Speaking in Sanskrit can cure diabetes: BJP MP
As the Bharatiya Janata Party government pushes for a Bill to convert three Sanskrit deemed universities into Central Sanskrit Universities, a legislator of the ruling party has made absurd claims about the "Language of the Gods." BJP MP Ganesh Singh on Thursday said that speaking in Sanskrit can help alleviate problems such as diabetes, cholesterol and boost the nervous system. Here's what he said.
What Singh said on Sanskrit's 'health benefits'
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during a debate on Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019, Singh said that speaking in Sanskrit can help boost one's nervous system, keep diabetes at bay, and maintain cholesterol levels. He made these claims citing a certain United States-based academic institute, which he did not name. Unfortunately, the claims are as untrue as they are unsourced.
'Computer programming can be flawlessly done in Sanskrit'
Singh also said that Sanskrit is suitable for computer programming. "If computer programming is done in Sanskrit, it'll be flawless," he said, citing research by the US space agency NASA. What Singh is referring to is perhaps a 1985 paper authored by NASA researcher Rick Briggs. The paper simply uses Sanskrit to establish that a natural language can serve as an artificial language.
What about the 1987 Forbes article though?
After Briggs paper was published in AI Magazine in 1985, it sparked rumors about Sanskrit and its applications in software. An article titled 'Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software programming' was then rumored to be published in Forbes in 1987. The claim obviously had no foundation. Briggs' own paper makes no claim regarding Sanskrit being "most suitable" for programming.
Sanskrit influenced 97% of all languages, Singh claimed
On Thursday, Singh also claimed that Sanskrit has influenced 97% of the languages in the world, an estimate he later raised to 98% when repeating himself. These languages include English, German, Spanish, he claimed. Linguists have long said that Sanskrit and Latin may find a common ancestor in an ancient language: Proto-Indo-European. However, it hasn't been established if Sanskrit itself influenced European languages.
Union Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi supported Singh's claims
Singh's claim in the Parliament was supported by Union Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi. Speaking in Sanskrit on the Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, Sarangi said the language is flexible and a single sentence can be spoken in many ways.
What is the Central Sanskrit Universities Bill?
The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill seeks to convert three Sanskrit deemed universities into Central Sanskrit Universities. These universities include the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and the Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in New Delhi, and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in Tirupati. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday by a voice vote.
