What is the best way to learn Sanskrit on your own?
Sanskrit is a language that belongs to the Indo-Aryan group and is the root of many, but not all Indian languages. Make your basics strong and clear, to progressively build up the skills. The best resources for learning any language is speaking and listening to the language as much as possible. Start taking professional classes at Sanskrit University. Learn the rules of grammar, Ashtadhyayi and go on to learn shlokas from Amara Kosha. Without that, no matter how much you dedicate yourself to the language, you will have to rely on translations of epics, Puranas, Vedas etc. If you know the grammar, you can literally read Puranas like you read storybooks. First of all, Sanskrit is not a hard language, at least compared to other foreign languages. Learning Sanskrit is easy and beautiful.