Ofcourse with due respect @ghorangirasa how can I question your affection & devotion for and your mastery over Sanskrit and Tamil? :-) 🙏 I never intended point fingers at you or question anything that you have said regarding either of two languages. 1/n
However despite duly acknowledging role that Tamil language has played in spread of Hindu dharma in Tamil lands, I still have hard time giving it equal stature akin to Sanskrit. For same argument can be made for all other languages, too. Let me elaborate it further. 2/n
Let me elaborate citing the experience of western India, as I have some understanding of its literary history. If I speak for Gujarati then its medieval journey begins with Narsinh & Meera whose devotional poetry sustained Bhakti among the masses in a very tumultuous period. 3/n
No wonder even today Narsinh & Meera are revered as Adikavis by Gujaratis. From that beginning till 16th - 17th century entire Gujarati literature is dripping with Bhakti to such an extant that scholars simply referred to that entire literary corpus as Bhakti yugin sahitya! 4/n
But it wasn't only Bhakti. It was Sanskriti of sanskrit that that went to the masses with Gujarati. Kavi Bhalan's 15th century Gujarati Translation of Kadmabari is as mesmerizing as original Sanskrit play. Atleast till this gen It is almost customary for gujarati women....5/n
...to read Kavi Premananda's Okhaharan (based on love story of Krishna's grandson Aniruddha and princess USha/Okha) in month of Chaitra. And how can one forget Shamal bhatt's late medieval Gujarati translations of Vetal pachhisi & simhasana battisi? 6/n
In that essence one can see that experience was hardly any different from that of Tamil. But in addition in case of Western India Desh bhasahs also played very important role in defending Dharma. 7/n
So on one hands when bhats were taking idioms of Sanskrit to masses, on the other hand bards and charans were extolling kings and masses equally to defend dharma. It wasn't a mere coincidence that both Meera & Padmavati were product of same land. 8/n
I can say with some certainty that perhaps no other Indian literature is infused with as much with Veera Rasa as that emanating from Rajasthan & Saurashtra. Here Deshbhasas not only raised Pratap & Durgadas but inspire masses to be like them in defence of land & dharma. 9/n
I recall how someone mentioned about Tamil corpus of literature used in daily worship. But then can't Hindibhashi claim the same about "Jay JAgadish hare" or "Durga Saptashati"? Isn't "Jay Adhya Shakti" and "Vishvambhari" stuti part of Navratri rituals for Gujarati? 10/n
Oh & how can one imagine Ganesh worship in Maharashtra without ever hearing "Sukhharta Dukhharta" in Marathi? :-) What I find most amusing is that even though composed in desh bhashas they have the character transcending beyond their respective boundaries of time and space! 11/n
And of course it isn't about western India. Journey of Marathi truly begins with Dnyaneshwari Gita. One can't imagine Hindi without Ramcharitmanas. Odiya rests on strong foundation of Sarala das's translation of epics. Chaitanya is inseparable from medieval bengali. 12/n
Infact I do not know about south but in north even Desh bhashas transcended their regional boundaries. Meera...was she composing in Marwari or Gujarati or Hindi? Only Ranchhodray knows! Rama charitmanas...it spread far and apart when Hindi wasn't national language! 13/n
Oh And how can one forget sweet Maithili bhasha from the beautiful land of Maithili - shining like a beacon of Dharma free from the touch of mlecchas? - its influence is still palpable over Nepali, Bengali and Odiya! 14/n
In essence they played the same role in their lands that you have duly and justifiably attributed to tamil. They all acted as bearers of Dhamra and carried forward the legacy of Sanskrit to the remotest corners of India. 15/n
But yet none of them will imagine of comparing their mother tongue as equal to Sanskrit. It will be akin to demeaning the very role played by their own mother tongue in medieval Indian world! 16/n
There is very fine line between Gaurav and Abhiman. Deshbhasha should be our "Gaurav" very foundation of our diverse identities but when it becomes Abhiman of people, then we have a Xtian converts & periyarites hijacking the very same Deshbhasha for their malicious purpose. 17/n
And it is the same Abhiman that is now converting the very same language thats whole purpose was to sustain Dharma in medieval Tamil land to the weapon to destroy the same Dharma! Reason why I had to make that argument even though I knew very well intentioned people. 18/n
