Mind Your Language: 5 ways to build a strong foundation in Sanskrit

The new session for students started on April 5, 2023. Those going into class VI would have had to choose a third language. Most parents insist that their children take up Sanskrit since it is a scoring subject. Students also find it an easy subject to study as it is all about understanding and then learning the rules.

But this is where some students falter, says Kishanlal Arya, Sanskrit teacher at Apeejay School, Nerul. “When students come to us in class VI, we start from the very basics — how to pronounce words is one of the first lessons that the children are introduced to. Only if the students can correctly speak the words, will they be able to read the chapters as they go into higher classes. Once they get the pronunciation correct they will understand where to break the word to speak the word properly. We call this sandhi-viched which is taught in higher classes. Knowing where to break the big words is a bonus,” Arya explained.

Side-by-side the students are introduced to basic rules that form the foundation of the language. What some students don’t realise is that these are the rules on which the language rests. “Therefore, even if they go into higher classes, they can’t afford to forget these. It is like forgetting ABCD….” Arya opined.

---

“Students don’t realise there are rules on which the Sanskrit language rests. Therefore, even if they go into higher classes, they can’t afford to forget these. It is like forgetting ABCD”

–Kishanlal Arya, Sanskrit teacher at Apeejay School, Nerul

---

Another thing that is taught in class VI is shlokas, getting their pronunciation correct, and explaining the meaning in detail. “Students need to also keep in mind Sanskrit varnmala (alphabets) which is the first lesson that they are taught,” Arya said.

He listed five ways that every student studying the language must know:

1. The students are taught shabd and dhaatu roop – for shabd roop they will need to know ek vachan, de vachan, and bahuvachan. For dhaatu roop, they will need to memorise pratham, madhyam, and uttam purush. While this is new for the students, it is something that they will have to learn as they are the formulas for Sanskrit. Only when they know these can they score well in this language.

2.  The students need to also familarise themselves with karak chin.

3. Reading is a must for students; this will ensure that they don’t make mistakes as they go into higher classes.

4. Another important thing to keep in mind is pratyay. There are three types of pratyay in Sanskrit – pratipadika, lakara, and avyay. Using a pratyay changes not only the word but also its meaning.

5. Vachan is yet another aspect of Sanskrit that needs to be learnt.

“Based on these rules alone, a student can build a strong foundation in Sanskrit. The rules that are associated with these are not something that the students can afford to forget. Hence, they must keep revising them. Even when they go into higher classes, they must revisit the rules taught in lower classes,” Arya stressed.

Why should students choose Sanskrit?

It is believed that the perfect form of the Sanskrit language existed thousands of years before the earliest languages of the world like Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Some even say that Sanskrit is the first script and the mother of all languages in the world, something that is corroborated by our grammar and linguistic analysis and language experts.

“Studying Sanskrit increases your intelligence. Reading and memorising shlokas improves a student’s retention power. Studying this subject also expands his/her scientific knowledge. Our Vedas mention several scientific information that is in Sanskrit. Even NASA says that Sanskrit is the BEST language for computer programming. A research paper from 1985 argued that the strict structure of Sanskrit would allow it to be processed more easily by machines,” Arya said in conclusion.