Why Pāli is Important?

In earlier times, when the Buddha gave sermons, there was no way to write them down in books or manuscripts. The bhanakas (reciters) would memorise all the teachings and propagate them to the laypeople. After the Buddha’s mahāparinibbāna, during the first and second councils, the entire Buddhavacana was recited by senior monks. However, it was during the third council that King Ashoka made efforts to inscribe the Buddha’s teachings on stones, caves, and rock pillars.

The most revered Buddhist scholar and commentator of the 5th century, Buddhaghosa refers to this as an origin of all languages (“Māgadhikāya sabba-sattānam mālabhāsāya,”) Pāli evolved from some Prākrit, the vernacular of the Buddha’s time in the Magadha region of North India, with influences from other Middle Indo-Aryan dialects. Over time, it spread across various regions in India and beyond, making it a unique language with deep roots and widespread reach. The evolution of Pāli through regions like Avanti (modern-day Ujjain) in central India and later to the Chola region and the Kaveri basin of southern India, showcases its versatility and adaptability. Thus, Pāli is not just a language of North India but truly has a pan-Indian presence, incorporating elements from both Eastern and Western dialects.

The next stage in the growth of Pāli took it beyond India to countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. What makes Pāli even more unique is that it not only absorbed the life and culture of these countries but also carried Indian cultural knowledge, systems, and ideas into them. It served as a lingua franca for these nations, especially within monastic communities, where Pāli was the primary language of communication. To this day, Pāli remains a strong cultural force in these countries.

While discussing the nature of Pāli, it is essential to understand that the Buddha’s dispensation (Buddhasāsana) consists of nine components or literary genres: Sutta (discourses), Geyya (mixed prose and verse), Veyyākaraāa (expositions), Gāthā (verses or hymns), Udāna (inspired utterances), Itivuttaka (as it was said), Jātaka (birth stories), Abbhutadhamma (wondrous events), and Vedalla (analytical discussions), all embedded in the Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka, and Abhidhamma Piāaka. All these teachings were preserved in the Pāli language within the Theravada Buddhist Canon, the earliest records of the Buddha’s teachings. The huge work of commentaries by prodigious scholars like Buddhadatta, Buddhaghosa, Dhammapāla, Māhānāma, and Upasena are written in Pāli.

Throughout his 45 years of teaching, the Buddha gave countless sermons and key concepts to help free humankind from suffering. Without these Pāli texts, we would not have access to the Buddha’s profound teachings. These texts are also a rich source of the geographical, cultural, religious, economic, and political history of India.

In modern times, great Indian scholars like Dharmanand Kosambi, Rahul Sankrityayan, Jagdish Kashyap, Anand Kausalyayan, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar worked hard to study and revive this magnificent language. Their goal was not just personal liberation or academic pursuit but broader social transformation.

Today, practitioners of all faiths benefit from Vipassana meditation for mental peace and well-being. A basic understanding of Pāli and a little knowledge of the Abhidhamma can greatly enhance this practice.

Now that Pāli has been recognised as a classical language, it is vital to further strengthen the Indian Knowledge System by exploring its applied aspects. It is high time we see how Pāli can continue to offer valuable insights, especially in terms of Buddhist thought, which can act as a catalyst for understanding modern subjects. In this way, Pāli remains relevant even today and can play a significant role in understanding Indian culture.

(The author is a scholar based in Pune. Views personal.)