Sanskrit is regarded as the ancient language in Hinduism. It was used as a means of communication and dialogue by the Hindu Celestial Gods and then by the Indo-Aryans. Sanskrit is also widely used in Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. The term 'Sanskrit' is derived from the conjoining of the prefix 'Sam,' meaning 'samyak,' which indicates 'entirely,' and 'krit,' which indicates 'done.' Thus, the name indicates perfectly or entirely done in terms of communication, reading, hearing, and the use of vocabulary to transcend and express emotion. An extraordinarily complex language with a vast vocabulary, it is still widely used today to read sacred texts and hymns.
The Sanskrit language was termed as Deva-Vani ('Deva' Gods - 'Vani' language) as it was believed to have been generated by the god Brahma who passed it to the Rishis (sages) living in celestial abodes, who then communicated the same to their earthly disciples from where it spread on earth. The origin of the language in written form is traced back to the 2nd millennium BCE, when the Rig Veda, a collection of sacred hymns, is assumed to have been written after being continued for centuries through oral tradition and preservation of verbal knowledge in the Guru-Disciple relationship.
Sanskrit belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. One of three ancient documented languages arose from a common root language now referred to as Proto-Indo-European language: Vedic Sanskrit, Mycenaean Greek, Hittite.
Indo-European languages related to Sanskrit include archaic and classical Latin, Gothic, Old Norse, Old Avestan, and Younger Avestan. These ancient languages are the origin of Germanic Languages (German, English, etc.), Roman Languages (French, Spanish, etc.), and Slavic Languages (Russian, Polish, etc.).