Like any other fashion fad, tattoos come and go. Today, the time for tattoos has come again. The sleeve tattoos in tribal designs of yester-year is out of fashion, relegated to punks and rebels. Fashionable tattoos today are more subtle and spiritual, like Sanskrit tattoo designs.
Sanskrit is the origin of many modern languages in South Asia, East Asia and South East Asia. According to Sir William Jones, the noted 18th century philologist, Sanskrit, ancient Greek and Latin all share a common root. Sanskrit script is horizontal in nature, with a bar on top and many curved edges. It is elegant and perfect for artistic rendering. You can have a single word like “Om” (often interpreted as universal peace in modern spiritual writings) in lower back tattoos, or a motto (like “Satyameva Jayate” – “Truth alone triumphs”) in an armband tattoos.
Do you have someone you would like to remember forever? Translate his or her name into Sanskrit and have it inked into your “in memory” tattoo design. It is more unique than using our everyday Roman alphabet, and you do not have to make any awkward explanations to your future boyfriend or girlfriend why you have someone else’s name tattooed on your buttocks.
One of the major religions in the world, Hinduism, uses Sanskrit for its religious texts. Another major religion, Buddhism, also has religious texts in Sanskrit (Although it mostly uses Pali). If you want to commemorate some wonderful event or miracle in your life, why not do it using Sanskrit tattoo designs. Of course, if you are Christian, using Latin in your “in memory” tattoo design is perfectly fine too.
The oldest surviving Hindu religious text is the Rig Veda, written in Sanskrit, dated to 1500 BC. Two other great Hindu epics exist – the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Sanskrit tattoo designs using some of the magnificent verses from these ancient writings would make a great conversation piece. So would using some of the beautiful “sutra” Buddhist verses, written in Pali or Sanskrit. Tattoos like these are ideal for someone more spiritually inclined.
Sanskrit tattoo designs make for a beautiful alternative to other popular tattoo images like the celtic cross or flower tattoos.