Prof. G. Hemantha Kumar, Vice Chancellor, University of Mysore, said here on Friday that it was imperative to learn Pali to comprehend the teachings of Buddha in the present times of conflicts and violence in the world.
He was delivering the presidential address of a two-day workshop on Pali being conducted by the varsity and Pali Institute, Kalaburagi.
Experts from across Karnataka are participating in the workshop to discuss various dimensions of Pali language and Prof. Hemantha Kumar said that Pali was one of the most ancient languages of India and enshrined a slice of culture and heritage of the country.
Its widespread usage in ancient India is evident in the use of Pali in Ashokan inscriptions while the Dhammapada of Buddha was also in Pali, said Prof. Hemantha Kumar. ‘’The original religious scriptures of Buddhism are in Pali language and hence, it was imperative to learn that language in order to understand Buddha and Dhamma,’’ he added.
The Vice Chancellor said Pali, Prakrit and Sanskrit were three of the most ancient languages and are essential to understand Indian culture. But unfortunately, Pali is studied only in a few centres in India. However, it was imperative to have a knowledge of all the three languages to study and understand Indian culture, said Prof. Hemantha Kumar.
He expressed hope that the discussions during the workshop would give an impetus to the study of Pali and abet its promotion. Mr. Rahul M. Kharge of Pali Institute, Prof. Vijaykumari S. Karikal of Department of Jainology and Prakrit, University of Mysore and others were present.
