I say this for every language that I learn but Sanskrit truly rules my heart!
More than the language itself, it is the effect that I observe in my system when speaking it, which is manifold when I am in an EXCLUSIVE Sanskrit environment… Whether it is the cleverly designed mnemonic sound arrangements OR the power of rendition in shlokas, the joy of crafting a perfectly declined sentence in Sanskrit is just something else!
I am hardly an expert in Sanskrit, I stumbled upon it at school and found an exceptional teacher who captured my attention and retained my interest in the language for three school years. In India, students mostly go for this subject in schools because one can score a 100/100, but it is difficult to pursue this after 10th standard due to peculiar subject combinations. After finishing 12th standard, I tried to pursue Sanskrit again as an Honours course in Delhi University, but as luck would have it, that year the course was scrapped from my dream college, and I ended up in an Honours course in Spanish language and literature. And that is where the journey into foreign languages began…
Over the years, I have constantly tried to re-kindle my incomplete love story with Sanskrit through residential camps, online programs, video channels but life just keeps getting in the way. Someday, I hope to take a more committed approach to deepening my knowledge of this treasure trove of a language.
Meanwhile, for those who want to get their feet wet in learning this classical language, here are some of the steps that helped me get closer to my (still distant) target:
1. Invest some time in learning the Devanaagari script: this is especially valid for Sanskrit because simple changes in vowel lengths or aspirations result in a change in the meaning of utterances. Since this is not a spoken language anymore, one must entirely rely on the written word, and it is essential NOT to skip this step. I have also seen many learners use the Roman script (or transliteration) initially. In my opinion, this does more harm than benefit because the English alphabet is insufficient to convey the wide variety of sound systems in Indian languages and once things are learned incorrectly, it takes a long while to unlearn the mistakes.
2. Try learning the IPA: No access to Devanaagari/ Hindi tutors around you? In Linguistics, we have a technical phonetic tool called the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) where each sound or phoneme is represented by its unique symbol. This symbol has detailed information to the T about the specific phoneme based on its place and manner of articulation in the human speech apparatus. IPA is an incredible tool to master that enables one to write the sounds of ANY language in the world without actually having to learn specific scripts! Exciting, isn’t it? Here’s what an IPA chart looks like, just to give the readers an idea:
3. Find Sanskrit tutors: This is true for all languages in my opinion. But MOST definitely true for Sanskrit because of the super complex grammatical nuances and finery. The good news is that during the pandemic, an endless number of Sanskrit schools went online. There are short courses for 3 months and longer courses for up to two years. An added bonus is that they are MUCH cheaper compared to other modern languages (I wonder why!). Find the one that suits your requirements and begin!
4. Sanskrit Residential programs: There are several academies (especially in Rishikesh, India) that organise language retreats where learners from different parts of the world stay together for 10-15 days and speak only in Sanskrit, there are advanced classes and discussions too. Of course, this step assumes at least basic competence in Sanskrit. The only institute that I associated with years ago was 'Samskrita Bharati'. I attended their mind-blowing Sanskrit conversation camp (15 days) in Delhi in June 2011. The best part about this experience was that they created an exclusive Sanskrit environment for us – no gadgets, newspapers or anything else from outside was allowed. For 15 days we stayed in a secluded location with other Sanskrit enthusiasts and nobody spoke anything other than Sanskrit. We had classes all day long, the first one beginning at 7 a.m.! We got 3 meals a day, and a tea/drinks break in the late afternoon. In the evenings, usually there were Sanskrit discussions where we were encouraged to ask questions not just about the language but about absolutely anything else around Indian culture, ancient knowledge and what not! It was an experience like no other, changed my life. And learning Sanskrit was just a by-product. By day 5, I could understand fluent Sanskrit even with my humble background in it, by day 10, I could speak fluently and at day 15, I was ready to teach! They have an extremely dedicated staff and some of the best teachers you can ever find. As a bonus, I made some great friends, and we are still in touch :D
5. YouTube has it all: There is some de-li-cious content on learning Sanskrit step-by-step on Youtube. You can pick and choose depending on your level and interest. I recommend The Sanskrit Channel.
6. Commit to something regular, however small: At this point in my life, I cannot commit to huge chunks of time dedicated to Sanskrit studies. However, it is also important to not lose touch; languages grow on you, your brain gradually makes space to accommodate the nuances of particular languages, so instead of dedicating erratic large chunks of time once in a blue moon, it is better to keep in regular touch. This is especially true for classical languages as there are no speakers or conversational environments for them otherwise. I have committed to learn one new Sanskrit Shloka (a couplet) every week for 30 minutes on Zoom with an expert. I am hoping that this will be the thread that keeps me attached to the larger target. There are several other ideas to adopt for a short weekly activity if you don’t want to enrol in a course right away: You could sign up for newsletters, listen to Sanskrit news, start a meetup and have conversations with other Sanskrit enthusiasts.
Please let me know in the comments what you thought about these tips for learning Sanskrit. You could also write to me at prachiwritescopy@gmail.com for further discussions 😊
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