The First-Year Sanskrit I class is the first term of a four-term sequence that introduces students to Sanskrit, a classical language of India used by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains. The course focuses on the Classical Sanskrit which begins approximately around 500 B.C. and continues to be used till modern times. [Vedic Sanskrit precedes Classical Sanskrit by about a thousand years.] Though it is mostly restricted to religious ceremonies in modern times, in the pre-modern period, Sanskrit was used for literature, ritual, philosophy, royal inscriptions, and also for sciences like mathematics and medicine. Classical Sanskrit provides access to almost twenty-five hundred years of Indian history, and its knowledge also helps a better understanding of the modern languages of India. The Sanskrit course begins with introducing the alphabet and gradually moves on to cover the basic grammar of the language. Students are taught to read, write, and understand this classical language which is a tool for accessing a wide range of materials that are written in this language.

Intended Audience:

Undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in learning Sanskrit