Sanskrit returns to Pakistan: Lahore University launches Mahabharata and Gita courses

For the first time since Partition, Sanskrit has returned to Pakistani classrooms as Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) formally introduced the language in a university course, marking a historic development in the country’s academic landscape.

Students at LUMS are now learning Sanskrit verses, including passages from the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita, as well as the Urdu rendition of “Hai katha sangram ki,” the iconic theme of the Mahabharat TV series.

The course grew out of a three-month workshop that drew overwhelming interest from students and scholars and is planned to expand into a full-year offering by 2027.

Professor Shahid Rasheed, a sociology teacher at Forman Christian College, is leading the Sanskrit revival initiative.

He called the step “small but important” for reviving serious study of a language that has shaped South Asia’s philosophy, literature, and spiritual traditions.

“Why should we not learn it? It is a language that binds this whole region. Panini's village was here. Much was written here during the Indus Valley period. We must embrace it. It belongs to us as well; it is not tied to any one religion,” Rasheed said.

Panini, the ancient Sanskrit grammarian, lived in Gandhara, present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Rasheed said that while students initially found Sanskrit intimidating, they soon warmed to the language.

“When I was teaching ‘subhashitas’ (verses on wisdom), students were surprised to learn how deeply Urdu is influenced by Sanskrit. Some didn’t even know that Sanskrit is different from Hindi,” he said.

Once students grasped its logical structure, they began to enjoy the language, he added.

Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, director of LUMS’ Gurmani Centre, highlighted that Pakistan holds an extensive collection of Sanskrit documents at Punjab University that remained largely unexamined for decades.

He said the university now plans to train local scholars in Sanskrit and hopes the initiative will gain momentum in the coming months.

“In 10-15 years, we may see scholars of the Gita and Mahabharata emerging from Pakistan,” Qasmi said, emphasizing the long-term vision of nurturing expertise in the classical language.