The Relationship Between Bengali and Sanskrit Alphabet

Recently, there has been an increasing awareness about the historical connection between Bengali and Sanskrit literature. For centuries, Sanskrit has played a significant role in shaping Bengali literature, and this relationship has not only influenced the language but also the literary works of Bengal.

In the past, many Sanskrit works enjoyed an undeserved reputation in Bengal, which led to Bengali literature adopting false standards and values from Sanskrit. The influence of Kalidasa on Rabindranath Tagore's lyric poetry is a notable example of this phenomenon. Similarly, Ramprasad Sen and Rabindranath Tagore illustrate the eclipse and re-emergence of Sanskrit classics in Bengal.

However, with the impact of Western rule in the nineteenth century, Bengali literature began to break free from its submissive role to Sanskrit. This marked a significant shift towards modernity and vitality in Bengali literature. As a result, many pure Sanskrit words entered Bangla from an early stage, and even after the evolution of Bangla, well-known Bengali poets continued to compose their literary works in Sanskrit.

In old Bangla, poetic works in Sanskrit were often taken into consideration while composing literary pieces. The Bhagavata Purana received attention from imitators and translators, whereas Kalidasa's works had little influence on the literary scene. The resources of Sanskrit literature were explored for authoritative religious works required for Hinduism to resurge.

The classical revival that nourished Bengali in its youth was a religious movement concerned with deities, saints, creeds, and doctrines. Its main concern was religious, as laukik cults had their own separate sects of followers. The religious character of Bengali literature was created by laukik cults that remained influential till the nineteenth century.

However, Bengali could not meet Sanskrit on its own terms, as it was more religious in character. Therefore, jaded imageries from Sanskrit were often used in Bengali literature. The inferior aspects of Sanskrit poetry, such as exaggerated tenderness and sentimentality, ideology, and trickeries of clichés and conceits, appealed to Bengali poets.

Adaptation into Bengali meant the vulgarization and emasculation of Sanskrit originals. Sanskrit models were taken by Bengali for its Mangal poems, which further solidified the connection between the two languages.

Sanskrit was the vehicle of literature and culture for almost the whole of the subcontinent since the beginning of the Christian era. Hindu mythology states that Lord Brahma introduced this holy language to sages and therefore, it was also referred to as 'Dev Vani' or 'Language of Gods' in ancient times. Religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism have abundant use of Sanskrit.

Sanskrit, one of the primitive languages of the world, is of Indo-European origin and is diagnosed to be the mother of many other languages. The influence of Sanskrit on Bengali literature is a well-accepted fact that has shaped the language and literary works of Bengal for centuries.

Bengali to sanskrit alphabet