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Swami Omkarananda
Shri Prabhuji
Siddhartha Krishna

The Divine Language Sanskrit and How to Benefit From It's Use

Speech by Gurudeva Paramahamsa Swami Omkarananda Saraswati

Every language has its own spirit, its mentality, its contexts. Of all languages, Sanskrit is the mother. As the greatest scholars have traced, the most fundamental words in all languages have derived from the Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the most ancient language, and at the same time it is a living language, an eternal language. And those who have experienced the world of the Divine, and those who have contacted the higher entities and personalities of the divine worlds, know that the world – the Gods speak the Sanskrit language. When one Divinity encounters another, they speak in the Sanskrit language, as experience shows, as the great sages hear the Divine’s speaking, the divine Personalities speaking. They know that it is the language of Gods, an eternal language, an extremely scientific and algebraic (mathematical) language, and a language full of meanings. It is a language that is formed by experience of the Divine. It is the language also of those human beings who have uncompromisingly dedicated every capacity of their life, and their entire life, for the pursuit of Truth. Therefore it is full of associations with the experience of the Divine. It is richest in spiritual significance and value.

Take contemporary psychology, and take a dictionary of psychology, and you will find it is exceedingly materialistic and mechanistic. Mechanical, materialistic terms, words, phrases dominate. So it is the language of materialism and mechanism, contemporary psychology. Many languages are so, and the German has not even a name for mind. The communists have no knowledge of the soul and have no name for the soul. Their language is characterised by absolute or complete spiritual poverty. The Sanskrit is full of spiritual associations. Even the worldly speech in Sanskrit is compelled to employ words which are full of divine connotation[s]. Therefore there is the value of this language of Gods for spiritual evolution.

However, even this language does not help and is useless if there is no devotion, if there is no faith, if there is no goodness, if there is no purity. And if these things are there, somehow even without the help of this language one can attain the Divine. The primary thing is the good heart, the pure heart, the simple heart, the innocent heart, the heart which is uncompromisingly striving after higher and spiritual values.

Goodness cannot be sustained, unless by a disciplined life. The good is the difficult, the pleasant is the easy thing. To get up at 4 o’clock and sit in the meditation, or to work hard in order that all others may progress, is difficult. To sleep til 7 o’clock or 8 o’clock is very easy and extremely comfortable. The pleasant (the pleasurable) is always comfortable, it is easy. All good things are difficult. All divine things are more difficult. But when there is goodness and purity in the heart these things become easy; the mentality becomes elevated, it is at a higher level.

So, Sanskrit is not only the language of Gods, but it is the language of those who have experienced God, the Sages. It is the language of those who are experiencing God. It is the language of those who are 99% spiritual. From this standpoint, the Sanskrit acquires great value and importance – but this becomes meaningless if the heart is not good and pure and devoted and has faith in it. Faith is the most important thing.

Faith, goodness, these things cannot be sustained without discipline. The Brahmin, – that is a person belonging to the highest class of human society, a man full of intelligence, full of goodness, purity, faith, – such a man takes any number of baths joyously; [the] ordinary person finds it a nuisance. The life of the Brahmin is disciplined. The immediate fruits of discipline are great inner peace, great inner luminosity, great inner cheerfulness, great strength of the soul.

So, discipline is indispensable, purity of every kind is necessary. The rewards of such purity are great, and later on they lead automatically to illumination, to deeper and deeper spirituality.

There is no alternative to a hard life of discipline. The discipline can be useful. People who are dedicated to the service of others for the sake of the Divine and who are working hard in their respective fields can be also called disciplined persons. Their hard work is their asceticism, their hard work is their sacrifice. It is valuable – to themselves, to the society. And it is through such sacrifice that the Divine expresses Himself.

Therefore life has to be characterised by great aspiration, great sacrifice, great discipline, great self-control.

 Nobody can hide his meanness nor can anyone hide his greatness, everything shows itself in the face or in the action or in the pattern of life. So, greatness of the heart is to be cultivated. It is by nature that people are mean, full of jealousies, hate, suspicion, and do not like that others prosper; they fight for small things, they quickly misunderstand; they are easily influenced, and easily influence others, more in the negative way. Two women talk together, and create [a] most destructive fire in their own hearts, and also disturb the society. Their very presence emanates poisonous fumes. This is the tragedy, therefore everyone must strive hard gathering in his own heart the fragrance of divine virtues. Suspicion has to be removed from the heart. Most of the people misjudge others. Sometimes they misjudge others on the basis of their own wrong experiences, all this has to be removed from one’s nature, for peace, for joy, for strength, for inner integration. There would be no need for psychiatrists and doctors if there were much goodness in the human heart. People are torn by negative emotions, many diseases are caused by the negative emotions. People become quickly old through negative emotions and bad feelings and thoughts, all charm is lost. People become charming and young by positive thoughts, noble thoughts, noble feelings, by service, selfless service; by sacrifice, by wisdom, by devotion, by faith, by purity.

The End