New Delhi: Sanskrit has not only some of the greatest classics of world literature, but also a treasure of knowledge in Mathematics, Medicine, Botany, Chemistry, Arts and Humanities. If we provide the missing links and establish the required inter-disciplinary approaches, the wisdom of Sanskrit has the potential of enriching the present day knowledge systems and Indian languages immensely.

This was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's address to the World Sanskrit Conference in New Delhi today, adding that, "Sanskrit Bharat ki aatma hai. Iss liye mujhe aaj iss sammelan mein shaamil hote huey bahut khushi praapt ho rahi hai".

He expressed that Sanskrit, which is recognized as one of the oldest living languages of the world, is often misunderstood as only a language of religious hymns and rituals. Such an understanding does injustice to the great genius of this language and betrays ignorance of the work of great writers, thinkers, sages and scientists like Kautilya, Charaka, Sushruta, Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Brahmagupta, Bhaskaracharya and many others.

Indeed, Sanskrit, is much more than a language. It is a complete knowledge system that embodies the great learning traditions of ancient India. Jawaharlal Nehru, once described Sanskrit language and literature as the "the greatest treasure that India possesses. He went on to say "this is a magnificent inheritance; so long as this endures and influences the life of our people, so long will the basic genius of India continue to flourish."

Singh said that the Government of India is committed to the promotion and development of Sanskrit. Three institutions established by the government - Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth - are actively engaged in this task. These institutions offer flexible and non-formal Sanskrit courses in order to popularize the language.

They also facilitate the conduct of vocational courses for the students of traditional Sanskrit pathshalas, so that their employability is increased. The Maharishi Sandipani Rashtriya Ved Vidya Pratishthan is engaged in the task of preserving, developing and propagating the oral tradition of Vedic studies.

The International Association of Sanskrit Studies (IASS) owes its origin to an International Sanskrit Conference that was held in Delhi way back in 1972 and was sponsored by the Government of India in collaboration with UNESCO. Since its inception, the IASS has been organizing the World Sanskrit Conference every three years, with three previous Conferences having been held in India.

In the course of time, we will further strengthen our efforts for the promotion, development and enrichment of Sanskrit, added the Prime Minister.