Essay name: Informal Education of Sanskrit in Kerala
Author:
Jayasree M.
Affiliation: Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit / Department of Sanskrit Sahitya
This essay studies the informal education of Sanskrit in Kerala with special reference to Ayurveda. It provides a historical overview of Sanskrit education in India, highlighting its roots in the Vedas and the growth of the Gurukula system. It further discusses educational institutions in Kerala such as Shalas, Mathas, Kalaris and more formalized schools during colonial rule.
Chapter 3 - Informal Education of Sanskrit in Kerala: the Traditional Streams
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significant corpus of performance theory are contained in the
Āṭṭaprakāram and Kramadipika of the particular plays prescribed which
are uniform in Malayalam. The bodily acting in the Kūṭiyāṭṭam is based on
the Kerala text of Hastalakṣaṇa dipika which is based on the Nāṭyaśāstra
of Bharatamuni.
Apart from this the study of Sanskrit language is commenced right
from the beginning. In due course the student becomes a good Sanskrit
scholar by learning Kāvyas, Nāṭakas, Alaṃkāras etc as well as several
37 śāstra branches like Tarka and Vyākaraṇa. Sanskrit and its knowledge
is very essential for the Kūṭiyāṭṭam actors. Students learn by heart the
basic Sanskrit texts on grammar like Sidharoopa. By the application of
Mudra or hand gestures in acting, the students are taught how to denote
the Vibakthi, Vacana, Linga etc. of each word, recited.
The study of Amarakośam is important in Kūttu and Kūṭiyāṭṭam
because it gives the synonyms and different meanings of words. The
actors elaborates the meaning of words and sentences in the Kūṭiyāṭṭam.
For example if 'deva' is a word to be acted the actor should know the
different meanings involved in the root like 'Krida', 'Vicikitsa', 'Sobha'. etc.
A skilled Kūṭiyāṭṭam actor could express all these meaning relating them
properly to the context of acting. Hence a deep knowledge of 'Kośa' is
very important to Kūṭiyāṭṭam actors.
