Brahmi script and Sanskrit Language

 

Brahmi script and Sanskrit 

I have seen few videos by NeoBuddhist who claim that Sanskrit cannot be written in Brahmi and it can be written only in Devnagari script and hence Sanskrit came into existence much later and that Sanskrit was derived out of Pali.

They also claim that Ashokas inscriptions mention "Baman" so there were no Brahmins during Ashokas period. 

One such person spreading this fake narrative is Rajendra Prasad Singh,  it seems he is a historian, Author, Linguist, Professor & Activist, several youtube channels are quoting him and fooling innocent people

 

Tripitaka

Before we look into Tripitaka let me explain the various texts of Buddhism

Hinayana Literature

The Pali Canonical text are Tripitikas  Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka

The largest and most important of the three is Suttapitaka which consists of 5 Nikayas(group) Digha, Majjhima, Anugutra, Samyukta and Khuddaka Nikaya (Jatakas, Dammapada)

Semi Canonical works - Milindopanho on account of disc discussion between IndoGreek King Manender and Buddhist monk Nagasena.

Ceylone chronicals are Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa Culavamsa

Mahayan Literature

Own version of Tripikata in Sanskrit called Vipulya Sutra

Sadharmapundarika, Lalitavistar, Vajrachedika, Sukhavativyuha

 

If we take a look at the Tripitikas the early Buddhist Text also called the Pali Canons there are 100s of instances where Brahmans is mentioned


Instance 1

Tipitaka>Sutta Pitaka>Majjhima Nikaya>10.3Assalayana Sutta(93) 

Mentions a about a Brahmana boy aged 16, with a shaven head knowing three Vedas

 

Instance 2

Tipitaka>Sutta Pitaka>Khuddaka Nikaya>Theragatha>Thera(134):Somamitta
 

 Mentions about a Brahmin names Somamitta


 I can go on with hundred such examples

source - https://tipitaka.fandom.com/wiki/

Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids.
Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala

 

Megasthenes account in his book Indica

Now lets take a look at what the foreign traveler Megasthenes who visited India between the 302 and 298 B.C say about the presence of Brahmans in India.


Greek Author Clitarchus 

Greek historian of 4th century B.C.E son of the historian Dinon of Colophon and author of a history of the exploits of Alexander the Great. He mentions that Brahmans were well versed in Physiology and Astronomy.

 


So it s very evident that there existed Brahmans mush before Ashokas edicts and even during the time of Buddha.


Brahmi Script

Lets take a look if we really cant write Brahmana in Brahmi


I have tried to write Sanskrit/Kannada using Brahmi

 

Baman     ಬಮನ್     𑀩𑀫𑀦𑁆

Bamana    ಬಮಣ     𑀩𑀫𑀡   

Brahmana  ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ   𑀩𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀳𑁆𑀫𑀡

Dhamma  ಧಮ  𑀥𑀫
Dharma ಧರ್ಮ 𑀥𑀭𑁆𑀫
Mitta ಮಿತ್ತ     𑀫𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀢
Mitra ಮಿತ್ರ      𑀫𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀭
Sanghamitra  ಸಂಘಮಿತ್ರ   𑀲𑀁𑀖𑀫𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀭

Malavikagnimitram ಮಾಳವಿಕಾಗ್ನಿಮಿತ್ರಮ್   𑀫𑀸𑀴𑀯𑀺𑀓𑀸𑀕𑁆𑀦𑀺𑀫𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀫𑁆

Buddha ಬುದ್ಧ       𑀩𑀼𑀤𑁆𑀥
Krishna ಕೃಷ್ಣ        𑀓𑀾𑀱𑁆𑀡
Rama ರಾಮ         𑀭𑀸𑀫
PseudoSecular ಹುಸಿ ಸೆಕ್ಯುಲರ್    𑀳𑀼𑀲𑀺 𑀲𑁂𑀓𑁆𑀬𑀼𑀮𑀭𑁆
Ambedkar ಅಂಬೇಡ್ಕರ್        𑀅𑀁𑀩𑁂𑀟𑁆𑀓𑀭𑁆
Savarkar ಸಾವರ್ಕರ್           𑀲𑀸𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀓𑀭𑁆
Jithendra  ಜಿತೇಂದ್ರ   𑀚𑀺𑀢𑁂𑀁𑀤𑁆𑀭
 
  
How old is Pali did Buddha speak in Pali?
Buddha spoke in Maghadi not Pali the first manuscript of Pali is 
found to be 5th CE almost 1000 years after Buddha.
None of the Tripitakas, and none of the Buddhist text before 5th CE 
has any Pali, even Ashokas inscriptions are in Prakrit and few in Greek 
not even a single inscription in Pali.
The oldest surviving Buddhist texts in the Pali language come from the 
relic chamber of a Buddhist stupa at Sri Ksetra. They consist of a 
twenty-leaf manuscript of solid gold and a large gilded reliquary of 
silver. A new and exhaustive palaeographic study of these 
inscriptions shows that they date from the mid-fifth to mid-sixth 
century AD. Unlike all the other early Buddhist societies of Southeast 
Asia, evidence of Mahayanist contacts in Pyu sites is scant. It is clear
that the Pyu kingdoms were in contact with several Indian kingdoms in 
the south east as well as in North India, but stood in a tutelary 
relationship to none. From the earliest evidence, Pyu Buddhist writing, 
art, and architecture show processes of adaptation at work that laid the
foundations for distinctively Burmese traditions of Buddhism within the
greater Buddhist ecumene. 
 
The Golden Pali Text is the oldest surviving Pali manuscript, 
consists of 20 solid gold "leaves" containing 60 lines of Pali, 
which make up 8 excerpts from the Canon. It dates from the 
5th-6th century, and is a golden replica of a palm-leaf 
manuscript.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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