Career Courses :- Pali and Buddhist Studies

 Pali and Buddhist Studies in India are among the traditional subjects of India. Pali is an ancient language which was used during Magadhan rule in India from 6th century B.C. to 2nd century A.D. Pali having its source in Sanskrit was used as script of Prakrit language. Gautam Buddha and later Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty used this language to spread the teachings of Buddhism.

Pali language is Indo-Aryan in origin which developed and spread to places where Buddhism was preached. The use of this language extended to ancient Sri Lanka, Burma, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh and India. Pali identified as the language of Magadha is closely associated with Buddhism and wherever inscriptions have been found they are all in Pali. With popularization of Buddhism, Pali also became a more widely spoken and written language.

During Maurya rule Pali underwent significant changes. The language became more similar to Sanskrit which was the most widely spoken language. Gautam Buddha after reaching enlightenment gave his first sermon in Sarnath, a village near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Sarnath Stupa stands as a testimony to this. Thereafter, wherever Lord Buddha preached a ‘stupa’ or mound was erected. These stupas are widely found in the modern states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Buddhism became popular when division created by the caste system had become pronounced. There was distinct division of the society into ‘brahmins’ or scholars, ‘kshatriyas’ or warriors, ‘vaishyas’ or traders, and ‘sudras’ or workers. The ‘sudras’ were looked down upon and ill treated by the other three castes. Gautam Buddha to remove this distinction in the society founded his Buddhism religion based on equality of all human beings.

Buddha’s teachings are aimed at relieving the human soul from the cycle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth. The soul can free itself from this cycle and merge with the supreme force by following the ‘Noble Eight Fold Path’ as preached by Lord Buddha. Gautama Buddha preaches that sufferings in life are the results of desires and cravings. Hence to remove sufferings one must give up desires which could be achieved by following the path laid by Lord Buddha.

Indian Language Colleges

The following are a selected list of universities offering Indian language courses:

University of Calcutta, Department of Languages, 87/1, College Street, Kolkata – 700073; Tel.: 033-22410071; Website: www.caluniv.ac.in/ University of Mumbai, M.G. Road, Fort, Mumbai – 400032; Tel.: 022-22652819; Website: http://www.mu.ac.in/courses/arts.html Madras University, Chepauk, Chennai – 600005; Tel.: 044-25367654; Website: www.unom.ac.in/ University of Lucknow, Lucknow – 226007, Uttar Pradesh; Website: http://www.lkouniv.ac.in/ Benaras Hindu University, Varanasi – 221005, Uttar Pradesh; Tel.: 0542-2307140; Website: http://www.bhu.ac.in

Scopes of Indian Languages in India and abroad

Indian languages jobs are primarily in the academic sector in educational institutes across the world. Scholars of Indian language studies are also appointed as linguists and research candidates.

Many scholars author books on these classical Indian languages which are taught as texts or under graduation and post graduation studies. A thorough knowledge of these traditional languages helps to understand the culture of Indian civilization since ancient times. Valuable information about science, astronomy, medicine and religion are scripted in these languages.