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Sanskrit

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
It's been on my bucket list to learn Sanskrit, and it seems to me a productive hobby as I transition into the next stage of life. I've picked up several words in studying scripture and in researching experiences, but only in seeing Latin (English) letters. Aside from ॐ, I'm lost when it comes to IAST (Sanskrit script). I'd really like to get to the point where I can read this script without having to mentally pronounce them using the Latin alphabet.

Does anyone have a reputable online resource they have experience with to learn Sanskrit? (Please don't just do a Google search and post links; I have Google, too. ;))

If not, can someone recommend a text that I can purchase, preferably in digital format?
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Check with @Jainarayan. He is serious about learning Sanskrit. For me it was easy as Ashtadhyayi (Paninis book Contaning eight chapters) is available in Hindi. It is just a 100 page book costing USD 1 (the message is that do not buy very costly books through Amazon).Though I did not complete my Sanskrit studies. My teacher thought that I was at a stage when I could try to converse in Sanskrit. It took some 4 months.

I am trying to give you sources which are of quality and either free or damn cheap.
Sanskrit Language Teaching (you will not get fleeced here. Government of India organization)

The problem is that I should search something which is in English.
How familiar are you with Devnagari / Hindi script and pronunciation? You must learn the Hindi script.

These seem to be OK:
https://www.amazon.in/dp/9353221412/ref=emc_b_5_t INR 600
https://www.amazon.in/Learn-Sanskrit-30-Days-Srinivasachari/dp/1553940431/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_1/262-1748509-7710732?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1553940431&pd_rd_r=c351efa4-36a9-409a-a5e3-b8966f14e4cc&pd_rd_w=EojJy&pd_rd_wg=3Oiid&pf_rd_p=6b10875b-45e7-4b58-9b02-21bb75fd5289&pf_rd_r=WC9MC04JS9WQVRDBJ06B&psc=1&refRID=WC9MC04JS9WQVRDBJ06B INR 150https://www.amazon.in/Learn-Sanskri...9WQVRDBJ06B&psc=1&refRID=WC9MC04JS9WQVRDBJ06B
https://www.amazon.in/Complete-Sanskrit-Beginner-Intermediate-Course/dp/1444106104/ref=pd_lpo_14_img_2/262-1748509-7710732?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1444106104&pd_rd_r=c351efa4-36a9-409a-a5e3-b8966f14e4cc&pd_rd_w=EojJy&pd_rd_wg=3Oiid&pf_rd_p=6b10875b-45e7-4b58-9b02-21bb75fd5289&pf_rd_r=WC9MC04JS9WQVRDBJ06B&psc=1&refRID=WC9MC04JS9WQVRDBJ06B INR 400https://www.amazon.in/Complete-Sans...9WQVRDBJ06B&psc=1&refRID=WC9MC04JS9WQVRDBJ06B
 
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SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm afraid my knowledge of Hindi is more lacking than my knowledge of Sanskrit. :(
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Does anyone have a reputable online resource they have experience with to learn Sanskrit? (Please don't just do a Google search and post links; I have Google, too. ;))

I’m not sure how to get around that but I have found and use a few sites. Some are organized lessons, some are cheat sheets as I call them, but they’re interactive tools for declining parts of speech. I haven’t found any single comprehensive text except Whitley’s. But Whitley melds Vedic and Classical Sanskrit. For example he shows Rāmas (Vedic) as the nominative instead of Rāmaḥ (Classical). It may or may not be a big deal depending on the context.

Btw, I think what @Aupmanyav meant is that Hindi uses the same script as Sanskrit, so if you know how to read Hindi you already know the alphabet. [Edit: I just reread what he wrote, I misunderstood that it looks like he meant Panini’s book is in translated into Hindi from the original Sanskrit Panini write in. My bad]. When you learn to read Sanskrit you’ll be able to read Hindi, though the languages work somewhat differently. Hindi is nowhere near as inflected as Sanskrit, but its vocabulary is highly Sanskritized.

Hindi “what’s your name?” आप का नाम क्या है (āp kā nām kyā hai)
Sanskrit “what’s your name?” तव नाम किम् (tava nāma kim?)
Hindi “thank you” dhanyavād
Sanskrit “thank you” dhanyavāda

Hindi drops the schwa at the end of words, and often in between. Devanagari vs. Devnagri, Pandava vs. Pandva, Jayanārāyana vs. Jainārāyan (jaya also becomes jai).

1. UBC Sanskrit Learning Tools
2.
Help:IPA/Sanskrit - Wikipedia
3.Sanskrit tools
4.Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit I use this one a lot. The Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit page will write a word or phrase out in Devanagari. It’s not perfect but it’s very helpful.
5. https://www.reddit.com/r/sanskrit/new/ The people here are very knowledgeable. There’s a recommendation for this site https://www.sheshnaag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/litte_red_book.pdf
6. Lesson 3: Sandhi Charts This is a godsend.
7. http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?14522-Some-of-pāṇini-s-rules-applied
8. Sanskrit Grammar | Learn Sanskrit Online

So, most of what I use is pieced together. My temple offers a Sanskrit course, currently suspended of course. But once they resume, given that I’m no longer constrained by a work schedule I may sign up.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Suggest learn Devnagari script. You will be able to access more Sanskrit learning material.
It is not difficult, very methodical, Sanskrit derived, nicely grouped consonants.

Hindi.jpg

Groups (Horizontally): Guttaral, Palatal, Cerebral (Hard), Dental (Soft), Labial, Semi-vowel, Silibant, Aspirate.
Note (Last Column): First Na is like nga. Second like nya, third like in Ravana, fourth is English N.
'nga' and 'nya' are not used very frequently, so don't bother about them in the beginning.
That is all about it. Vowels also are easy. :)
 
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PureX

Veteran Member
I only know one word of Sanskrit: "lila". It means, "gods at play". I only know this because it is the title of an excellent novel by the guy who also wrote, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
You are right. Leela is an important word in Sanskrit and Hinduism, as we consider the universe to be God's play. Another equivalent word is Maya (what is perceived but is not the truth). :D

But there are philosophies and sects which do not accept the concept of 'maya' and say that what is perceived is real. That (dualistic) philosophy was propagated by Madhvacharya and he considered Krishna to be the Supreme God. Dual; or Non-dual is a big debate in Hinduism.
 
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Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
For Salix, some more - Hindi Vowels:

Vowels.png

Sanskrit / Hindi do not have the sound of 'e' as in 'escape' and 'o' as in 'doctor' which I regret.
We have to use work arounds. Given to me, I would add them.
Edit: I do not take consonants and vowels as sacred. I would prefer to add more sounds to make the collection rich, of course, without over-burdening it.
The second part of the image shows the work arounds people can use (last line, not official).
Dependent vowels: That is how we append marks to consonants, like the sound of 'B' when appended becomes 'Boss'.
'ri' is sacred like in Rigveda. A similar one 'rr' is hardly used, so can be forgotten for the moment.
'a:' is 'ah' (not 'aah'). Both 'am' and 'ah' are used commonly, therefore important.
 
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