Origin of Hindu Religion and Sanskrit in Central Asia

Abstract

William Jones, who was the first to find a link between three ancient languages, namely: Greek, Latin and Sanskrit, has been regarded as the father of linguistics. His placing of Sanskrit at the apex of other languages, at first, received wide support from European scholars, soon after his translations of the Sanskrit texts started appearing in Europe. The term Indo-European will eventually be coined and the initial excitement among the Europeans of having come across the beauty and power of Sanskrit will fade. The sociopolitical events of late nineteenth-century Germany and Austria will result in placing of the Europeans in ascendancy, both ethnically and linguistically. As a consequence, Sanskrit will be demoted from its high position and the place of the ‘Indo’ half of the ‘Indo-European’ name marginalised. These forces have continued to gather momentum with some speed in the recent decades. The prevailing Western view, crystallised by Asko Parpola in a recent book and concerted efforts by specialists in a number of fields, including genetics, to reduce India to a peripheral and minor position form the subject for this discussion.