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{{ | {{Short description|Language of Sikh scripture}} | ||
'''Sant Bhasha''' (Sant Bhāṣā) is a language composed of vocabulary common to | {{Infobox language | ||
| name = Sant Bhasha | |||
| familycolor = Indo-European | |||
| script = [[Gurmukhi]] (including [[Anandpur Lipi]]) | |||
| nativename = ਸੰਤ-ਭਾਸ਼ਾ | |||
| ethnicity = | |||
| fam1 = [[Indo-European]] | |||
| fam2 = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]] | |||
| fam3 = [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] | |||
| image = | |||
| imagecaption = | |||
| altname = | |||
| speakers = no native-speakers (liturgical language) | |||
| region = Northern [[Indian subcontinent]] | |||
| era = [[Medieval India|Medieval-period]] to present-day | |||
| posteriori = *[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] ([[Punjabi dialects and languages|various dialects]]) | |||
*regional [[Prakrit]]s | |||
*[[Apabhraṃśa|Apabhramsa]] | |||
*[[Sanskrit]] | |||
*[[Central Indo-Aryan languages|Hindi languages]] ([[Braj Bhasha|Braj]], [[Kauravi dialect|Kauravi]], [[Haryanvi language|Bangru]], [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]], [[Old Hindi]], [[Deccani language|Deccani]]) | |||
*[[Persian language|Persian]] | |||
*[[Arabic]] | |||
*[[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]] | |||
*[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] | |||
*[[Marathi language|Marathi]] | |||
*[[Marwari language|Marwari]] | |||
*[[Bengali language|Bengali]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mansukhani |first1=Gobind Singh |title=Introduction to Sikhism : 125 basic questions and answers on Sikh religion and history |date=1998 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788170101819 |page=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Dalbir Singh |title=Sikhism, Origin and Development |date=1988 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distri |pages=307–308}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kohli |first1=Surindar Singh |title=History of Punjabi literature |date=1993 |publisher=National Book Shop |location=Delhi |isbn=9788171161416 |pages=24, 48}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Johar |first1=Surinder Singh |title=Guru Gobind Singh : a multi-faceted personality |date=1999 |publisher=M.D. Publications |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788175330931 |page=56}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Sukhbir Singh Kapoor |author2=Mohinder Kaur Kapoor |title=Dasam Granth: An Introductory Study |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=9788170103257 |page=39}}</ref> | |||
| ancestor = [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] | |||
| ancestor2 = [[Proto-Indo-Iranian language|Proto-Indo-Iranian]] | |||
| ancestor3 = [[Proto-Indo-Aryan language|Proto-Indo-Aryan]] | |||
| ancestor4 = [[Vedic Sanskrit]] | |||
| ancestor5 = [[Sanskrit#Classical Sanskrit|Classical Sanskrit]] | |||
| ancestor6 = ''debated'' [[Prakrit]]{{efn|[[Paishachi]], [[Shauraseni Prakrit|Saurasheni]], or [[Gandhari language|Gandhari]] Prakrits have been proposed as the ancestor [[Middle Indo-Aryan languages|Middle Indo-Aryan language]] to Punjabi.}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Sikander |title=The Origin Theories of Punjabi Language: A Context of Historiography of Punjabi Language |journal=International Journal of Sikh Studies |date=April 2019 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353680383}}</ref> | |||
| ancestor7 = ''debated'' [[Apabhraṃśa]] | |||
| ancestor8 = [[wikt:Old Punjabi|Old Punjabi]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Haldar |first1=Gopal |title=Languages of India |date=2000 |publisher=National Book Trust, India |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788123729367 |page=149 |quote=The age of Old Punjabi: up to 1600 A.D. […] It is said that evidence of Old Punjabi can be found in the Granth Sahib.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bhatia |first1=Tej K. |title=Punjabi: A Cognitive-Descriptive Grammar |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=9781136894602 |page=XXV |edition=Reprint |quote=As an independent language Punjabi has gone through the following three stages of development: Old Punjabi (10th to 16th century). Medieval Punjabi (16th to 19th century), and Modern Punjabi (19th century to Present).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Christopher Shackle |author2=Arvind Mandair |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus : selections from the Scriptures |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon, Oxon |isbn=9781136451089 |edition=First |chapter=0.2.1 – Form |quote=Surpassing them all in the frequent subtlety of his linguistic choices, including the use of dialect forms as well as of frequent loanwords from Sanskrit and Persian, Guru Nanak combined this poetic language of the Sants with his native Old Punjabi. It is this mixture of Old Punjabi and old Hindi which constitutes the core idiom of all the earlier Gurus.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Frawley |first1=William |title=International encyclopedia of linguistics |date=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780195139778 |page=423 |edition=2nd}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Austin |first1=Peter |title=One thousand languages : living, endangered, and lost |date=2008 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=9780520255609 |page=115}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Braj B. Kachru |author2=Yamuna Kachru |author3=S. N. Sridhar |title=Language in South Asia |date=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781139465502 |page=411}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
{{Sikhism sidebar}} | |||
'''Sant Bhasha''' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਸੰਤ-ਭਾਸ਼ਾ; {{small|[[Romanisation|romanized]]:}} ''Sant Bhāṣā''; {{lit|language of saints}}) is a liturgical and scriptural language composed of vocabulary common to [[Indo-Aryan languages|northern Indian languages]], which was extensively used by saints and poets to compose religious verses.<ref name="Singh1991">{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Khushwant|title=A history of the Sikhs: Vol. 1. 1469-1839|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3i_htgAACAAJ|access-date=17 December 2011|year=1991|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=298}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Textual sources for the study of Sikhism |date=1990 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |others=W. H. McLeod |isbn=0-226-56085-6 |edition= |location=Chicago |pages=5 |oclc=22243489}}</ref> It can be understood by readers with a background in either [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Hindi]]-[[Urdu]] and its dialects.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} | |||
Sant Bhasha is most prominently used in the central Sikh scripture, the [[Guru Granth Sahib]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/1443/1/U093328.pdf|title=Religion and Nationalism in India:The Case of Punjab, 1960 -1990|last=Deol|first=Harnik|year=2012|pages=48|quote=Remarkably, neither is the Qur'an written in Urdu language, nor are the Hindu scriptures written in Hindi, whereas the compositions in the Sikh holy scripture, Adi Granth, are a melange of various dialects, often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha.}}</ref><ref>The making of Sikh scripture by Gurinder Singh Mann. Published by Oxford University Press US, 2001. {{ISBN|0-19-513024-3}}, {{ISBN|978-0-19-513024-9}} Page 5. "The language of the hymns recorded in the Adi Granth has been called "Sant Bhasha," a kind of lingua franca used by the medieval saint-poets of northern India. But the broad range of contributors to the text produced a complex mix of regional dialects."</ref><ref>History of Punjabi Literature by Surindar Singh Kohli. Page 48. Published by National Book, 1993. {{ISBN|81-7116-141-3}}, {{ISBN|978-81-7116-141-6}}. "When we go through the hymns and compositions of the Guru written in Sant Bhasha (saint- language), it appears that some Indian saint of 16th century".</ref><ref>[http://www.sikhs.nl/downloads/English/Introduction%20to%20the%20Guru%20Granth%20Sahib.pdf Introduction: Guru Granth Sahib]. "The Guru Granth Sahib is written in Gurmukhi script. The language, which is most often Sant Bhasha, is very close to Punjabi. It is well understood all over northern andnorthwest India and was popular among the wandering holy men. Persian and some local dialects have also been used. Many hymns contain words of different languages and dialects,depending upon the mother tongue of the writer or the language of the region where they were composed."</ref> The languages used include [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Lahnda]], regional [[Prakrit]]s, [[Apabhramsa]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Hindi languages]] ([[Brajbhasha]], [[Old Hindi]], [[ | == Features == | ||
Sant Bhasha is notable for its high usage of inherited ''[[tadbhava]]'' vocabulary in comparison to Sanskritic ''[[tatsama]]'' borrowings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kohli |first=Surindar Singh |title=History of Punjabi literature |date=1993 |publisher=National Book Shop |isbn=81-7116-141-3 |location=Delhi |page=24 |oclc=29595565}}</ref> | |||
== In Sikhism == | |||
[[File:Painting of Guru Arjan being fanned with a book before him.jpg|thumb|Painting of Guru Arjan being fanned with a book before him. The Sikh gurus employed the Sant Bhasha language for their poetic compositions in the Sikh scriptures]] | |||
Sant Bhasha is most prominently used in the central Sikh scripture, the [[Guru Granth Sahib]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/1443/1/U093328.pdf|title=Religion and Nationalism in India:The Case of Punjab, 1960 -1990|last=Deol|first=Harnik|year=2012|pages=48|quote=Remarkably, neither is the Qur'an written in Urdu language, nor are the Hindu scriptures written in Hindi, whereas the compositions in the Sikh holy scripture, Adi Granth, are a melange of various dialects, often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha.}}</ref><ref>The making of Sikh scripture by Gurinder Singh Mann. Published by Oxford University Press US, 2001. {{ISBN|0-19-513024-3}}, {{ISBN|978-0-19-513024-9}} Page 5. "The language of the hymns recorded in the Adi Granth has been called "Sant Bhasha," a kind of lingua franca used by the medieval saint-poets of northern India. But the broad range of contributors to the text produced a complex mix of regional dialects."</ref><ref>History of Punjabi Literature by Surindar Singh Kohli. Page 48. Published by National Book, 1993. {{ISBN|81-7116-141-3}}, {{ISBN|978-81-7116-141-6}}. "When we go through the hymns and compositions of the Guru written in Sant Bhasha (saint- language), it appears that some Indian saint of 16th century".</ref><ref>[http://www.sikhs.nl/downloads/English/Introduction%20to%20the%20Guru%20Granth%20Sahib.pdf Introduction: Guru Granth Sahib]. "The Guru Granth Sahib is written in Gurmukhi script. The language, which is most often Sant Bhasha, is very close to Punjabi. It is well understood all over northern andnorthwest India and was popular among the wandering holy men. Persian and some local dialects have also been used. Many hymns contain words of different languages and dialects,depending upon the mother tongue of the writer or the language of the region where they were composed."</ref> The languages used include [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Punjabi dialects and languages|its dialects]], [[Lahnda]], regional [[Prakrit]]s, [[Apabhramsa]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Hindi languages|Hindustani languages]] ([[Brajbhasha|Braj Bhasha]], [[Haryanvi language|Bangru]], [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]], [[Old Hindi]], [[Deccani language|Deccani]]), [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Marwari language|Marwari]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Persian language|Persian]], and [[Arabic]]. While vocabulary from all of these languages is used, Sant Bhasha is only written in the [[Gurmukhi script]].<ref>Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth By Nirmal Dass. Published by SUNY Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0-7914-4683-2}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7914-4683-6}}. Page 13. "Any attempt at translating songs from the Adi Granth certainly involves working not with one language, but several, along with dialectical differences. The languages used by the saints range from Sanskrit; regional Prakrits; western, eastern and southern Apabhramsa; and Sahaskrit. More particularly, we find sant bhasha, Marathi, Old Hindi, central and Lehndi Panjabi, Sindhi and Persian. There are also many dialects deployed, such as Purbi Marwari, Bangru, Dakhni, Malwai, and Awadhi."</ref><ref>[http://www.sikhwomen.com/sikhism/scriptures/ggs/index.htm Sikhism. The Guru Granth Sahib (GGS)] By Harjinder Singh. "The Guru Granth Sahib also contains hymns which are written in a language known as Sahiskriti as well as Sant Bhasha, it also contains many Persian and Sanskrit words throughout."</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* [[ | * [[Sadhukkari]] | ||
* [[Sadhu Bhasha]] | |||
* [[Khalsa bole]], coded language of Nihang Sikhs | |||
* [[Sikh scriptures]] | |||
* [[Guru Granth Sahib]] | |||
* [[Dasam Granth]] | |||
* [[Sarbloh Granth]] | |||
* [[Sikh art and culture]] | |||
* [[History of Sikhism]] | |||
== Notes == | |||
{{notelist}} | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
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[[Category:Languages of India]] | [[Category:Languages of India]] | ||
[[Category:Sikh culture]] | [[Category:Sikh culture]] | ||
Latest revision as of 01:00, 18 February 2026
| Sant Bhasha | |
|---|---|
| ਸੰਤ-ਭਾਸ਼ਾ | |
| Region | Northern Indian subcontinent |
| Era | Medieval-period to present-day |
Indo-European
| |
Early forms | |
| Gurmukhi (including Anandpur Lipi) | |
| Sources | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Part of a series on |
| Sikhism |
|---|
 |
Sant Bhasha (Gurmukhi: ਸੰਤ-ਭਾਸ਼ਾ; romanized: Sant Bhāṣā; lit. 'language of saints') is a liturgical and scriptural language composed of vocabulary common to northern Indian languages, which was extensively used by saints and poets to compose religious verses.[13][14] It can be understood by readers with a background in either Punjabi, Hindi-Urdu and its dialects.[citation needed]
Features[edit | edit source]
Sant Bhasha is notable for its high usage of inherited tadbhava vocabulary in comparison to Sanskritic tatsama borrowings.[15]
In Sikhism[edit | edit source]
Sant Bhasha is most prominently used in the central Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib.[16][17][18][19] The languages used include Punjabi and its dialects, Lahnda, regional Prakrits, Apabhramsa, Sanskrit, Hindustani languages (Braj Bhasha, Bangru, Awadhi, Old Hindi, Deccani), Bhojpuri, Sindhi, Marathi, Marwari, Bengali, Persian, and Arabic. While vocabulary from all of these languages is used, Sant Bhasha is only written in the Gurmukhi script.[20][21]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Sadhukkari
- Sadhu Bhasha
- Khalsa bole, coded language of Nihang Sikhs
- Sikh scriptures
- Guru Granth Sahib
- Dasam Granth
- Sarbloh Granth
- Sikh art and culture
- History of Sikhism
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Paishachi, Saurasheni, or Gandhari Prakrits have been proposed as the ancestor Middle Indo-Aryan language to Punjabi.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Singh, Sikander (April 2019). "The Origin Theories of Punjabi Language: A Context of Historiography of Punjabi Language". International Journal of Sikh Studies.
- ↑ Haldar, Gopal (2000). Languages of India. New Delhi: National Book Trust, India. p. 149. ISBN 9788123729367.
The age of Old Punjabi: up to 1600 A.D. […] It is said that evidence of Old Punjabi can be found in the Granth Sahib.
- ↑ Bhatia, Tej K. (2013). Punjabi: A Cognitive-Descriptive Grammar (Reprint ed.). London: Routledge. p. XXV. ISBN 9781136894602.
As an independent language Punjabi has gone through the following three stages of development: Old Punjabi (10th to 16th century). Medieval Punjabi (16th to 19th century), and Modern Punjabi (19th century to Present).
- ↑ Christopher Shackle; Arvind Mandair (2013). "0.2.1 – Form". Teachings of the Sikh Gurus : selections from the Scriptures (First ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 9781136451089.
Surpassing them all in the frequent subtlety of his linguistic choices, including the use of dialect forms as well as of frequent loanwords from Sanskrit and Persian, Guru Nanak combined this poetic language of the Sants with his native Old Punjabi. It is this mixture of Old Punjabi and old Hindi which constitutes the core idiom of all the earlier Gurus.
- ↑ Frawley, William (2003). International encyclopedia of linguistics (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 423. ISBN 9780195139778.
- ↑ Austin, Peter (2008). One thousand languages : living, endangered, and lost. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780520255609.
- ↑ Braj B. Kachru; Yamuna Kachru; S. N. Sridhar (2008). Language in South Asia. Cambridge University Press. p. 411. ISBN 9781139465502.
- ↑ Mansukhani, Gobind Singh (1998). Introduction to Sikhism : 125 basic questions and answers on Sikh religion and history. New Delhi: Hemkunt Press. p. 12. ISBN 9788170101819.
- ↑ Dhillon, Dalbir Singh (1988). Sikhism, Origin and Development. Atlantic Publishers & Distri. pp. 307–308.
- ↑ Kohli, Surindar Singh (1993). History of Punjabi literature. Delhi: National Book Shop. pp. 24, 48. ISBN 9788171161416.
- ↑ Johar, Surinder Singh (1999). Guru Gobind Singh : a multi-faceted personality. New Delhi: M.D. Publications. p. 56. ISBN 9788175330931.
- ↑ Sukhbir Singh Kapoor; Mohinder Kaur Kapoor. Dasam Granth: An Introductory Study. Hemkunt Press. p. 39. ISBN 9788170103257.
- ↑ Singh, Khushwant (1991). A history of the Sikhs: Vol. 1. 1469-1839. Oxford University Press. p. 298. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ↑ Textual sources for the study of Sikhism. W. H. McLeod. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1990. p. 5. ISBN 0-226-56085-6. OCLC 22243489.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ Kohli, Surindar Singh (1993). History of Punjabi literature. Delhi: National Book Shop. p. 24. ISBN 81-7116-141-3. OCLC 29595565.
- ↑ Deol, Harnik (2012). Religion and Nationalism in India:The Case of Punjab, 1960 -1990 (PDF). p. 48.
Remarkably, neither is the Qur'an written in Urdu language, nor are the Hindu scriptures written in Hindi, whereas the compositions in the Sikh holy scripture, Adi Granth, are a melange of various dialects, often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha.
- ↑ The making of Sikh scripture by Gurinder Singh Mann. Published by Oxford University Press US, 2001. ISBN 0-19-513024-3, ISBN 978-0-19-513024-9 Page 5. "The language of the hymns recorded in the Adi Granth has been called "Sant Bhasha," a kind of lingua franca used by the medieval saint-poets of northern India. But the broad range of contributors to the text produced a complex mix of regional dialects."
- ↑ History of Punjabi Literature by Surindar Singh Kohli. Page 48. Published by National Book, 1993. ISBN 81-7116-141-3, ISBN 978-81-7116-141-6. "When we go through the hymns and compositions of the Guru written in Sant Bhasha (saint- language), it appears that some Indian saint of 16th century".
- ↑ Introduction: Guru Granth Sahib. "The Guru Granth Sahib is written in Gurmukhi script. The language, which is most often Sant Bhasha, is very close to Punjabi. It is well understood all over northern andnorthwest India and was popular among the wandering holy men. Persian and some local dialects have also been used. Many hymns contain words of different languages and dialects,depending upon the mother tongue of the writer or the language of the region where they were composed."
- ↑ Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth By Nirmal Dass. Published by SUNY Press, 2000. ISBN 0-7914-4683-2, ISBN 978-0-7914-4683-6. Page 13. "Any attempt at translating songs from the Adi Granth certainly involves working not with one language, but several, along with dialectical differences. The languages used by the saints range from Sanskrit; regional Prakrits; western, eastern and southern Apabhramsa; and Sahaskrit. More particularly, we find sant bhasha, Marathi, Old Hindi, central and Lehndi Panjabi, Sindhi and Persian. There are also many dialects deployed, such as Purbi Marwari, Bangru, Dakhni, Malwai, and Awadhi."
- ↑ Sikhism. The Guru Granth Sahib (GGS) By Harjinder Singh. "The Guru Granth Sahib also contains hymns which are written in a language known as Sahiskriti as well as Sant Bhasha, it also contains many Persian and Sanskrit words throughout."