The roots of Hinduism can be traced to the dawn of Vedic civilization. From its inception, Vedic thought has been expressed through the medium of the Sanskrit language. Sanskrit, therefore, forms the basis of Hindu civilization.
As language changes, so religion changes. In the case of Hinduism, Sanskrit stood for three millennia as the carrier of Vedic thought before its dominance gradually gave way to the vernacular dialects that eventually evolved into the modern day languages of Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and so on. Although the foundations of Hinduism are built on the vocabulary and syntax of Sanskrit, these modern languages are now the primary carriers of Hindu thought within India.
While the shift from Sanskrit to these regional languages forced a change in the meaning of words, and therefore a change in how subsequent generations interpreted the religion, the shift was at least within the context of languages that were closely related to Sanskrit.
Many people believe, that Sanskrit names should remain un-translated and become part of the common spoken language when we speak of Hindu matters. To a limited extent this is already occurring. Words such as karma, yoga and dharma are a part of common English speech, although not with their full religious meanings intact.
Ideally, anyone attempting to understand Hinduism should have a working knowledge of Sanskrit. Ideally, all Hindu educational institutions and temples should teach Sanskrit, and all Hindu youth should have Sanskrit language training. In reality this is not occurring, nor is it likely to occur. The critical mass that it takes to create a culture of Sanskrit language training is not here.
In most worldwide Sanskrit language Centers, the Sanskrit language training combines the two powers, Sanskrit and yoga, to create an educational adventure that will not only give you the joy of reading Sutras in the original script, and pronouncing them with precision, but will change the way you perceive the learning experience forever. Here is an example.
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam is an institute for the traditional study of Advaita Vedanta, Sanskrit, Yoga, Ayurveda, astrology, and other classical Indian disciplines. The word Arsha means that which is from the Rishis - the great sages of ancient India. The word Vidya means knowledge. Gurukulam refers to a residential center for learning with the teacher. Thus, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam is a place where one learns the knowledge imparted by the Rishis.
Established in 1986 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the Gurukulam is patterned after the ancient gurukulams of India. The Gurukulam offers Indians and Westerners alike an opportunity to study the profound spiritual knowledge of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahmasutras, and other classical Vedic texts in English in the USA.
Along with Sanskrit language training, they offer studying of Ayurveda, philosophy and Indian history. Funding comes in the form of donations from people who value the Gurukulam's offerings. Additional funds comes from book sales.
Of course, Sanskrit language training in India has many particular, unique treats and this is natural.