SANSKRIT

Sanskrit means 'polished' or 'refined' and is the name of the classical language of India. The sacred scriptures of Hinduism and also of Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism were composed in Sanskrit, while the Tipiṭaka of Theravāda Buddhism was composed in Pāḷi. The two languages have much in common, but Sanskrit has a more complex grammar and a larger vocabulary than Pāḷi. Further, Sanskrit evolved its own script, called Devanāgarī, while Pāḷi has no specific script. Even at the time of the Buddha, Sanskrit was spoken only in the royal court and by priests and intellectuals and for this reason the Buddha refused to have his sermons rendered into Sanskrit (Vin.II,139). He wanted his teachings to be accessible to all, not just to a small elite.