Today’s A Journey through Aesthetic Realms will be presented in Hindi, Sanskrit and English, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Other than the guru who can tell anything? Other than the guru who can tell anything? The strong current of illusion comes in between The strong current of illusion comes in between Namaskar (greetings), blessed viewers, and welcome to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms.

Sanskrit is the earliest attested Indo-Aryan language and the primary language of worship in Hinduism and Buddhism. Today, it is still one of the “22 scheduled languages” of India, with over 14,000 native speakers, and it is the official language of the federal state of Uttararkhand.

There are many more preserved texts in Sanskrit than those in ancient Greek and Latin combined. The important scriptures of Hinduism, such as the Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita, Mahabharata, Upanishads, Vedanta, and Ayurveda, are all written in Sanskrit. The first Sanskrit text which still exists today is the holy Rig Veda. It is believed to have been composed between 1700 and 1100 BC.

The word Sanskrit is composed of the syllables “sam” (together) and “krtam” (created) and means “completed,” “refined,” “perfected.” It is believed that Sanskrit was created and refined over a period of more than 1,000 years.

Dr. Vagish Shastri is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Sanskrit language. He has thousands of students from all around the world. Before his retirement, he was the director of the Indological Research Institute at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi, India. For 30 years, he was also the chief editor of the Sanskrit research journal, “Sarasvati Sushama,” and has written 40 books and edited more than 300 research papers. We had the honor to interview Dr. Shastri at his institute in Varanasi, India.

All sciences, Indian sciences, depend upon the Sanskrit language. In Buddhism, two branches are there: Mahayana and Hinayana. So, Mahayana depends upon Sanskrit. Without Sanskrit – no Pali. Pali came from Sanskrit. And Jainism’s language was Prakrita.

So, the Prakrit language also depends upon Sanskrit, and meditation, Ayurveda, philosophy, and different kinds of music. No Sanskrit, no music, no songs, no chantings. Sanskrit is a really musical language. Sanskrit pronunciation is the same as the rhythm of music. As we say, mahabharata, so we should sing mahabharatam – this pronunciation.

M, one beat, Ha, two beats. mahabharatam. Every word of Sanskrit is music. So, Sanskrit is the soul of India. Not of India only, also of the Indo-European languages. Because the European languages also depend upon Sanskrit.

Sanskrit is the root. In Hindi, 75 words are borrowed from Sanskrit. Without Sanskrit, Hindi is nothing. New technical terms are translated from English through Sanskrit. Without Sanskrit, no translation. All books of Ayurveda are written in Sanskrit. Without Sanskrit, no life.

And we know that Sanskrit is also a Divine language. Can you tell us more about this?

As you ask the question, when Sanskrit came into existence, same question as when the ocean came into existence, when Himalayan mountains came into existence. So Kailasa Shiva is connected to Sanskrit. And Sanskrit is Divine because it is the same rhythm of our heart. We can operate every word of Sanskrit to find the meaning, the real meaning.

I give an example: “Divine” in Sanskrit is diviam, “div” root. Div means to shine. From div came “days.” “Day” is shining, Divine, Deospiter – Jupiter. Jupiter comes from Deospiter. And deo comes from the “div”-root, div means to shine. So, Sanskrit language is the Divine language, shining, it gives rays to all, in all directions.

As you talk about the Sanskrit language, can you recite some classical verses for our audience?

As a prayer to the guru:

The Guru is the Creator (Brahma) The Guru is the Preserver (Visnu) The Guru is the Destroyer (Shiva) The Guru is directly the Supreme Spirit. I offer my salutations to this Guru. I offer my salutations to this Guru.

Salutation to the guru, this is the meaning. Tasmai śrī guravē namaḥ - salutation to that guru.

It usually requires 12 years to learn Sanskrit, and many hours of pure memorization. Dr. Shastri long wished to make it easier for students to learn the language. Then, through meditation, he found a technique with which the students are able to learn Sanskrit in a very short time.

I ran away from my marriage to search for a guru. So I went to Himalayas. That time, Ganges River was very fast, very beautiful. And there was a very nice sound of waves and the waters. I stayed on the bank, along bank, far and far in the mountain. I heard trumpet of elephants. And one day I could not find any person. I was hungry, so I was thinking where to go? Then in the evening, I saw three persons coming to me.

They were only wrapped in some cloth. So they had given me food. And they asked me, “What purpose you came?” They were living in the mountain cave. So I told, that I was finding God realization. So they had given me technique, I lived there I think one month. Every day, so they will appear, they appeared always in the evening.

So they were giving some lessons, and at the end I became senseless. I don’t remember where I was. I saw light, beautiful light, colored. And I felt heat in my body although it was cold, Himalayas. So I felt unexplainable shanti (peace), and I was receiving something, new thoughts. And I found explanation of letters of Sanskrit. The base of my Sanskrit teaching I found there, (Wow.) natural law. So my Sanskrit teaching depended upon that.

Dr. Shastri named the method he had acquired the “Vagyoga Mnemonic Method.” It is based on what he calls the natural law, the eternal principles which exist in nature itself.

Through natural law you can learn the whole Sanskrit. No need any grammar. People were not knowing before, this technique. And they told Sanskrit is very difficult. But now Sanskrit is child’s play. Therefore, many people from foreign countries come to me and they learn Sanskrit easily.

Countless students have succeeded in studying with Dr. Shastri. His children and grandchildren were taught Sanskrit from birth, so Sanskrit is their mother tongue.

One of Dr. Shastri’s more prominent students was pop singer Madonna whose album, “Ray of Light,” included lyrics in Sanskrit.

A lot of students come from all around the world to your institution to learn Sanskrit, and you provide pure vegetarian meals.

Vegetarian food is called shakahari. This vanaspati (plant kingdom) provides energy.

Plants give oxygen. Meat does not give oxygen. In ancient times, our rishis, saints, meditated and going inside, looking inside, found mantras through vegetarian food. So, vegetarian food really has energy – energetic food, fresh vegetables, leaves. And this vegetable food is really medicine. We don't take medicine, except our food. We can make our food as medicine, yes.

For example?

As there are some leaves, so we can make this food and we can use it here, so pimples disappear.

And sandalwood, we eat so we can remove cancer.

Many trees, many plants give us energy, give us medicine. So we use vegetable food as medicine. So, no need to take other medicine extra. So, it’s necessary to take vegetarian food, and if people take meat, it gives disease.

Because animals have disease, so disease comes. Urea comes through meat, many diseases come through meat. Therefore, meat is not good for health. So rishis in ancient times, they were taking vegetarian food and they were meditating and found mantras – the Sanskrit language.

As a child, Dr. Shastri remembered his previous life, and this memory helped him to play all kinds of musical instruments effortlessly, without having studied them.

When I was three years old, I remembered my previous life. When I was near about 16 years old, I remembered. One musician was there when I was living in the college. He was playing the flute. So he told me, “Please learn music while you are learning Sanskrit.” So, this challenge came to me, and my previous life, my memory came again. So, this is God’s gift to me. I play every musical instrument. (Without learning?) Without learning.

Dr. Shastri also teaches meditation on the inner sound. He shared with us how he met his guru and was instructed to keep the method secret for 25 years.

I have written one book, this is called “Vagyog Kundalini Meditation.” Many of my disciples have written their experiences about this automatic sound, Divine sound. This is my finding, 1956. I practiced my austerities, and I found my guru. So I was such in search of a good guru, and I met him. And early in the morning, he came to me, and chanted some mantra and my energy awakened.

And he told me, preserve this energy for 25 years, you will not give to others. After 25 years, you give, it will return back to you. So now I give, I can give this energy to all. I am teaching many, many students. Near about 1,000 students in kundalini yoga. And once, 340 people came to me, in one hotel. And one lady requested me, “Please teach them.” I gave energy to all of them and they heard the sound.

As Dr. Shastri explained, Sanskrit originated in the inner sounds which can be perceived in deep meditation. The syllable Om is accepted to be the root of the Sanskrit language. The Katha Upanishad states:

“The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which men desire when they lead the life of continence, is Om. This syllable Om is indeed Brahman (God). Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma.”

Can you tell us what is the meaning of Om from Sanskrit?

There are three letters in Om. A, U, M. In Sanskrit, we can say A, U, Ma. And it becomes Om. Om is the Name of God.

Dr. Shastri explained to us the “bija mantras,” which are the sounds which resonate with the different chakras.

A means Vishnu, U means Brahma, Ma means Shiva. Three Gods are inside of this Aum. This is called bija mantra, “bija” means seed. So, Om is here, at the third eye. Here is hang. Here is yang, in the heart. Here is rang, at the navel. Here is vang, below the spine, lang. These are all the bija mantras.

Sanskrit verses of praise are beautiful in both sound and meaning. The “Shiva Rudrashtakam” from the Hindu epic Ramayana was composed by the saint Tulsidas, and goes as follows:

“I salute Shiva who is the form of Nirvana He exists everywhere He is God He is the form of the Vedas”

Namami, I salute. Shami shana means Shiva. Namami Shami shana, which is a form of Nirvana. Nirvana means salvation, moksha. Nirvana, Buddha, God, Nirvana. So I salute Shiva who gives Nirvana; who is the form of Nirvana. Dhivum, He exists. He exists everywhere.

Vyapakam – spread everywhere. Brahma – He is God. Veda swarupam – He is form of Veda. Form of the Vedas. Vedic script. The Vedas were the first inscription in the whole world. So in the song, the writer says that “O Shiva, you are the form of the Vedas. And you are the form of Nirvana… No end.”

Our thankfulness Dr. Vagish Shastri, for sharing your knowledge of the Divine Sanskrit language. May your noble endeavors continue to be blessed with much success.

Thank you, gentle viewers, for joining us today on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. Now, please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Our Noble Lineage, after Noteworthy News. May peace be with you.

To learn more about Dr. Vagish Shastri, please visit