SANSKRIT LANGUAGE- A MATTER BEYOND WORDS!

 ( "Sanskrit" means improved/cultured/ purified. ) 

Here, a Shlok ( श्र्लोक) is chosen to show how even a single letter if mis- placed, can distort or change the meaning  dramatically!

 

The Shlok ( श्र्लोक)-

FIRST LINE-- तातेन  कथितं पुत्र, पत्रं लिख ममाज्ञया |

SECOND LINE-

न तेन लिखितं पत्रं पितुराज्ञा न लंघिता||

तातेन ( the father )   कथितं ( said / told )  पुत्र ( oh! Son ) पत्रं ( letter ) लिख ( write )  ममाज्ञया | ( by my order ).

FIRST LINE-     ( The father told his son, "Oh Son, write a letter as per my order.)

SECOND LINE- न ( not) तेन ( he) लिखितं ( wrote) पत्रं ( letter)  पितुराज्ञा ( father's order)  न लंघिता ( did not cross or disobey)||

SECOND LINE- ( He did not write the letter and yet did not dis- obey his father! )

   HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

 The confusion originated or occured  because the letter न was not attached to the word तेन. The separate letter न made the statement negative.

      When attached, it reads  

      नतेन=  नत means ( नम्र), respectful or polite. 

Now, with this, the second line reads as-----

        Respectfully, he wrote the letter and did not dis- obey the order of his father! ( as was intended right at the beginning! )

Even the placement (or rather wrong placement! ) of a single letter can make a dramatic or total change in the meaning! ( Surely, it is not a child's play! The language gives its power to the writer! )

        Of course, Sanskrit is rich with word play or even letter play. There are so many examples of a similar nature.

Simply speaking, 

    (( This is just a trailer! P............😃  😃 ! ))