Language of the Immortals: A Concise History of Sanskrit

by G. N. Devy

Sanskrit has long been celebrated as one of the building blocks of Indian civilization, and is venerated in temples, scriptures, and classical literature. In Language of the Immortals, renowned scholar and critic G. N. Devy uncovers the astounding paradox of Sanskrit—an ancient language that shaped Indian thought, philosophy, and identity for millennia, yet was never truly a language of the people. With rigorous scholarship, Devy dismantles enduring myths and offers a revealing commentary on Sanskrit’s historical and cultural trajectory. He shows how it achieved unsurpassed prestige not through conquest or commerce, but sheer intellectual brilliance. He explores the way in which Sanskrit shaped intellectual life across centuries, influenced cultures beyond India, and maintained its prestige through the oral tradition and spiritual symbolism rather than the patronage of the state. This concise yet profound work reimagines what it means for a language to live on—long after it has ceased to be spoken.

96 pages, Hardcover

Published August 5, 2025

Reviews

[Jyotsna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating - 4 stars
NPS - 10 (Promoter)

The history of Indianization of Sanskrit is synonymous with the history of Sanskritization of India, an intimate mutual engagement that Persian and English, too, were to achieve in later ages, but not so pervasively as Sanskrit did.

The book is a concise and critical read to make the reader understand about the history of Sanskrit, one of the ancient languages in the world.

There is always an ongoing debate about how old the language is, to which the author, G. N. Devy, a senior professor and the director of Somaiya Vidhyavihar University, explains with the available information in the academic domains today.

While the author does a good job of closing gaps, it also an honest history of how the language contributed to discrimination.

The book also explores the oral and written versions of the language, caused due to caste divisions.

Overall a concise history, but more reading is required to understand further.

[Enakshi J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Essential India series, with its concise volumes, is proof that brevity need not come at the cost of depth. Each book is slim, easy to carry, and yet layered with insights that invite both discovery and reflection. What stood out most to me is the writing style—lucid, conversational, and never intimidating—making these books approachable while still resonating with weight and meaning.

G. N. Devy’s Language of the Immortals was perhaps the most thought-provoking for me. Sanskrit has always been positioned as eternal, almost untouchable, but Devy’s reflections remind us that even a revered language has politics, power, and history behind its survival. The book does not lecture; instead, it provokes curiosity and re-frames Sanskrit as a living dialogue with India’s past. Short yet substantial, it feels like an intellectual nudge that lingers.