Sanskrit or Tamil? The oldest language debate!

Sanskrit vs Tamil

Preface:

        In this blog, we'll see about which language is actually oldest Tamil or Sanskrit. We'll analyse different criterias like oldest and amount of inscriptions, literature, spiritual texts, anthropology and connected civilizations without biasness and conclude with proofs and acceptablity without political interventions.

 Sanskrit:

       Sanskrit is a sacred language for Hindus, more for especially Brahmins. It's divided into two types based on its historical differences. Vedic Sanskrit and Classical Sanskrit.

 Vedic Sanskrit is the oldest form in which Vedas are orally preserved by generations by pious Brahmins. It doesn't have a letter form and just used as an oral language. According to Michael Witzel, Vedic Sanskrit was a spoken language of the semi-nomadic Aryans who temporarily settled in one place, maintained cattle herds, practiced limited agriculture, and after some time moved by wagon trains they called grama. Authors and researchers of hindu philosophy support that vedic sanskrit is older than believed and they date it to 1500-600 BCE without evidence and just assumptions.

Vedic Sanskrit's language family is Indo European>Indo Iranian>Indo Aryan>Vedic Sanscrit. This hierarchy clearly say that Vedic sanscrit doesn't have indegenous roots to india and its just developed in india and not born here. 

 

Classical Sanskrit is a evolved version of sanskrit and many major holytexts of Hinduism,Buddhism and Jainism are written in it. It has a writing format influenced from Prakrit, an another Indo Aryan language of that time.And it uses Brahmi Script. It was differentiated with Vedic sanskrit because of its written format and higher influence of other Languages in it. The old form of Classical sanskrit uses Brahmi script while next evolved and current evolving form of sanskrit uses Devanagari script.

   

(This is the oldest Brahmi-Classical Inscriptions found in Hathipada,Rajastan. It's dated to 1st Century BCE.)

(As classical sanskrit has also evolved into writting formats, Many inscriptions are made using classical sanskrit around many places of North india. Classical Sanskrit inscriptions date from 300-1350 CE.)

As Sanskrit users take base phonetics and hymns and use it in their language as written script. Because Sanskrit's Scripts change by time and regional Brahmins connected sanskrit's phonetics with their Mother tongue for easy accessablity and succession to their kids.This picture is the sanscrit sounds used in different language scripts. This made many words to add in few language scripts because the sounds in Sanskrit doesn't have equivalent phonetical words in many languages. But especially in Tamil, Few new words were created by Tamil Brahmins to tackle this phonetical issue. Those words are called "Vadamozhi ezhuthukkal" in Tamil and not usually added in total letter calculation of Tamil language.

அ	ஆ	இ	ஈ	உ	ஊ	எ	ஏ	ஐ	ஒ	ஓ	ஔ
ஶ்	ஶ	ஶா	ஶி	ஶீ	ஶு	ஶூ	ஶெ	ஶே	ஶை	ஶொ	ஶோ	ஶௌ
ஜ்	ஜ	ஜா	ஜி	ஜீ	ஜு	ஜூ	ஜெ	ஜே	ஜை	ஜொ	ஜோ	ஜௌ
ஷ்	ஷ	ஷா	ஷி	ஷீ	ஷு	ஷூ	ஷெ	ஷே	ஷை	ஷொ	ஷோ	ஷௌ
ஸ்	ஸ	ஸா	ஸி	ஸீ	ஸு	ஸூ	ஸெ	ஸே	ஸை	ஸொ	ஸோ	ஸௌ
ஹ்	ஹ	ஹா	ஹி	ஹீ	ஹு	ஹூ	ஹெ	ஹே	ஹை	ஹொ	ஹோ	ஹௌ
க்ஷ்	க்ஷ	க்ஷா	க்ஷி	க்ஷீ	க்ஷு	க்ஷூ	க்ஷெ	க்ஷே	க்ஷை	க்ஷொ	க்ஷோ	க்ஷௌ

(These were the additional letters added in Tamil to tackle Phonetic and word issues)

(5th century Sanskrit inscriptions found in Java,Indonesia.It have scripts of indigenous language of Java with sounds of Sanskrit)

(2d model of oldest Sanscrit inscriptions of Grantha script found in Mandagapattu, Tamilnadu. Grantha is early form of Tamil and Sanskrit mingling created by Jain prophets from north india who came to Tamilnadu to promote Jainism. Because of communicative differences with Jains and Pallava king they created a new script with merging pallava script with Sanskrit sounds and new script grantha is formed. Malayalam is successor of grantha script.)

Conclusion for Sanskrit's history:

        Sanskrit is a language evolved from aryans and does't have roots in India. Vedic Sanskrit is oral and doesn't have a writing format and forwarded to its successors orally. It's Believed that Vedic Sanskrit was the language in which vedas were sung. Major HolyTexts of Hinduism,Buddhism,Jainism are written in Classical Sanskrit.As to conclude Classical Sanskrit has oldest inscription of 1st century BCE at Hathipada,Rajasthan. Till now this is the oldest inscription of Sanskrit found.

( Some Hindu Philosophers created conspiracies that letter formats in Indus is Oldest form of Sanskrit. But the truth is, the script in Indus are Proto-Dravidian scripts and doesn't have anything to do with Sanskrit. It's proved by Iravatham Mahadeven, an epigraphist from TamilNadu for his research to prove that Indus scripts are connected to Dravidian Languages in South India, For this research,He was awarded PadmaShri Award in 2009 for arts and Tholkappiyar award for lifetime achievement by Govt of Tamilnadu in 2009.)

So, As to conclude, classical Sanskrit can be dated to 1st Century BCE and it can't race with oldest languages. But there's nothing like literature or Inscriptions to date Vedic Sanskrit. But as for belief and confirmation bias in huge junk of Indians, It's successor classical Sanskrit's age made a approximate age for Vedic Sanskrit which is 1500-600 BCE and it can be true. But Many Hindu scholar's claim that Sanskrit can be dated to 10,000 BCE with vedas. With proof and legitimacy Tamil is oldest language alive, but sanskrit is believed that it'll be older, but no proof to confirm that.