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Sanskrit and Artificial Intelligence -- NASA
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and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Apr 28, 2013, 4:28:23 PM4/28/13
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Sanskrit & Artificial Intelligence — NASA
Knowledge Representation in Sanskrit and Artificial Intelligence
By Rick Briggs
Roacs, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, California
Abstract
In the past twenty years, much time, effort, and money
has been expended on designing an unambiguous
representation of natural languages to make them
accessible to computer processing. These efforts have
centered around creating schemata designed to parallel
logical relations with relations expressed by the syntax
and semantics of natural languages, which are clearly
cumbersome and ambiguous in their function as vehicles
for the transmission of logical data. Understandably,
there is a widespread belief that natural languages are
unsuitable for the transmission of many ideas that
artificial languages can render with great precision and
mathematical rigor.
But this dichotomy, which has served as a premise
underlying much work in the areas of linguistics and
artificial intelligence, is a false one. There is at
least one language, Sanskrit, which for the duration of
almost 1,000 years was a living spoken language with a
considerable literature of its own. Besides works of
literary value, there was a long philosophical and
grammatical tradition that has continued to exist with
undiminished vigor until the present century. Among the
accomplishments of the grammarians can be reckoned a
method for paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is
identical not only in essence but in form with current
work in Artificial Intelligence. This article
demonstrates that a natural language can serve as an
artificial language also, and that much work in AI has
been reinventing a wheel millenia old.
First, a typical Knowledge Representation Scheme (using
Semantic Nets) will be laid out, followed by an outline
of the method used by the ancient Indian Grammarians to
analyze sentences unambiguously. Finally, the clear
parallelism between the two will be demonstrated, and the
theoretical implications of this equivalence will be
given.
Semantic Nets
For the sake of comparison, a brief overview of semantic
nets will be given, and examples will be included that
will be compared to the Indian approach. After early
attempts at machine translation (which were based to a
large extent on simple dictionary look-up) failed in
their effort to teach a computer to understand natural
language, work in AI turned to Knowledge Representation.
Since translation is not simply a map from lexical item
to lexical item, and since ambiguity is inherent in a
large number of utterances, some means is required to
encode what the actual meaning of a sentence is. Clearly,
there must be a representation of meaning independent of
words used. Another problem is the interference of
syntax. In some sentences (for example active/passive)
syntax is, for all intents and purposes, independent of
meaning. Here one would like to eliminate considerations
of syntax. In other sentences the syntax contributes to
the meaning and here one wishes to extract it.
Continues at:
http://www.vedicsciences.net/articles/sanskrit-nasa.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj
Knowledge Representation in Sanskrit and Artificial Intelligence
By Rick Briggs
Roacs, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, California
Abstract
In the past twenty years, much time, effort, and money
has been expended on designing an unambiguous
representation of natural languages to make them
accessible to computer processing. These efforts have
centered around creating schemata designed to parallel
logical relations with relations expressed by the syntax
and semantics of natural languages, which are clearly
cumbersome and ambiguous in their function as vehicles
for the transmission of logical data. Understandably,
there is a widespread belief that natural languages are
unsuitable for the transmission of many ideas that
artificial languages can render with great precision and
mathematical rigor.
But this dichotomy, which has served as a premise
underlying much work in the areas of linguistics and
artificial intelligence, is a false one. There is at
least one language, Sanskrit, which for the duration of
almost 1,000 years was a living spoken language with a
considerable literature of its own. Besides works of
literary value, there was a long philosophical and
grammatical tradition that has continued to exist with
undiminished vigor until the present century. Among the
accomplishments of the grammarians can be reckoned a
method for paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is
identical not only in essence but in form with current
work in Artificial Intelligence. This article
demonstrates that a natural language can serve as an
artificial language also, and that much work in AI has
been reinventing a wheel millenia old.
First, a typical Knowledge Representation Scheme (using
Semantic Nets) will be laid out, followed by an outline
of the method used by the ancient Indian Grammarians to
analyze sentences unambiguously. Finally, the clear
parallelism between the two will be demonstrated, and the
theoretical implications of this equivalence will be
given.
Semantic Nets
For the sake of comparison, a brief overview of semantic
nets will be given, and examples will be included that
will be compared to the Indian approach. After early
attempts at machine translation (which were based to a
large extent on simple dictionary look-up) failed in
their effort to teach a computer to understand natural
language, work in AI turned to Knowledge Representation.
Since translation is not simply a map from lexical item
to lexical item, and since ambiguity is inherent in a
large number of utterances, some means is required to
encode what the actual meaning of a sentence is. Clearly,
there must be a representation of meaning independent of
words used. Another problem is the interference of
syntax. In some sentences (for example active/passive)
syntax is, for all intents and purposes, independent of
meaning. Here one would like to eliminate considerations
of syntax. In other sentences the syntax contributes to
the meaning and here one wishes to extract it.
Continues at:
http://www.vedicsciences.net/articles/sanskrit-nasa.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Apr 28, 2013, 4:46:59 PM4/28/13
to
Dr. Jai Maharaj posted:
Forwarded excerpts from http://www.hinduwisdom.info
Jeffrey Armstrong worked as a sales manager with Apple
Computer for six years, is married to Sandy Gramah, who
shares his passion for all things Indian. The couple,
which has founded an educational institute called the
Vedic Academy of Science and Arts (VASA), is now working
on creating a permanent library of Hindu and Vedic
culture in Vancouver. Their clients include successful
businessmen, lawyers, corporate executives and leaders of
society. "Bring as much knowledge from India as you
can,'' concludes Mr Armstrong. "People in North America
are eager for it.''
He has written:
"The Mahabharat, the great Sanskrit epic of ancient
India, records the history of Bharat. Within it is the
Bhagavad-Gita which describes the events of five thousand
years ago when Lord Krishna appeared and spoke to Arjuna
on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, which saw the triumph
of the Pandavas over the Kauravas, the triumph of good
over evil. That event marked the beginning of Kali Yuga.
So the Sanskrit of the Vedas refers to an era before that
time and to the existence of a pool of knowledge that has
survived for thousands of years. That is why India and
Indian culture is the mother of all modern
civilizations."
"Sanskrit is such a perfect language that NASA, the
American space agency, contemplated using it as a
programming language. I'll give you a comparison so that
you will understand just how perfect Sanskrit is!
Imagine that Bill Gates came out with a version of
Windows that was so good that it did not need to be
upgraded for 2,500 years! He would have created a
monopoly. Well Sanskrit has the monopoly on languages,
because Sanskrit is a perfect language. It cannot be
improved upon."
He is a charismatic international speaker, author and
expert guest on TV and talk radio. He is a scholar of the
Eastern teachings including Vedant, Raj Yog, Tantr,
Mantr, and Martial arts. He has practiced Ayurvedic
Astrology for 25 years. He predicted over 20 years ago
that Silicon Valley would be overrun by Indian innovators
and engineers, no one believed him. Today, his prophecy
has come true manifold.
"I based my forecast on the fact that Indians have a very
strong Sanskrit background,'' he says. Sanskrit being the
perfect language for computer programming, I was
confident even then that Indians would outshine others in
computer innovations.''
His next prediction is equally interesting: India will
become a superpower in another 20 years, even earlier if
Indians propagate their culture and legacy effectively in
the West.
The motivational speaker, who left his corporate job
seven years ago to foster the spread of Hindu and Vedic
culture in the West, looks like a typical American till
he opens his mouth.
(Source: India Could Once Again Be Great, If Only Her
People Utilised Her Heritage - Saturday Jan 17, 2004 and
The Greatness of the Vedas).
End of forwarded excerpts from http://www.hinduwisdom.info
Jeffrey Armstrong worked as a sales manager with Apple
Computer for six years, is married to Sandy Gramah, who
shares his passion for all things Indian. The couple,
which has founded an educational institute called the
Vedic Academy of Science and Arts (VASA), is now working
on creating a permanent library of Hindu and Vedic
culture in Vancouver. Their clients include successful
businessmen, lawyers, corporate executives and leaders of
society. "Bring as much knowledge from India as you
can,'' concludes Mr Armstrong. "People in North America
are eager for it.''
He has written:
"The Mahabharat, the great Sanskrit epic of ancient
India, records the history of Bharat. Within it is the
Bhagavad-Gita which describes the events of five thousand
years ago when Lord Krishna appeared and spoke to Arjuna
on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, which saw the triumph
of the Pandavas over the Kauravas, the triumph of good
over evil. That event marked the beginning of Kali Yuga.
So the Sanskrit of the Vedas refers to an era before that
time and to the existence of a pool of knowledge that has
survived for thousands of years. That is why India and
Indian culture is the mother of all modern
civilizations."
"Sanskrit is such a perfect language that NASA, the
American space agency, contemplated using it as a
programming language. I'll give you a comparison so that
you will understand just how perfect Sanskrit is!
Imagine that Bill Gates came out with a version of
Windows that was so good that it did not need to be
upgraded for 2,500 years! He would have created a
monopoly. Well Sanskrit has the monopoly on languages,
because Sanskrit is a perfect language. It cannot be
improved upon."
He is a charismatic international speaker, author and
expert guest on TV and talk radio. He is a scholar of the
Eastern teachings including Vedant, Raj Yog, Tantr,
Mantr, and Martial arts. He has practiced Ayurvedic
Astrology for 25 years. He predicted over 20 years ago
that Silicon Valley would be overrun by Indian innovators
and engineers, no one believed him. Today, his prophecy
has come true manifold.
"I based my forecast on the fact that Indians have a very
strong Sanskrit background,'' he says. Sanskrit being the
perfect language for computer programming, I was
confident even then that Indians would outshine others in
computer innovations.''
His next prediction is equally interesting: India will
become a superpower in another 20 years, even earlier if
Indians propagate their culture and legacy effectively in
the West.
The motivational speaker, who left his corporate job
seven years ago to foster the spread of Hindu and Vedic
culture in the West, looks like a typical American till
he opens his mouth.
(Source: India Could Once Again Be Great, If Only Her
People Utilised Her Heritage - Saturday Jan 17, 2004 and
The Greatness of the Vedas).
End of forwarded excerpts from http://www.hinduwisdom.info
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
Apr 28, 2013, 4:58:59 PM4/28/13
to
[ Arindam Banerjee <adda1...@bigpond.com> posted:
[
[[ It is only to a few that this marvellous goddess [Saraswati]
[[ gives the blessing to speak the Deva-bhasha the way She wants.
[
[ Dhanyavaad for your comments.
[
[ Sanskrit is great! A previous post:
[
[ Sanskrit & Artificial Intelligence =97=A0NASA
[
[ Knowledge Representation in Sanskrit and Artificial
[ Intelligence
[
[ By Rick Briggs
[ Roacs, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, California
[
[
[ By Rick Briggs
[ Roacs, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, California
[ http://www.vedicsciences.net/articles/sanskrit-nasa.html
[
[ Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
[ Om Shanti
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