Introduction:

Sanskrit is a classical language of South Asia belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting impact on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies

Sanskrit is one of the 17 official languages in India, and is considered sacred by many. In fact, the word “Sanskrit” itself means “consecrated” or “sanctified ] If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you likely already know a handful of Sanskrit words – although your yoga instructor may not have pronounced them correctly. To learn Sanskrit, start with the sounds made by each of the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. From there you can expand your vocabulary and enrich yourself with the beauty of this classical language

1. Start with the short sounds of fundamental vowels.

There are 5 fundamental vowels in Sanskrit. However, the fifth is rarely used. The 4 fundamental vowels that form the basis for all other vowel sounds are a, i, u, and ṛ. 

• a is pronounced like the u in the English word “but.” This letter is described as the sound of an exhalation. In Sanskrit, it is considered the starting point of all other sounds in the language.
• i is pronounced like the i in the English word “bit.”
• u is pronounced like the u in the English word “put.”
• There is no true English equivalent for the ṛ sound. It sounds a bit like you are saying “ruh.”

2.Organize consonant sounds by their points of pronunciation. 

If vowels are the sound of the breath, consonants represent a stoppage of breath. When you pronounce words in Sanskrit, you stop the breath at different parts of your mouth to form the consonant sounds.

• There are 5 pronunciation points in Sanskrit, related to the part in your mouth where the air flow is stopped: the soft palate (at the very back of your mouth), the hard palate (at the top of your mouth), the hard bump behind your teeth on the roof of your mouth, your lips, and the base of your teeth.
• The Sanskrit alphabet is organized logically with the vowels first, followed by the consonants, which are grouped together according to their points of pronunciation.

3. Understand the use of ha in Sanskrit. 

The letter h in Sanskrit is simply a voiced breath. As you exhale, add an aah sound.  There is no hard h as in English, such as in the words “harsh” or “hello. 

• The letter h next to another consonant means you should aspirate. It is not a consonant blend, like you might see in English with words such as “when” and “where.”

4.Read poetry and sacred texts written in Sanskrit. 

The Digital Library of India scanned at least 34,000 texts in Sanskrit. Although it has been discontinued, many of these digital files have been preserved and are available for free download at https://sanskritdocuments.org/scannedbooks/

5. Learning Vocabulary:

We want to learn maximum vocabulary. Well we can read and learn vocabulary but how long does it stay with us? It is important to retain vocabulary to get the basic purpose solved i.e., to use it while conversing. It is much required to build a solid Sanskrit vocabulary foundation. You can go for an approach, ‘Fewer words but daily’.

Mark the number of vocabulary you will learn on a daily basis. Keep that number fixed every day. To learn more Sanskrit words, associate learning words with actions, this way our brain is tricked into learning more and more words. Also, with every word learnt, we can learn a simple sentence too, with this we will get to know about the use of the word in a sentence.

6. Online Audio & Podcasts will Help You to Learn Sanskrit

Podcasts are a great way to learn Sanskrit especially if you are a good listener. You can listen to it whenever you want to, for example, when you are going on your commute, when you’re running out to the corner shop, or  while you do chores around the house.

7. Repeating what you learn:

When you learn anything which may include learning the Sanskrit language, the connections between certain neurons, called synapses, are strengthened. Repetition, of what has been read or learnt, is important to establish a network of strong and long-lasting synapses so that you can effectively and efficiently learn Sanskrit languages. The easy way to get success in learning the language is nothing but practice, practice, and more practice. To learn and speak Sanskrit fluently, you will have to practice the same words and phrases over and over again. Your brain needs to get used to thinking spontaneously in Sanskrit. Read aloud words when you are doing any Sanskrit exercise, especially the words which have an umlaut mark on the letters as it changes the pronunciation of a letter. It helps in acquiring better pronunciation.