Q.Read the given source and answer the questions that follow : (1+1+2=4) A language with an enormous range Al-Biruni described Sanskrit as follows : If you want to conquer this difficulty (i.e. to learn Sanskrit), you will not find it easy, because the language is of an enormous range, both in words and inflections, something like the Arabic, calling one and the same thing by various names, both original and derivative, and using one and the same word for a variety of subjects, which, in order to be properly understood, must be distinguished from each other by various qualifying epithets. (32.1) How did Al-Biruni compare Sanskrit with Arabic ?
You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.
Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Al-Biruni saw Sanskrit and Arabic as equally vast and complex languages, each capable of expressing the same idea through many words and one word through many meanings.
Al-Biruni was a remarkable 11th-century scholar from Central Asia who travelled to India and spent years studying its languages, sciences, and religions. His observations on Sanskrit come from his famous work Kitab-ul-Hind, where he tried to understand Indian civilisation on its own terms rather than dismissing it as strange or inferior. When he called Sanskrit a language "of an enormous range," he was not complaining — he was making a careful, respectful comparison.
(32.1) Al-Biruni compared Sanskrit with Arabic by pointing out that both languages share two striking features. First, both have an extraordinary wealth of vocabulary, with many different words — both original and derived — for the same thing. Second, both languages use the same word to mean many different things, so that the listener or reader must rely on context and qualifying adjectives to grasp the precise meaning. For Al-Biruni, this was not a flaw but a sign of linguistic richness and sophistication.
Al-Biruni's comparison is significant because he was one of the few medieval scholars who treated Indian knowledge systems as equal in complexity to those of the Islamic world, rather than as primitive or exotic.
(32.2) Among the many works Al-Biruni translated from Sanskrit into Arabic, one well-known example is the Yogasutra of Patanjali. He also translated or summarised works on mathematics, astronomy, and medicine, including the Brahmasphutasiddhanta of Brahmagupta. These translations helped transmit Indian scientific and philosophical ideas to the Islamic world and, later, to Europe. …
Unlock everything free for 14 days
- Full step-by-step solutions
- Concept-first explanations
- Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.