Introductory Readings in Sanskrit I (305-1-20)

Instructors

Mark Richard McClish

Meeting Info

University Hall 418: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Sanskrit is a classical language of South Asia that was used to produce texts of great learning, beauty,
and insight over a period of more than 3,000 years. Originally reserved for religious texts, Sanskrit had
become—by the first millennium BCE—a general language of learning for disciplines as diverse as
grammar, ritual, law, astronomy, poetry, literature, philosophy, and more. Some of the great texts of
world literature are written in Sanskrit and knowledge of Sanskrit (and related languages) is essential for
the study of ancient India.

This course is the first of a two quarter sequence that provides instruction in the Sanskrit language for
beginners. No prior knowledge is required for 305-1. It begins a comprehensive introduction to the
Sanskrit language, while engaging students from the beginning in the practice of translation.

Over the course of the two-quarter sequence, students will translate adapted Sanskrit stories that grow
in complexity until, at the end of the second quarter, they will translate the famous short story Nala and
Damayantī exactly as it is presented in The Mahābhārata. Other readings are adapted from the short
story collection, The Hitopadeśa, The Mahābhārata, and The Bhagavadgītā. In translating these
passages, we will also be learning about the fables, myths, and theology of the Hindu Traditions.

Learning Objectives

Students will learn the following:
• how to read the Devanagari syllabary
• introduction to the the fundamentals of Sanskrit grammar, including the parts of speech
• introduction to the conjugation of Sanskrit verbs and declension of Sanskrit nouns
• foundational vocabulary
• the basics of Sanskrit syntax
• how to read short narrative texts written in Classical Sanskrit

Class Materials (Required)

Maurer, W. H. The Sanskrit Language: Introductory Grammar and Reader. Rev. New York: Routledge,
2009.