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Vedic Sanskrit is an archaic form of Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas, which are ancient Indian sacred texts. Composed by Indo-European-speaking peoples in northwest India around the 2nd millennium BCE, the Vedas include hymns, sacrificial formulas, and incantations. The Rigveda is the oldest of these collections.12

Over time, Vedic Sanskrit was simplified and codified, leading to the development of Classical Sanskrit. This process was significantly influenced by grammarians like Pāáč‡ini, whose work established grammatical norms that have persisted. Sanskrit became the universal language of culture in India, influencing later literary traditions and languages.3

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