The Growing World of Sanskrit

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The Growing World of Sanskrit

• 100-1000 CE

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• I. From Vedic Sanskrit to Classical Sanskrit
• II. Why Sanskrit at the Millennium?
• III. Where Were Kavya Sastra?
• IV. Sanskrit Beyond the Mainland

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I. From Vedic Sanskrit to Classical Sanskrit

• Paninis Grammar 4th c. BCE
• Written language 3rd c. BCE
• Royal written Sanskrit Buddhist Sanskrit 2nd c.
  CE
• Ramayana 4th c. CE
• Kavya
• Sastra

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II. Why Sanskrit at the Millennium?

• Rulers from Iran Central Asia
• Prestige language
• Vedic-brahmanic elite tradition
• Cosmopolitan/trans-regional language

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III. Where Were Kavya Sastra?

• Royal court
• Monasteries hermitages
• Local schools
• Religious schools
• Temples
• Urban homes

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IV. Sanskrit Beyond the Mainland

• South Asian cultural package
• Technical knowledge
• Models of kingship
• Sri Lanka, Nepal Tibet, Southeast Asia
• Monastic and brahman/brahmin advisors