects the weak.
Pandit Prem Chandra’s letter in sragdharā — a twenty-one syllable meter:
गोलश्रीदीर्घिकाया बहुविटपितटे कोलिकातानगर्यां
निःसङ्गो वर्तते संस्कृतपठनगृहाख्यः कुरङ्गः कृशाङ्गः।
हन्तुं तं भीतचित्तं विधृतखरशरो मेकले-व्याधराजः
साश्रु ब्रूते स भो भो उइलसन महाभाग मां रक्ष रक्ष॥
golaśrīdīrghikāyā bahuviṭapitaṭe kolikātānagaryāṁ
niḥsaṅgo vartate saṁskṛtapaṭhanagṛhākhyaḥ kuraṅgaḥ kṛśāṅgaḥ|
hantuṁ taṁ bhītacittaṁ vidhṛtakharaśaro mekale-vyādharājaḥ
sāśru brūte sa bho bho uilasana mahābhāga māṁ rakṣa rakṣa||
The city of Kolakata is like a round lake. On the shore of that, under a tree, there stands a deer — forlorn and emaciated; seeing Lord Macaulay, King of hunters, ready with his weapon, the timid creature, cries out with tears — Oh Noble Wilson, save me — do save me indeed!
Mr. HH Wilson’s reply to Pandit Prem Chandra in 4 shlokas in anuṣṭup — an eight syllable meter:
विधाता विश्वनिर्माता हंसस्तत् प्रियवाहनम्।
अतः प्रियतरत्वेन रक्षिष्यति स एव तान्॥१॥
vidhātā viśvanirmātā haṁsastat priyavāhanam |
ataḥ priyataratvena rakṣiṣyati sa eva tān||1||
Swan is the vehicle of Brahma, the Creator; and Swan’s favoured language being Sanskrit, Brahma will naturally protect it.
अमृतं मधुरं सम्यक् संस्कृतं हि ततोऽधिकम्।
देवभोग्यमिदं यस्माद् देवभाषेति कथ्यते॥२॥
amṛtaṁ madhuraṁ samyak saṁskṛtaṁ hi tato’dhikam|
devabhogyamidaṁ yasmād devabhāṣeti kathyate||2||
Nectar is sweet, sweeter than that is Sanskrit; as Sanskrit suits most gods’ palates, it is called the ‘the language of the gods or the Divine Language’.
न जाने विद्यते किं तन्माधुर्यमत्र संस्कृते।
सर्वदैव समुन्मत्ता येन वैदेशिका वयम्॥३॥
na jāne vidyate kiṁ tanmādhuryamatra saṁskṛte|
sarvadaiva samunmattā yena vaideśikā vayam||3||
I really do not know how and why Sanskrit is so sweet! We , outsiders, are more crazy about learning and knowing this language.
यावद् भारतवर्षं स्याद् यावद् विन्ध्यहिमाचलौ।
यावद् गङ्गा च गोदा च तावदेव हि संस्कृतम्॥४॥
yāvad bhāratavarṣaṁ syād yāvad vindhyahimācalau|
yāvad gaṅgā ca godā ca tāvadeva hi saṁskṛtam||4||
As long as Bharatavarsha lives and the Vindhyas and Himalayas stand with their peaks raised; as long as Ganga and Godavari keep flowing in this land, Sanskrit will continue to live!
-Translations of the original Sanskrit verses are by Sampadananda Mishra
