Gabriella Burnel read Sanskrit, the language India’s most ancient Hindu philosophical texts, including its great epics, the Ramayan and the Mahabharat, at Oxford and has gone on to became one of the most loved Sanskrit singers in the world. Her videos on YouTube have been watched hundreds and thousands of times — at last count, a song of the wonders of Sanskrit, more than 297,000 times, a song on Anandamayi, more than 314,000 times, and even a video on why she studied Sanskrit, more than 161,000 times. She spoke to Grin on how this came to be.
- How did you come to learn Sanskrit? Was it to do with your childhood? How did it begin?
It was one of the subjects that was taught to me at school from the age of four years, so it began then. I remember our teacher used to tell stories from the Sanskrit epics in assembly and most days would hear the Shiva Sutras recited by him. The sounds of the language were mesmerising. As grew older and went to senior school, the content of the Sanskrit texts became fascinating and I began to realise the philosophy of it could help me gain more of an understanding about the purpose of life.
2. How did you decide to sing in Sanskrit and create your YouTube channel? Which year did you start this?
This came about by accident; I had always been singing but not in Sanskrit (although for as long as can remember have chanted Sanskrit mantras daily and used them to help me through many situations). Around aged 16 began to accompany myself singing on the piano and joined a friend performing jazz songs for parties. Then after university formed a band and wrote songs which we played in gigs across London; also wrote and produced a few musicals and performed stand up comedy for a while. That’s how YouTube started… and gradually the other songs and comedy seemed to be of less importance to me (though I still write and sing many songs that express my feelings about various situations!) and began to take an interest in leading chanting sessions for people. Am not sure what came first whether it was me taking an interest, or people became interested in hearing and learning. It sort of all happened organically, meeting a need both in people and in me. Three or four years ago began posting Sanskrit songs on the channel but not regularly. And in last year they have just been flowing through me and so many more to come!
3. What kind of response have you had? How many concerts/performances have you done? In what parts of the world?
The first response came when I was asked to record a video for Why I Studied Sanskrit to be shown to a school in Nepal. To save sending the video by email, it was posted on the YouTube channel five years ago and seemed to pick up some interest. Over the past year the response to some songs has been tremendous, with a couple going viral around India via WhatsApp and as a result have received requests to perform in India, USA and Spain. At the moment I lead monthly chanting sessions in the UK (where sing at) and this year will be performing in Dubai, India, USA and UK as well as releasing a new album of songs which I have written (in Sanskrit and English).
4. You studied at Oxford — what did you study here?
At Oxford I read Sanskrit and had a choral scholarship at Worcester College.
5. What has been the influence of Sanskrit been on your life?
It is a friend to me, a companion, it offers me access to a soundscape that seems so connected to the earth, nature, trees, animals, sky, and the inner workings and psyche of human beings. It gives my mind focus, and is a tool to quieten it, enliven it, rejuvenate it (whatever the situation needs) as well as being soothing for the body.
6. What do you think are the benefits of learning Sanskrit for anyone?
The process of learning any language is great for the brain for we come out of habitual thought patterns and have the opportunity to re-wire and realise we have a choice about the way we think and what we think about. The special thing about learning Sanskrit is that whilst doing this, it somehow has the capacity to spring clean the mind, a bit like when you have a bodily cleanse and after it putting anything too processed or unhealthy in it feels like sacrilege (like putting something dirty in a very clean place), the same with the mind, the more you study Sanskrit the more you feel aware of what is good for it and what has a negative effect.
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