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Sanskrit Manual I                  Helper notes set in brackets. Please send

 corrections to chrisalmondpiano@gmail.com

-Link to the nominal vibhakti tables i.e. राम, फल

If you are using the PDF, here is the link to the most up to date google docs version

Lesson 1 The Sanskrit Alphabet

• Exercises  📿 Quizlet letters 📿 conjuncts
• Comprehensive alphabet writing practice

• Single letter practice downloadable pdf
• Conjunct Consonant practice downloadable pdf

Lesson 2 The first Conjugation (भ्वादि)

• Guṇa and Vṛddhi chart
• Parasmaipada endings (-ति etc) in present tense लट्
• Vocabulary - 1st conjugation verbs
• Quizlet practice
• Exercises

Lesson 3 Masculine and Neuter Nouns । 1st and 2nd cases

• Nominative and Accusative Cases explained
• Vocabulary - अ ending nominals । Accusative Prepositions
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises 

Lesson 4 The Fourth Conjugation (दिवादि)

• Vocabulary - irregular and regular verbs 1st and 4th । some more अ ending nominals
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 5 Instrumental and Dative and the 6th Conjugation (तुदादि)

• Instrumental and Dative Cases explained
• Vocabulary - 6th conjugation verbs and prepositions governing instrumental and dative.
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 6 Masculine Nouns in इ and उ । 5th and 6th cases

• Ablative and Genitive
• Vocabulary - इ and उ ending masculine nouns and prepositions governing the Ablative and Genitive.
• Quizlet Practice 
• Exercises

Lesson 7  The tenth conjugation (चुरादि) । 7th case and Vocative

• Locative and Vocative
• Upasargas/Verbal Prefixes 
• Vocabulary - 10th conjugation verbs -
• Quizlet on these verbs and prefixes
• Exercises

Recapitulation - review and new vocab - Quizlet

• Recapitulation exercises

Lesson 8 Feminine

• आ and ई endings 
• ātmanepadī verbs

• Vocabulary - आ and ई nominals, new verbs
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 9 The imperfect tense लङ्  

• Active and Middle
• Feminine Nouns in इ and उ
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises (the first 9 sets of exercises have been not only proofread but completed to insure they are solvable in this form.)

Lesson 10 Nouns in ऋ

• Masculine and Feminine nouns in ऋ
• Imperative mood लोट्
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

        Lesson 11 The potential mood विधिलिङ्

• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 12 Neuter nouns in इ उ ऋ

• Agreement of the Adjective [  विशेषण ]
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 13 Personal Pronouns and Passive Voice

• personal pronouns
• The passive voice
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

        Lesson 14  The Demonstrative Pronouns

• इदम् and अदस्
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises
• Recapitulation Vocabulary - Quizlet (large set here)
• Recapitulation Exercises

Lesson 15 Nouns ending in Consonants

• General principles of Consonant Sandhi
• Case Endings
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 16 Nouns with one stem

• One stem noun varieties
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

        Lesson 17 Passive Impersonal/Nouns with two stems

• Passive Impersonal (भावे प्रयोग:)
• Nouns with two stems
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

        Lesson 18 Present and Perfect Participle

• Present participle active
• Present participle passive
• Perfect(past) Passive
• Perfect Active
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 19 The use of the Participle

• Particles are used like Adjectives
• Change of Voice
• Sandhi rules of final न followed by a vowel  or a consonant
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

LESSON 20 Two stems nominals and degrees of comparison

• Two stem nouns and adjectives
• Nouns and adjectives in इन् 
• Comparative and Superlative
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

        Lesson 21 Nouns and Adjectives with 3 stems

• The main varieties of nouns and adjectives
• case-endings

Lesson 22 Three stem nouns and adjectives continued

• Stems ending in - अन्
• Adjectives of direction ending in - अच्
• Vocabulary for both 21 and 22
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 23 The formation of the Feminine

• The general rules
• Special rules
• Interrogative and Relative Pronouns
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

        Lesson 24 Gerund and Absolute Constructions

• Indeclinable Past Participle(Gerund) (क्त्वा and ल्यप्)
• Locative Absolute
• Genitive Absolute
• Vocabulary 
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 25

• Infinitive in तुम् ( तुमुन् )
• The Subordinate-Clause
• The Adjective Clause
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

Lesson 26 The Adverb Clause

• Adverb Clause
• Vocabulary
• Quizlet Practice
• Exercises

        Practical Epilogue

• Class Stotrāṇi - the 5 stotras we have learned in class with word meanings.

Declensions tables listed in this book (click ):

-numbers indicate the topic heading for a printout

Most Verbal Conjugation Tables listed in this book

🕉💮🌼🌷🌻🌹🌸🌻🕉

Lesson 1 ⬆

The Sanskrit Alphabet

 अक्षर माला

The vowels [called svara in sanskrit]–There are 13 vowels in the Sanskrit alphabet. They are divided into simple vowels and diphthongs.

1. Every simple vowel, except the last, shows a short and a long form.

Simple vowels: [samānākṣara]

Short [hrasva]    अ a    इ i    उ u    ऋ r   ॡ ḷ

[these English looking letters are the I.A.S.T equivalents]

Long  [dīrgha]  आ ā    ई ī   ऊ ū    ॠ ṝ

Diphthongs:  ए  e    ऐ ai  ओ o   औ  au

2. The consonants [vyañjana]–The Sanskrit vyañjana are classified according to the organs of pronunciation. There are five categories:

1. those pronounced from the throat are called gutturals;
2. those pronounced from the palate are called palatals;
3. those that are pronounced from the roof of the mouth are called cerebrals;
4. those pronounced from the teeth are called dentals. 
5. those pronounced from the lips are called labials.

1. कण्ठ्य [kaṇṭhya] for gutturals

2. तालव्य [tālavya] for palatals

3. मू्र्धन्य  [mūrdhanya] for cerebrals

4. दन्त्य [dantya] for dentals

5. ओष्ठ्य [oṣṭhya]  for labials

These 5 category can contains [up to] seven consonants:

1. 5 mutes eg क ख ग घ ङ 
2. 1 semivowel [called antaḥstha] eg य
3. 1 sibilant  [called ūṣman]     eg श 

The five mutes of each category are divided as follows:

1. 2 hard mutes [​​aghoṣa-unvoiced]

1. One non-aspirate eg क , [class 1 below] [alpaprāṇa]
2. One aspirated      eg ख [class 2 below] [called mahāpṛāṇa]

2. 3 soft mutes [ghoṣavat]

1. One non-aspirate  eg ग [class 3 below] [alpaprāṇa]
2. One aspirate         eg घ   [class 4 below] [mahāpṛāṇa]
3. One nasal             eg ङ  [class 5 below] [anunāsika]

3. The semi-vowels are soft ह य ल व , the hard sibilants are श ष स.
4. [ह can be categorized as an aspirated ‘soft’ consonant and is usually grouped with other categories of pronunciation as seen below.]

Hard Consonants; Soft Consonants; Vowels

mahāprāṇa(aspirated) Consonants have Red Border

To facilitate pronunciation अ has been added after each consonant in this chart.

Diphthongs: ए e ऐ ai ओ o ओ au

Special letters/sounds which come after vowel ं ṃ (anusvāraḥ), ः ḥ (visargaḥ)

N.B.–An ‘a’ has been added to each consonant to facilitate the pronunciation.  Besides the consonants given above, the following should be noted:

3. Consonants followed by vowels

When a vowel follows a consonant, the consonant loses its stroke, and the vowel is written in an abbreviated form:

4. Compound consonants–When two or more consonants have to be written without intervening vowels, the following general principle is followed:

• All consonants, except the last of the group, drop their final vertical line:

ग् + ध = ग्ध , न् + त् + य = न्त्य ; म + प् = म्प; स् + थ = स्थ ।

• The combination of consonants which have no final vertical line assumes a form of its own.

क् + क = क्क ; क् + त = क्त ; क् + ष = क्ष ;

ङ + क =  ङ्क ; ङ् + ग = ङ्ग ; ज् + ञ = ज्ञ; ञ् + ज = ञ्ज ;

ट्+य =ट्य  ड् + ग - ड्ग ; त् + त = त्त ; द् + य = द्य ; द् +

ध = द्ध ; श् + च = श्च ; ष् + ट = ष्ट् ;  ष + ठ = ष्ठ ; ह् +

ण = ह्ण ; ह् + न = ह्न ।

• [there are many variants of a few of these forms and it is not possible to list all of them here]

• The consonant र् has a special treatment in combination; when it follows a consonant, it is written as:

• म् + र = म्र ; त् + र = त्र ; प्र + र = प्र

• When it precedes a consonant or the vowel ऋ it is written as

• र् + क = र्क ; र् + थ = र्थ ; र् + ऋ = र्ऋ

5. The sanskrit numerals are:

Exercise I ⬆

1. Write the Sanskrit vowels [svara].  

2. Write the Sanskrit consonants [vyañjana].

[Note that in addition to writing them, saying the vowels and consonants out loud is needed.]

3. What are the hard consonants [​​aghoṣa-unvoiced]?

4. What are the soft consonants [ghoṣavat]?

5. Join the following groups of letters:

VI. Write (and say) the following in Sanskrit (Devanāgarī) letters:

Lesson 2 ⬆

The first conjugation (भ्वादि)

6. Verb Basics

(1) The sanskrit verb conjugated in a finite tense has three persons and three numbers. The three numbers are singular (एकवचनम्), dual (द्विवचनम्), and plural (बहुवचनम्).

(2) The verbal root (धातु) is the original form of the verb. The verbal base (अङ्ग) is the form assumed by the root before the terminations are added.

(3) The formation of the verbal base depends partly on the strengthening of the radical vowel (i.e. the vowel of the root). Simple vowels are subject to a two-fold strengthening. The first is called guṇa. The second degree of strengthening is called vṛddhi. The following scheme of simple vowels with their two-fold strengthening should be committed to memory:

7. Formation of the base (अङ्ग) in the first Conjugation

1.  The final vowel and the short medial vowel of a root take guṇa.

1.       A medial vowel is a vowel which stands between consonants.
2. When a short vowel is followed by a compound consonant it is counted as long, e.g. विन्द् [व् + इ + न् + द्. The compound consonant न्द् follows the vowel इ and so is considered as long].
3. In भक्ष् , the compound consonant  is counted as long [भ + अ + क् + ष्. Remember क्ष् is क् + ष् ], so it does not take guṇa)

2.  The letter अ is added before the terminations.

• That अ becomes आ before the terminations beginning with म् or व्.  
• That अ is dropped before terminations beginning with अ.

8. The terminations of the present tense–active voice (लट् परस्मैपदी Parasmaipadī) are:

9. Applications

Roots having a short medial vowel: पत् (to fall), बुध् (to know), कृष् (to pull).

Formation of the base (quick glance)

1. Guṇa [strengthening] of the short medial vowel:

पत्–पत् : अ is the short medial vowel, and the guna for short अ is अ

बुध्–बोध् [ब् + उ + ध् ] उ is the short medial vowel and the guna of उ is ओ, hence बोध बोध्  [ब् + ओ +ध्]  

कृष्–कर्ष्  [क् + ऋ + ष् = कर्ष् ]

[ऋ is the short medial vowel and the guna of ऋ is अर् - note how the ऋ becomes र् and migrates to the top of ष् .]

2. The letter अ is added to the end: पत् + अ = पत ; बोध् + अ = बोध ; कर्ष् + अ = कर्ष ।

Before terminations beginning with म् or व् ; पता-, बोधा-, कर्षा-

Before terminations beginning with अ – पत्-, बोध्-, कर्ष्

Adding the terminations

In roots like जीव् (to live) and निन्द् (to blame), the medial vowel does not take guṇa because it is long.–Hence: जीवति, निन्दति।

Roots having a final vowel, short or long: 

जि (to conquer), भू (to become), सृ (to move).

Formation of the base

1.      Guṇa of the final vowel: जि → जे ; भू → भो ; सृ → सर्
2. The letter अ is added: जे + अ [its combination is explained below]; भो + अ [explained below]; सर् + अ = सर

In Sanskrit, two vowels following each other must be combined according to definite rules. Those rules are called the rules of vowel-sandhi.

In the case of जे + अ and भो + अ ; the following rule applies:                        

When ए and ओ are followed in the same word, by any vowel:

• the ए changes to अय् –– Hence जे + अ = जय् + अ = जय
• the ओ changes to अव् –– भो + अ = भव् + अ = भव

Before terminations beginning with म् or व् ; जया-, भवा-, सरा-

Before terminations beginning with अ ;  जय्- , भव्-, सर्-

Adding the terminations

II. Conjugate the following in the present tense – लट् , ⬆ 

active voice [कर्तरी प्रयोगः] – नी, वस् , द्रु , बुध् स्मृ

Lesson 3 ⬆

Masculine and Neuter Nouns

in अ Nominative and Accusative

10. (1) In Sanskrit, the grammatical function of a noun in a sentence is indicated by special terminations called case-endings. For instance, the noun पुत्र (son) becomes पुत्रः when it is the subject; it becomes पुत्रम् when it is the direct object. What we express by means of prepositions such as ‘with’, ‘by’, ‘to’, ‘for’, ‘from’, ‘of’, ‘in’ etc., is also rendered into Sanskrit by case endings. There are eight cases in Sanskrit: Nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative, genitive, locative and vocative.

(2) As in the verb, so also in the noun, Sanskrit has three numbers: singular, dual and plural. Sanskrit has three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.

(3) The various forms taken by a noun in all its cases and numbers are called the Declension of that noun.

(4) There are two types of nouns ending in अ. Some are masculine and some are neuter. Both masculine and neuter nouns in अ are declined in the same way except in the nominative, accusative and vocative.

 11.

12. The verb agrees with its subject in person and number:

E.g: A boy falls – बालः पतति।

       Two boys fall – बालौ पततः।

       Boys fall – बालाः पतन्ति।

13. The Nominative case is used:

1. To indicate the subject: The father leads- जनकः नयति।

2. To indicate the subjective complement:

The sons become heroes- पुत्राः भवन्ति वीराः।

3. To indicate a noun in apposition to the subject:
4. Rāma, the hero, conquers - रामः वीरः जयति।

14. The Accusative case is used:

1. To indicate the direct object of a transitive verb:

The father leads the sons -  जनकः पुत्रान् नयति।

2. To indicate the objective complement:

We know Rama (to be) a hero-   रामम् वीरम् बोधामः। 

3. After verbs indicating movement:

         The servant goes to the well-   दासः कूपम् गच्छति।

4. With the following prepositions:  

15. Sandhi rules do not apply to vowels alone, but also to consonants. Thus in the sentences above, the final म्  and the final ः (visarga) of a word followed by another word undergo various changes.

1. Final म्  when followed by a consonant is changed to anusvārā:

रामम् विरम् बोधामः = रामं वीरं बोधामः।

2. Final ः (visarga)

A  -  When visarga is followed by a hard consonants [13 total]

- (visarga) Remains unchanged before क् , ख्  , प् , फ् , श् ,ष्  , स्  

ex. पुत्रः खनति।   जनाः  पतन्ति।   बालः सरति।

- Becomes श्  before  च् and छ् - जनाः चलन्ति = जनाश्चलन्ति।      

- Becomes ष् before ट् and ठ - पठतः टीकाम् = पठतष्टीकाम्

- Becomes स् before त् and थ् - पुत्रः तरति = पुत्रस्तरति

B - When preceded by आ and followed by soft consonant or a vowel, the visarga is dropped: बालाः धावन्ति = बाला धावन्ति।

               जनाः अटन्ति = जना अटन्ति।  

C. When [the visarga is] is preceded by अ and followed by a soft consonant, अः is changed to ओ–पुत्रः धावति = पुत्रो धावति।

D. When [the visarga is] preceded by अ and followed by any vowel except अ, the visarga is dropped: धावतः आकुलौ = धावत आकुलौ।

E. When [the visarga is] preceded by अ and followed by अ, अः is changed to ओ while the following अ is elided [replaced by avagraha –ऽ and the ऽ is not pronounced]:

Ex. धावतः अश्वौ = धावतोऽश्वौ।

N.B.- When final visarga is followed by a sibilant  (श् , ष् or स् ) it either remains a visarga-as shown above or] is optionally changed to the [same] sibilant [that follows it]:

रामः शरणम्  or रामश्शरणम्।

बालः सरति or बालस्सरति।

[notable–for visarga followed by क, ख, प, फ: instead of remaining a visarga as seen above, you can optionally see ≍ between the two words  Ex. रामः कथयति or राम ≍ कथयति ]

III. Decline the following nouns:

ग्रामः, मेघः, कपोतः, कमलम् , शरीरम्।

Lesson 4⬆

The Fourth Conjugation (दिवादि)

16. The fourth conjugation

Present tense–Active voice (कर्तरि प्रयोग:)

1. Formation of the base

1. The radical vowel does not take guṇa.
2. य् is added to the root.
3. The letter अ is added before the terminations.

That अ becomes आ before terminations beginning with म् or व्.

That अ is dropped before terminations beginning with अ.

2. The terminations are the same as those of the first conjugation. (see no 8)

3. Application: पुष् (to nourish)  - Formation of the base

1. No guṇa of the radical vowel: पुष्
2. य्  is added to the root: पुष् + य् = पुष्य्
3.      The letter अ is added: पुष्य् + अ = पुष्य

Before terminations beginning with म् or व् – पुष्या

Before terminations beginning with अ – पुष्य्

Adding the terminations

17. The nominative and accusative plural of neuter nouns in -अ end in नि–वनम्–वनानि in plural.

In some instances, however, we have to write णि instead of नि, as in शरीरम् (body)-शरीराणि। The rule to be applied in this and similar cases is the following:

When, in the same word, न् is preceded by ऋ, ॠ, र्, or ष् and followed by a vowel, न्, म्, य्, or व् it is changed to ण्.

The rule applies even when the न् is separated from the preceding ऋ ॠ र् or ष् ब by several letters, provided those intervening letters be vowels, gutturals, labials, or य्, व् ह् and anusvāra.

Examples:

पत्रा + नि = पत्राणि  ;  नरे + न = नरेण ;  रामाय + न् = रामायण।

But:

नारन् because न् is followed by nothing.

पुष्यन्ति because न् is followed by त्

अर्जुनेन because the interening ज् is neither a vowel, a guttural, a labial, nor य्, व, ह् or anusvāra.

In order to remember the above rule, commit to memory the following line:

ऋषिर् वनमयं चटत सलेशम् ।

ऋषिर् – When, in the same word, न् is proceed by ऋ ॠ र्ष् or र्

वनमयं – and followed by a vowel or by व्, न्, म्, or य् it is changed to ण्.

चटत – provided the intervening letters be not palatals (च् छ् ज् झ् ञ्),

        cerebrals (ट्,ठ्,ड्,ढ्,ण्), dentals(त्,थ्,द्,ध्,न्) or one of the three

letters (स्,ल्, or श्)

18. Both in the first and in the fourth conjugations, there are verbal roots which form their base irregularly.

19. The Sanskrit sentence usually ends with the verb. The normal order of words is as follows: subject-object-verb

e.g. Two men see the forest. नरौ वनं पश्यतः।

20. The negation न is placed immediately before the verb:

The king does not blame the servants–नृपो दासान् न निन्दति।

The conjunction च (and) is either repeated after each one of the nouns it connects, or is written once only after the last noun of the series.

        The man and the boys go the village:

• नरश्च बालाश्च ग्रामं गच्छन्ति।
• or नरो बालाश्च ग्रामं गच्छन्ति।

Conjugate the following in the present tense, active voice:          

Lesson 5⬆ 

Instrumental and Dative

The 6th Conjugation (तुदादि)

21. The Instrumental case is used:

1. To indicate the agent of a passive verb.
2. To indicate the instrument which is used to do the action. The boy hides (his) face with (his) hands बालो मुखं हस्ताभ्याम् गूहति।
3. to indicate the person or thing accompanying the action. I go with the servant–दासेन गच्छामि।  

In this sense, the instrumental may be followed by the preposition सह (with)–दासेन सह गच्छामि।

4. to indicate the cause or reason, i.e. to translate expressions such as: ‘owing to’, ‘on account of’, ‘out of’, ‘because of’, etc. On account of misery I leave the village–दुःखेन ग्रामं त्यजामि।
5. to translate expressions like ‘by name’, ‘by nature’, ‘by family’, ‘by birth’, etc. Rāma is a hero by nature–स्वभावेन रामो वीरो भवति।
6. with the prepositions सह (with) and विना (without).
7. with the particles अलम् and कृतम् (enough). Enough with misery! अलं दुःखेन।

22. The Dative Case is used.

to indicate the indirect objects of verbs meaning ‘to give’, ‘to send’,  ‘to promise’, ‘to show’. The preceptor gives the books to the students–आचार्यः शिष्येभ्यः पुस्तकानि यच्छति।

after verbs meaning ‘to be angry with’, ‘to desire’, ‘to long for’. The father is angry with the son–जनकः पुत्राय कुप्यति ।

to express the purpose of the action. He goes for war (=with a purpose to fight) युद्धाय गच्छति।

to indicate the person or thing for whose advantage the action is done. He digs a well for (his) sons–कूपं पुत्रेभ्यः खनति।

after verbs indicating movement (see Accusative, No. 14) The servant goes to the village–दासो ग्रामाय गच्छति।

after the particles नमः (salutation) and स्वस्ति (hail to). Hail to the king!–नृपाय स्वस्ति।

23. The sixth Conjugation (तुदादि)

       Present tense- Active Voice

Formation of the base (quick glance)   

1. The radical vowel does not take guṇa.
2. य् is not added to the root.
3. The letter अ is added before the terminations.

That अ becomes आ before terminations beginning with म् or व्.

That अ is dropped before terminations beginning with अ     

The terminations are the same as those of the first conjugation. (see no 8)

24. Application: तुद्  (to strike)

          Formation of the base

(1) & (2) Neither guṇa nor य् (is added)–तुद्

             (3)  The letter अ is added: तुद् + अ = तुद

Before terminations beginning with म् or व् – तुदा-

Before terminations beginning with अ – तुद्-

Adding the terminations

25. Irregular Verbs of the 6th Conjugation

26. (रेफादेश: rephādeśaḥ-sandhi) When (the) final visarga is preceded by any vowel except अ or आ, a new sandhi rule must be applied.

  Final visarga is preceded by any vowel except अ or आ and followed by a vowel or a soft consonant is changed to र्

   बालैः धावति = बालैर्धावति । मित्रैः अटति = मित्रैरटति ।

27. We can now recapitulate the sandhi rules applying to final visarga (see No. 15)

N.B. - The particle भोः drops its visarga when followed by a vowel or soft consonant.