I was recently on a long-haul flight from Sydney, Australia to Vancouver, Canada. A young mother with two little boys sat in the row in front of me. The flight attendant announced that no one was to use peanuts, as these boys had severe peanut allergies. All through the flight, this mother provided her children with pre-prepared food. She made sure the boys were occupied, answered their questions, and rested when she could. Her care was very impressive.

What has this got to do with Sanskrit? I’ll get to that.

First, what is Sanskrit? It is an ancient language that some say is timeless. It has been described as the language of the universe and as a mother of languages. These are grand claims, so let’s look at Sanskrit on two levels.