Introduction:

Sanskrit is a beautiful language, and it is one of the oldest Indo-European languages and to justify that there is substantial documentation that exists. Sanskrit has been used as a philosophical language in the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In ancients times, Sanskrit is believed to be the general language prevalent in the greater Indian subcontinent. Even at present, Sanskrit is used while performing rituals, chants in Hinduism, Buddhism. Sanskrit is considered to be one of the rich languages,  which is rich in its literature, rich in ideas and thoughts, rich in meanings and values. Sanskrit is the oldest and the most continuously used language in the whole world. The Sanskrit language holds an impeccable credential as knowing the perplexing grammar of this language gives us deep insight into language structure in general. Many of the English words are related to words and their forms that also exist in the Sanskrit language. Its study illuminates their grammar and etymology. Learning Sanskrit introduces one to our vast epics, rich scripture, philosophical thoughts, immense mythology, exquisite poetry, and much more. There are much more advantages, but the most sensible, practical, and usable value of learning Sanskrit lies within the indisputable fact that it trains the mind to think rationally and logically, brings clarity in expression, develops one’s intellectual strength, and provides profound insight into the meanings of the words. 

Now you may have understood why learning Sanskrit is a bright idea and have decided to give the language a try at learning the same, now the focus should be on how to learn and practice more of the language.

• Ready yourself:

Firstly prepare and make yourself understand that learning Sanskrit is just like any other language. Like how many believe, Sanskrit is not impossible to learn and neither is it too tough to understand. The problem is that most people do not know how to, start their journey. No need to get disheartened or discouraged with the thought of making mistakes while learning the language. All of us make mistakes after all we are humans. This rather could be taken as a way of learning Sanskrit from our mistakes. A key step is to combine Sanskrit grammar with conversational vocabulary and try to form very basic sentences used in daily life. You will make mistakes and need not worry, take the help of online resources for audios or videos for pronunciation corrections. This practice will boost your basic Sanskrit conversation ability.

• Enhance your listening skills:

Regular practice in honing your Sanskrit learning skills can also lead to better reading too. Listen to the news in the language. News has always a variety of elements that required to be described. Through news, vocabulary can be developed quickly. Make yourself ready for listening more or as equal to the reading part, which is being considered important in the language learning process. Make listening to audios, news, programs, songs a joyful experience and open your arms for better acquisition of language through knowing vocabulary. You may choose the content/audio which brings joy to you. While listening, one can note down the words which they understand. This will increase vocabulary knowledge.

• Grammar knowledge:

When you come across dizzying arrays of declensions, conjugations, and other grammatical rules, it may become quite challenging to understand and retain the information. One needs to use dictionaries and Grammar books to learn the rules of the language better and retain them for a long. It is often seen that the written form and the spoken form of a language have slight differences from each other. This step will let you bridge that gap and overcome the hurdle of understanding perplexing grammar. One can learn numerous vocabulary words and language grammatical rules every week and can present a self-test based on the learned concept. It will help you in better apprehension of the technical aspects of the language. 

• Go for more books:

You’ll get references for many books from many publishers. Get one book in that language and series and stick to that. Please do not get swayed away with so many options. Stick to one. There could be fewer good or bad points with each set, but these are irrelevant if you are a serious learner of Sanskrit. Also, NCERT resource mentioned above is a good starting point.

• Online resources:

Along with the above-mentioned ways, one can also look for varied online resources, which in today’s time considered as the wise and best-chosen option. There are various online portals that give ample learning opportunities to a learner.

1. Multibhashi – Multibhashi offers both one-to-one and webinar options. Multibhashi,  through its varying content, teaches you the foremost vital aspects of Sanskrit, from Basics of Sanskrit including grammar to exquisite poetry. Their classes give you regular practices/ revisions of the concepts taught and regularly reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned so that you can assess your learning path.
2. Chinmaya mission  – It is one of the most popular online resources to learn the Sanskrit language. They have separate courses for the beginner and the advanced learners.
3. Open Paathshaala – The classes through Open Paathshaala are best for both young and old learners. The Course starts with Basic, followed by Intermediate and Advanced.