How did languages shape the way ancient Indians thought and behaved? Episode 6 of Echoes of India recounts the dramatic evolution of Sanskrit and Prakrit as widely-spoken languages of power and culture, in a time of political and cultural innovation.

In the first two centuries CE, the Shakas and Satavahanas in Central India began to issue grand royal inscriptions tracing out bloody wars between their families and jostling for power and prestige. And they chose to draw on the remarkable literary cultures of ancient India to do so. It was an experiment that would change the world, right down to the languages modern Indians speak today. Hear the boasts of an Indo-Scythian king, the words of a princess whose name is lost, and verses from the first of India's great collections of love poetry.

If you have questions for Anirudh, follow him on Twitter @AKanisetti or on Instagram @aniruddhadevaraya

Notes, sources, credits and a transcript of the episode can be found at https://www.anirudhkanisetti.com/home/episode-6

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Nathan Johnson