Two seemingly disjointed topics namely Sanskrit and Neurosciences are connected by a name – James Hartzell. Hartzell is a postdoctoral researcher at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Spain and a guest researcher at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences at University of Trento, Italy. He was inspired by the rich Vedic heritage of India and decided to research his hypothesis about a possible correlation between the vedic chanting methods of India and enhanced brain activity.
In order to test this idea, Hartzell and his university colleagues teamed up with Dr Tanmay Nath and Dr Nandini Chatterjee Singh of the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) at Manesar in Haryana. They chose to study 42 volunteers — 21 professionally qualified Sanskrit Pandits from Delhi who have been trained daily for 7 years in their childhood reciting the Shukla Yajurveda. As control, they chose 21 age-matched males, students from a nearby college.The brains of all the 42 participants were examined using the method called structural magnetic resonance which allows the study of the size and shape of individual parts of brain.
The team analysed the brain regions of these 21 Pundits and 21 control volunteers and found some remarkable differences between the two. They found the grey matter in Pundits to be denser and the cortex thicker than in the control group, and the hippo-campus regions (associated with long- and short-term memory) was also more pronounced. More importantly, these changes in the brain were not temporary but stayed for long. That meant that the power of memory, decision-making, sensory perception and such would last longer in those who were trained earlier.
In his own words professor Hartzell mentions thus: “What we discovered from the structural MRI scanning was remarkable. Numerous regions in the brains of the pundits were dramatically larger than those of controls, with over 10 percent more grey matter across both cerebral hemispheres, and substantial increases in cortical thickness.” ” I had also noticed that the more Sanskrit I studied and translated, the better my verbal memory seemed to become. “
In short, the Sanskrit effect is about remembering extensive texts (40.000 or 100.000 words) in order to recite them word by word and how that changes your brain. Your brain changes on demand, so whatever it does a lot, it gets better at and the changes have positive effects in other areas.
Now ladies and gentlemen, accustomed that we are to the approvals by the West, this serves as an added incentive to appreciate and acknowledge our ancient methods of learning and knowledge management. This is yet another traditional practice that has been scientifically researched and found to be true (such as the properties of turmeric, ghee, the concept of Yoga, Surya Namaskar, the list goes on).
Of course, one can argue that one need not attach any special power to vedic learning as a brain enhancer just like Marc Ettlinger, a former neuroscientist quoted, “I have no doubt the same results would be found in Muslims who memorise the Quran or even people who memorise the dictionary for spelling, or digits of Pi,”.
But I humbly submit, ‘Is there any reason to look for ghee elsewhere when we already have butter with us?”
References
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/a-neuroscientist-explores-the-sanskrit-effect/
Rangarajan has been blogging for over 12 years now on various topics. With Thedal, he becomes one with the universe and he is hoping that his search will help him discover the eternal truth. Please join him as he traverses through the universe across temples, philosophies and science!
Good one. Liked the translation at the end .
Thanks VR!
Ranga so what was the inference:
Does chanting anything (vedas, other texts religious or otherwise) enhance the brain or does chanting only the vedas enhance it?
Hi Shoba – it does not have to be Vedas. It can be anything .However, with its rich meaning and tradition, it is recommended to chant Vedas and mantras for believers, so that there is double benefit for them.