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.  I assume that you are curious and interested to learn Sanskrit. So, to learn Sanskrit keep in mind these simple steps.

1. Hire a Sanskrit teacher or go to a Sanskrit Learning centre. This is because Sanskrit has complex pronunciations & you may get some pronunciations wrong.
2. Get a Sanskrit dictionary. Get one that translates sanskrit to your convenient language. Translating in internet may be easier, but, this will make you more interested.
3. Practice shlokas.This helps you get better at you pronunciations and makes you read faster.

Here, the target language is taught to a student through the medium of a language that he or she is already acquainted with. Simple or basic grammar concepts are translated from the known language to the target language. Comparisons are, then, made between the grammar concepts of the two languages to establish clarity in the mind of the student.

There are ways to make your learning more efficient and easy through a more logical method. Here are 9 nice tips that will help you learn Sanskrit more easily.

1. Do basic research

To begin with, you need to do some basic research about your target language,Sanskrit. There are thousands of articles and videos that introduce the Sanskrit language. You should read and view these to know the language’s general history and how it works. 

2. Lay a solid foundation

I`m often asked if learners can just skip the boring beginning part and learn the “useful” and “practical” conversation part. Well, if you are in a hurry and just want to grab several basic greetings to warm up the meeting with Sanskrit people, then yes, you can just imitate some greetings directly. However, these greetings won`t take you far. If you are a serious learner who wants to have a longer and more meaningful conversation with Sanskrit people, take some language tests, or live around Sanskrit speaking people , a solid foundation of the Sanskrit language will make your learning easier and give you fewer obstacles.  

3. Learn the sentence order

Whenever we speak of knowledge points, grammar comes to our minds immediately. It seems there are many grammar points to learn during the whole language learning process. However, as I always claim, Sanskrit grammar is really not as difficult as you think. Using English speakers as an example, you should know the difference between English and Sanskrit first, then this can give you a better overview of the target language.

4. Memorize simple vocabulary. 

No matter what language you’re learning, the more words you have at your disposal, the sooner you will become fluent. Therefore, the next thing to do is to memorize some useful Sanskrit vocabulary

5.  Learn some basic conversational phrases.

Once you have a basic grasp of vocabulary and pronunciation, you can move on to learning basic conversational phrases which are used in everyday Sanskrit speech.

• Good morning – सुप्रभातम्

• Good night – शुभरात्रिः

• Good bye – शुभाः ते पन्थानः

• Sorry – क्षम्यतां

• Welcome – स्वागतम्

• My name is – मम नाम

6.  Find the right materials

As a self-learner, the ability to collect high quality learning materials and resources is necessary. The development of internet technologies has been constantly changing the process of learning a foreign language, and we should use the maximum available online tools to do so.  A complete resource website can help a lot, such as Multibhashi. You can find all Sanskrit learning skills, materials, resources, and even courses there. It is quite convenient to have it all in one digital place. During your own study time, you can focus on a selected textbook or on an online Sanskrit video course.  

7. Watch Sanskrit films and dramas. 

Get your hands on some Sanskrit DVDs (preferably with subtitles) or watch Sanskrit films online. This is an easy, entertaining way to get a feel for the sound and structure of the  Sanskrit language.

• If you’re feeling particularly proactive, try pausing the video after a simple sentence and repeat what has just been said. This will lend your Sanskrit accent an air of authenticity!

8. Consider signing up for a language course. 

If you need some extra motivation or feel you would learn better in a more formal setting, try signing up for a Sanskrit language course. 

• Look out for language courses advertised at local colleges, schools or community centers.
• If you’re nervous about signing up for a class by yourself, drag a friend along. You’ll have more fun and someone to practice with between classes!

9. Make the Sanskrit Language a daily learning habit.

People complain that it’s too complicated or they aren’t good at languages, because they can’t learn the language. In reality, the main reason is that people cannot regularly learn the language by themselves which would be great for learning the Sanskrit language as this language consists of various forms and once you create a good habit of learning these forms you can easily cohabit with the language.

The routine is the true behaviour in response to the remaining pending. When you start, make the routines simple – like open the app or check your last lesson with 5 words. These routines may not sound enough, but because they are so simple, you will almost never struggle and you will find that you want to do much more than your initial work.