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'''Sanskrit''' is an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language that dates to about the 5th century B.C. It is also the language in which the [[Hindu]] and [[Buddhist]] [[Sutra]] and [[Shastra]] [[scripture]]s and all of the major classical texts of [[Ayurvedic medicine]] were written.   

'''Sanskrit''' is an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language that dates to about the 5th century B.C. It is also the language in which the [[Hindu]] and [[Buddhist]] [[Sutra]] and [[Shastra]] [[scripture]]s and all of the major classical texts of [[Ayurvedic medicine]] were written.   

==Buddhism and Sanskrit==

==Buddhism and Sanskrit==

Despite many people thinking that Sanskrit is only associated with [[Hinduism]], all of the [[Dharma|Dharmic]] [[religion]]s use Sanskrit. To this day, there are many Buddhist scholars, professors and linguists who have formally learned Sanskrit at places such as [[University of California, Berkeley]], [[Stanford University]] and [[Harvard]] and have translated into [[English]] several hundred Buddhist Sutras and Shastras from the classic Buddhist masters such as [[Nagarjuna]], [[Shantideva]], [[Atisha]] and [[Vasubandhu]]. These Sutras and Shastras use a special form of Sanskrit referred to by Sanskritists as "BHS" or Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit. During the [[Tang dynasty]] in [[China]] there were vast facilities dedicated to the translation from Devanagari and Siddham-based Sanskrit to [[Hanzi]] traditional characters, the [[Chinese]] script used continuously since the [[Han dynasty]] until [[Chairman Mao]] forced China to switch to simplified characters so they could only read [[Communist]] works.

Despite many people thinking that Sanskrit is only associated with [[Hinduism]], all of the [[Dharma|Dharmic]] [[religion]]s use Sanskrit. To this day, there are many Buddhist scholars and professors who have learned Sanskrit and translated into [[English]] several hundred Buddhist Sutras and Shastras from the classic Buddhist masters such as [Nagarjuna]], [[Shantideva]], [[Atisha]] and [[Vasubandhu]].  

==Ayurvedic Medicine and Sanskrit==

==Ayurvedic Medicine and Sanskrit==

Although many people wrongly think that Sanskrit is only connected with Hinduism, it is to this day a required subject at the formal Ayurvedic [[medical]] [[university]] setting in India.  

Although many people wrongly think that Sanskrit is only connected with Hinduism, it is to this day a required subject at the formal Ayurvedic medicial [[university]] setting in India.  

According to renowned Ayurvedic [[physician]] and [[author]], Dr. [[Vasant Lad]], since the 8th century [[A.D.]] until the present day in [[India]], Ayurvedic medicine [[doctor]]s have to memorize via [[Devanagari]] script thousands of [[verse]]s of the ''[[Charaka Samhita]]'', the ''[[Sushruta Samhita]]'' and the ''[[Astanga Hridayam]]'' and be able to recite them out loud in order to pass their  Ayurvedic medical degree oral examinations.

According to renowned Ayurvedic [[physician]] and [[author]], Dr. [[Vasant Lad]], since the 8th century [[A.D.]] until the present day in [[India]], Ayurvedic medicine [[doctor]]s have to memorize via [[Devanagari]] script thousands of [[verse]]s of the ''[[Charaka Samhita]]'', the ''[[Sushruta Samhita]]'' and the ''[[Astanga Hridayam]]'' and be able to recite them out loud in order to pass their  Ayurvedic medical degree oral examinations.  The Indic languages, [[Hindi]], Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, and Gujurati are modern day descendants of Sanskrit.

Even in [[America]], where Ayurveda has only been popularized since 1978 when Dr. Lad helped introduce it to American medical practitioners who formally studied with him at the [[Ayurvedic Institute]] in [[New Mexico]], most beginning Ayurvedic practitioners learned at least 150 to 200 words of Ayurvedic Sanskrit. More experienced Ayurvedic practitioners in the USA know up to 300 words of medical Sanskrit.

Although it is no longer spoken in daily life, it is still used for religious purposes by Hindus, and it is one of the fifteen official languages of the [[India]]n constitution.

==See Also==

==See Also==