Lesson 23

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• 1st and 2nd case revision
• Introduction to avyaya-s (indeclinables)
• tumun-anta-avyaya

Home Work:

• Make 5 sentences using  tumun-anta-avyaya

Topic Details:

While brushing up the 1st and 2nd cases, now would be a good time to introduce a type of words called avyaya-s.  There are many types of avyaya-s, each for a different use and purpose.  But all these avyaya-s are indeclinable.  That means, they DO NOT change or alter with any gender, case or number.

Let us see in more detail, one such type of avyaya.  It is called 'tumun-anta-avyaya'.  It is called so because it is obtained by adding tumun-pratyaya to a verb.  The words formed thus, would be as below and their meanings would be as shown.

पठति	paThati	-	पठितुम्	paThitum	to read
लिखति	likhati	-	लेखितुम्	lekhitum	to write
वदति	vadati	-	वक्तुम्	vaktum	to say
गच्छति	gachChati	-	गन्तुम्	gantum	to go
आगच्छति	aagachChati	-	आगन्तुम्	aagantum	to come
फलति	phalati	-	फलितुम्	phalitum	to bear fruit
पतति	patati	-	पतितुम्	patitum	to fall
पिबति	pibati	-	पातुम्	paatum	to drink
खादति	khaadati	-	खादितुम्	khaaditum	to eat
विकसति	vikasati	-	विकसितुम्	vikasitum	to bloom
तिष्ठति	tiShThati	-	स्थातुम्	sthaatum	to stay
अटति	aTati	-	अटितुम्	aTitum	to roam
चलति	chalati	-	चलितुम्	chalitum	to move
जयति	jayati	-	जेतुम्	jetum	to win
नयति	nayati	-	नेतुम्	netum	to carry/lead
श्रुणोति	shruNoti	-	श्रोतुम्	shrotum	to hear
पृच्छति	pRuchChati	-	प्रष्टुम्	praShTum	to ask
पश्यति	pashyati	-	द्रष्टुम्	draShTum	to see
ददाति	dadaati	-	दातुम्	daatum	to give
करोति	karoti	-	कर्तुम्	kartum	to do

We shall see more examples as we go along and learn other types of avyaya-s parallel to the cases.

Until next lesson, happy practicing.

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 22

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Revision of 6th and 7th cases
• Introduction to 1st and 2nd cases in all 3 genders

Home Work:

• Write the 'prakRuti padam' of 10 (3-4 in each gender) new vocabulary words and write their respective 1st and 2nd cases.   

Topic Details:

Revisit the 7th and 6th case words and ascertain their forms and usages.

As seen earlier, all nouns have a 'prakRuti padam', from which all cases are generated.  The ending of the prakRuti pada is what decides the gender and ending (akaaraanta, aakaaraanta, ikaaraanta, etc.) of the nouns.

The 1st case of the word, makes the noun a subject.  For example,
राम (raama) becomes रामः (raamaH),
लता (lataa) becomes (stays) लता (lataa),
वन (vana) becomes वनम् (vanam).

When these words are used in their 1st case forms like this, their usage in the sentence would be as a subject.

When raama is the subject of the sentence, as in - raama does the work, one would use the 1st case.  Hence the sentence would be, रामः कार्यं करोति। (raamaH kaaryam karoti.)  Same holds good for the other genders as well.

When the noun is used in the 2nd case, then it becomes the object.   In this case, all the 3 genders under go the same kind of transformation to the prakRuti padam.  They all change as below -

राम (raama) becomes रामम् (raamam),
लता (lataa) becomes लताम् (lataam)
वन (vana) becomes वनम् (vanam)

Important note:  Notice that vanam changed the same way in both 1st and 2nd case!  The neuter gender nouns assume the same forms in both 1st and 2nd cases.  The meaning of the word in a sentence is deduced based on the context it is being used, whether it is the subject or the object!

We shall deal both these cases in more detail in the next lesson.


Until then, happy practicing.

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 21

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Understanding 6th case in all 3 genders in shloka-s and subhaaShita-s
• Decoding a verse based on the current knowledge of 6th and 7th case vibhakti-s

Home Work:

• Make 5 of your own sentences using both 6th and 7th case.

Topic Details:

Let's understand a subhaaShita which has a good usage of both 6th and 7th cases.  The verse goes like this -

तक्षकस्य विषं दन्ते मक्षिकायाश्च मस्तके
वृश्चिकस्य विषं पुच्छे सर्वाङ्गे दुर्जनस्य च
-चाणक्य नीति
takShakasya viShaM dante makShikaayaashcha mastake
vRushchikasya viShaM puchChe sarvaange durjanasya cha
- chaaNakya nIti


To understand the meaning, let's break down the verse into its words individually.  That will give a better understanding of the verse itself.


takshakasya - of the snake (6th case)
visham - poison (1st case)
dante - in the teeth (7th case)
makShikaayaaH - of the bee (6th case)
mastake - in the head (7th case)
vRushchikasya - of the scorpion (6th case)
puchChe - in the tail (7th case)
sarvange - in all organs (7th case)
durjanasya - of the evil doer (6th case)
cha - and/also


Based on these meanings, the verse translates to -

A snake has poison in its teeth, a bee in its head, a scorpion has poison in its tail whereas durjana (evil doer) has poison in all parts of his body.

Will start a new vibhakti in the next lesson.  

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 20

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Refresh 7th case vibhakti pratyaya-s
• Refresh 6th case masculine and neuter gender vibhakti pratyaya-s
• 6th case feminine gender vibhakti pratyaya-s

Home Work:

• Find 5 prayer shlokas that use 6th case words and try to comprehend the meaning of the verses (without taking aid of the English meanings already given :).

Topic Details:

So far, the 6th case masculine and neuter gender words have been learnt.  To reinforce that learning, below are a few more examples.

Masculine gender -

रामस्य पुस्तकम्		raamasya pustakam			-	Raama's book
कृष्णस्य वंशी		kRuShNasya vaMshI			-	Krishna's flute
रमेशस्य लेखनी		rameshasya lekhanI			-	Ramesha's pen
गजस्य दन्तः		gajasya dantaH			-	elephant's tooth
देवस्य रथम्		devasya ratham			-	God's chariot		chariot of God
सूर्यस्य प्रकाशम्		sUryasya prakaasham			-	sun's light
लेखकस्य कृतिः		lekhakasya kRutiH			-	writer's work		work of the writer
विद्यालयस्य शिक्षकः		vidyaalayasya shikShakaH			-	school's teacher		teacher of the school
गोपालस्य सुता		gopaalasya sutaa			-	Gopaala's daughter		daughter of Gopaala
अर्जुनस्य धनुः		arjunasya dhanuH			-	Arjuna's bow
तस्य अग्रजः		tasya agrajaH			-	his elder brother

Neuter gender - (follows the same pratyaya-s as masculine, after 2nd case)

उद्यानस्य वृक्षम्		udyaanasya vRukSham			-	park's tree		tree of the park
अक्षरस्य आरम्भः		akSharasya aarambhaH			-	alphabet's beginning		beginning of the alphabet
अम्बरस्य वर्णम्		ambarasya varNam			-	sky's color		color of the sky
अनृतस्य फलम्		anRutasya phalam			-	lie's reward		reward of lies
औषधस्य प्रभावः		auShadhasya prabhaavaH			-	medicine's effect		effect of medicine
तस्य पुष्पम्		tasya puShpam			-	it's flower

Now us learn the 6th case feminine gender words.  The feminine gender words get -याः (-yaaH) as the ending pratyayas.  Just as seen in masculine and neuter gender words, these words make genitive clauses.   It would be used in the sense of belonging.  Seeing the examples and their meanings below shall make it more clear.

Feminine gender -

मालायाः मालिका		maalaayaaH maalikaa			-	Maala's garland
लतायाः पुष्पम्		lataayaaH puShpam			-	creeper's flower		flower of the creeper
रमायाः पतिः		ramaayaaH patiH			-	Ramaa's husband		husband of Ramaa
उमायाः अध्ययनम्		umaayaaH adhyayanam			-	Umaa's study
शैलजायाः चित्रम्		shailajaayaaH chitram			-	Shailajaa's picture
उषायाः सुतः		uShaayaaH sutaH			-	Ushaa's son		son of ushaa
भाषायाः अक्षरम्		bhaaShaayaaH akSharam			-	language's alphabet		alphabet of the language
कक्षायाः छात्रः		kakShaayaaH ChaatraH			-	class's students		students of the class
चिन्तायाः परिणामः		chintaayaaH pariNaamaH			-	anxiety's effect		effect of anxiety
नासिकायाः अग्रम्		naasikaayaaH agram			-	nose's tip		tip of the nose
तस्याः भगिनी		tasyaaH bhaginI			-	her sister

Learning these examples is not only giving an insight to the 6th case, but building vocabulary as well.  It is essential to give prime importance to add to one's knowledge-base, new words, their meanings and practice their usage as well.

Happy practicing and researching for verses with 6th case :).

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 19

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Revision of 7th case
• Revision of anuswaara rule and homework
• Introduction to 6th case in masculine and neuter genders

Home Work:

• Make 5 of your own sentences using the 6th case masculine/neuter gender words, along with some new vocabulary.

Topic Details:

Moving on to another case of nouns, we shall learn about the 6th case.  It is used in genitive clauses and sentences.  Genitive case indicates belonging-ness.  'of someone' or 'someone's', kind of references use this case.  For example -

raama's; of raama
king's; of the king
tree's; of the tree
boy's; of the boy, etc.

The pratyaya that should be added to both masculine and neuter would be same after the first two cases.  Hence, 6th would follow suite of masculine for neuter as well.  The 6th case pratyaya is -स्य (-sya).

By now, we have understood the prakRuti pada concept, meaning, the word in its true form, without any case superimposition.  With that knowledge and the already budding vocabulary, quite a few sentences could be made.  Ex:

आकाशस्य वर्णं नीलम् अस्ति।
aakaashasya varNaM neelam asti|Color of the sky is blue.

रामस्य भार्या सीता अस्ति।
raamasya bhaaryaa sItaa asti|
raama's wife is sItaa.

बालकस्य स्यूतः हरितः अस्ति।
baalakasya syUtaH haritaH asti|
The boy's bag is green color.

राहुलस्य केशः कृष्णः अस्ति।
raahulasya keshaH kRuShNaH asti|
Raahul's hair is black color.

ईशानस्य हस्ते पुस्तकम् अस्ति।
Ishaanasya haste pustakam asti|
There is a book in Ishaan's hand.  
(notice the use of 7th case locative noun in 'haste' - in the hand)

कृष्णस्य मुकुटे मयूरपिच्छम् अस्ति।
kRuShNasya mukuTe mayUrapichCham asti|
There is a peacock feather in kRuShNa's crown.

(notice the use of 7th case locative noun in 'mukuTe' - in the crown)

बालकस्य गृहं भारतदेशे अस्ति।
baalakasya gRuhaM bhaaratadeshe asti|
The boy's house is in India.

Also, notice that the adjectives follow suite of the gender of the noun, they are referring to!

Will see more examples of 6th case and learn feminine forms of the case as well in the next lesson.

Happy practicing!

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 18

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Further understanding of 7th case with examples of shlokas
• The anuswaara rule

Home Work:

• Write 5 examples of words which incorporate the anunaasika rule
• Write 4 different sentences to show all the usages of the anuswaara rule

Topic Details:

After working on 7th case for a couple lessons, one should have gotten comfortable with identifying them in day to day verses now.  To quote a few examples,

कराग्रे वसते लक्ष्मीः कर-मूले सरस्वती ।
कर-मध्ये तु गोविन्दः प्रभाते करदर्शनम् ॥

karaagre vasate lakShmIH kara-mUle saraswatI |
kara-madhye tu govindaH prabhaate karadarshanam ||

नमस्तेस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते ।
शङ्खचक्रगदा-हस्ते महा-लक्ष्मि नमोस्तुते ॥

namastestu mahaamaaye shrIpIThe surapUjite |
sha~gkhachakragadaa-haste mahaa-lakShmi namostute ||

One can find many such daily prayers which contain this kind of usage.

Below is a last set of examples of words in 7th case, to build the vocabulary better.

Masculine gender -

करः	karaH	hand	-	करे	kare	in hand
पादपः	paadapaH	plant	-	पादपे	paadape	in the plant
सूर्यः	sUryaH	sun	-	सूर्ये	sUrye	in the sun
अलसः	alasaH	lazy	-	अलसे	alase	in the lazy
समुद्रः	samudraH	sea	-	समुद्रे	samudre	in the sea

More neuter gender examples

क्षेत्रम्	kShetram	field	-	क्षेत्रे	kShetre	in the field
ज्ञानम्	j~naanam	knowledge	-	ज्ञाने	j~naane	in the knowledge
वदनम्	vadanam	face	-	वदने	vadane	in the face

More feminine gender examples

वीथी	vIthI	street	-	वीथ्याम्	vIthyaam	in the street
गङ्गा	ga~ngaa	ganges	-	गङ्गायाम्	ga~ngaayaam	in the ganges
शाखा	shaakhaa	branch	-	शाखायाम्	shaakhaayaam	in the branch
पृथिवी	pRuthivI	earth	-	पृथिव्याम्	pRuthivyaam	on earth
सभा	sabhaa	assembly	-	सभायाम्	sabhaayaam	in the assembly

Along with practicing all these words, it is also a good idea to keep in mind, a few other rules of writing as well.  One such rule is the 'anuswaara rule'.

An important rule while writing  the anuswaara, the अं at the end of any word is that, if the following word starts with a consonant, it goes up as in अं.  But if the following word starts with a vowel, then the dot on top becomes a 'half म् (m)' as in अम्.  For example,

अयं हरिः (ayaM hariH)

अयम् अरिः (ayam ariH) Also, it stays as a 'half म् (m)' at the end of the sentence (since there is no following consonant).

Will learn a new case in the next lesson.  Until then, happy practicing! 

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 17

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• More examples of 7th case words in all genders
• Practicing the usage of these words

Home Work:

• Observe the shlokas that you might already be chanting and identify 5 saptamI vibhakti (7th case) usages
• Make 3 more sentences (not the ones from last lesson's homework :), using 7th case words

Topic Details:

For reinforcement, we will see more examples of words in 7th case.  Revising the homework gives our own examples as well. 

Some examples of masculine gender -

नगरः	nagaraH	city	-	नगरे	nagare	in the city
विद्यालयः	vidyaalayaH	school	-	विद्यालये	vidyaalaye	in the school
आश्रमः	aashramaH	hermitage	-	आश्रमे	aashrame	in the hermitage
कोशः	koshaH	pocket	-	कोशे	koshe	in the pocket

A few important rules to be followed while writing -

The rules pertaining to writing 'ra' -

• If a र् comes before another consonant, then it is represented as 'a half sickle on top of the following consonant'.  Ex. र्क, as in तर्क (logic)
• If a full र comes after any other half consonant, it takes the form of 'a slash under the consonant preceding it'.  Ex. क्र तक्र (curd).

The rules pertaining to writing the nasal consonants (anunaasika-s) in between words -

• The nasal consonant present in between the words depends solely on the alphabet that follows it.  The nasal consonant has to be one from the same varga of the consonant that follows, if it is a vargIya vyanjana (a grouped consonant).  Ex.  

1. कङ्कण (ka~nkaNa - bangle)
2. चञ्चल (cha~nchala - movable, unsteady)
3. अण्ड (aNDa - egg)
4. तन्तु (tantu - cord, thread)
5. कम्पन (kampana - trembling)

Notice how the nasal consonants (anunaasika-s) are followed by consonants of their own vargas.  It is not correct to write कन्कण, चन्चल, अंड, तंतु, कंपन, etc.

We shall see the usage of the above concepts in the next lesson.

Keep practicing!

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 16

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• 7th case singular nouns in masculine, feminine and neuter genders
• Sentences using 7th case nouns
• Adjectives take the same case form as the noun they are referring to

Home Work:

• Practice speaking sentences using 7th case
• Write 5 words and their respective 7th case forms
• Write 5 sentences using your own words in 7th case

Topic Details:

As some may already know, what sets the sentence structure apart in Sanskrit, is the fact that the words contain the cases in them already!  Hence it gives the liberty to shuffle the words around in a sentence, without really altering the meaning of the sentence.  How can that be?  How do we differentiate one case from the other?  How do we understand what the sentence is saying?  Well, over the next few lessons, we shall see what sets the cases apart from each other and how we can differentiate.  We shall understand what the 'raama shabda' (that we were learning), really means!  We will not learn in order though.  We will start with the ones that are easier to comprehend and work our way towards the slightly tougher ones gradually.

In that direction, we will start with the 7th case.  The seventh case is used in making sentences in 'locative' case.  It indicates meanings as 'in/on the' of the noun being spoken of.  Let us see a few examples in masculine gender to understand better.

1st case		meaning		7th case		meaning
कालः	kaalaH	time	-	काले	kaale	in time
ग्रामः	graamaH	village	-	ग्रामे	graame	in the village

The 7th case for neuter gender follows the same as the masculine gender nouns.  (Because after the 2nd case, all the neuter gender words follow the same form as the masculine gender nouns.

संस्कृतम्	saMskRutam	Sanskrit	-	संस्कृते	saMskRute	in Sanskrit
मोदकम्	modakam	sweet dish	-	मोदके	modake	in the sweet dish

The 7th case form for feminine gender nouns will change though.  They become as below -

मेघा	meghaa	cloud	-	मेघायाम्	meghaayaam	in the cloud
जननी	jananI	mother	-	जनन्याम्	jananyaam	in the mother

They can be used in sentences as below -
रक्ते चतुर्भुजे नीलः वर्तुलः अस्ति।
rakte chaturbhuje nIlaH vartulaH asti|
In the red square, there is a blue circle.

नीले चतुर्भुजे रक्तः वर्तुलः अस्ति।
nIle chaturbhuje raktaH vartulaH asti|
In the blue square, there is a red circle.

नीले वर्तुले रक्तः चतुर्भुजः अस्ति।
nIle vartule raktaH chaturbhujaH asti|
In the blue circle, there is a red square.

Now write a sentence that says -
1.  There is a blue rectangle in an orange circle.
2.  There is a purple triangle in a yellow square.

We will learn more examples of 7th case in the following lessons. 
Happy practicing! 

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 15

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH

Topic Summary:

• Revision of alphabet grouping
• Colors and shapes
• Introduction to cases
• Beginning of 7th case (vibhakti) with examples

Home Work:

• Practice colors and shapes and other vocabulary words from the vocabulary list

Topic Details:

After the summer break, it is good to brush up the skills learnt so far.  Hence, a review of the alphabet, their grouping, technical terms to refer is a good idea.

During the next few lessons, we will learn the purpose and usage of vibhakti-s (cases).  In Sanskrit, there are 7+1 different cases.  7+1, because sambodhanaa prathamaa is considered an extension of the prathamaa vibhakti (the 1st case).  We will learn their usage in a different order though.  It makes it easier to understand the vibhakti-s if one starts off with the easier ones to comprehend.  Hence will begin with the 7th case first!

7th case gives the meaning - 'in/on' the (noun being referred).  To begin with, we will see examples of akaaraanta pullinga shabda-s ('a' ending masculine nouns).

वनम् (vanam) becomes वने (vane) in the 7th case.

To use it in a sentence, let's describe a picture where a circle is inside a triangle.  How would that be put in Sanskrit as a sentence?
त्रिकोणे वर्तुलः अस्ति।
trikoNe vartulaH asti|
In the triangle, the circle is there.

What would this sentence mean?
चर्तुर्भुजे त्रिकोणः अस्ति।
charturbhuje trikoNaH asti|
In a square, the triangle is there.

Try making more such sentences on your own, so the next lesson becomes easier :).

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 14

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Colors in Sanskrit
• Vibhakti pratyaya-s

Home Work:

• Practice the words for colors as and when you see colors around you!
• Practice saying the raama shabda till 'tRutIyaa vibhakti'

Topic Details:

Learning colors in Sanskrit makes it fun, because it can be reinforced in the mind each and every time a color is seen!  Below is the list of colors and their Sanskrit equivalents -

Colors  -  वर्णानि  varNaani  Red  -  रक्तः raktaH Blue  -  नीलः nIlaH Green  -  हरितः haritaH Yellow  -  पीतः pItaH Orange  -  नारङ्गः naara~ngaH Brown  -  पिङ्गलः pi~ngalaH Pink  -  पाटलः paaTalaH Purple  -  धूमलः dhUmalaH Grey  -  धूसरः dhUsaraH Black  -  कृष्णः kRuShNaH White  -  श्वेतः  shwetaH While making a sentence, one could make it in different cases - nominative, vocative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative, genitive, locative. These are called 'vibhakti-s' in Sanskrit. There are 7+1 vibhakti-s in all. Unlike in English, where the case of the sentence depends on the different words used in the sentence, in Sanskrit, the case of the sentence is imbibed in the word itself! That means, the vibhakti-s (called pratyaya-s) are conjoined to the word (called prakRuti) itself, to get a special word for each case. Each case has 3 grammatical numbers - singular (ekavachanam), dual (dwivachanam) and plural (bahuvachanam).  Notice that the 'dual' is special to Sanskrit alone.  There is no special term for 2 of anything in English.  But in Sanskrit, if the noun is referring to two of anything, the dual grammatical number is used. Below is a table which shows the 'raama' shabda in it's first 3+1 different declensions - अकारान्तः पुंलिङ्गः राम शब्दः विभक्तिः एकवचनम् द्विवचनम् बहुवचनम् प्रथमा रामः रामौ रामाः सं.प्रथमा हे राम हे रामौ हे रामाः द्वितिया रामम् रामौ रामान् तृतिया रामेण रामाभ्यां रामैः The first vibhakti (prathamaa) is used to make sentences in Nominative case, where the word is used as the subject. The sambodhanaa prathamaa vibhakti, a variant of the first, is used to make sentences in Vocative case, where the prakRuti is used to address the person/noun. The second vibhakti (dwitiyaa) is used to make Accusative case sentences, where the noun marks the direct object of a transitive verb. (..to...) The third vibhakti (tRutIyaa) is used to make Instrumental case sentences, to indicate that a noun is the instrument or means, by or with, which the subject achieves or accomplishes an action.(..by/with...) Will continue with the rest of the vibhakti-s in the next lesson.  Keep practicing to say the 'raama shabda' out loud. Ending prayer:  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam ____________________________________________________

Lesson 13

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• More pronouns in all the 3 genders
• Building vocabulary

Home Work:

• Make as many small sentences using the pronouns, nouns and verbs learnt so far. (Hint: Use the vocabulary list for assistance.  Write their English meanings below the Sanskrit sentences.)

Topic Details:

The pronouns for today are words to refer to things/persons who are far away, as in, 'he/she/that'.  The gender of the pronoun used depends on the gender of the word that is used for the noun.

The word for 'he' is सः (saH)
The word for 'she' is सा (saa)
The word for 'it/that' is तत् (tat)

Sentences made using these words, reinforce our learning.

सः अजः	saH ajaH	m.	That is a goat
सः गजः	saH gajaH	m.	That is an elephant
सः बालः	saH baalaH	m.	He is a boy
सः चोरः	saH choraH	m.	He is a thief
सः स्तेनः	saH stenaH	m.	He is a thief
सः तस्करः	saH taskaraH	m.	He is a thief
सा बालिका	saa baalikaa	f.	She is a girl
सा लता	saa lataa	f.	That is a creeper
सा भर्या	saa bharyaa	f.	She is a wife
सा माला	saa maalaa	f.	That is a garland
तत् पर्णम्	tat parNam	n.	It is a leaf
तत् पुस्तकम्	tat pustakam	n.	It is a book
तत् फलम्	tat phalam	n.	It is a fruit

Now put these pronouns, nouns and verbs learnt previously to make your own sentences.

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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Lesson 12

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Introduction of pronouns
• Introduction to genders
• Building vocabulary 
• anuswaara rule

Home Work:

• Practice saying little sentence in day to day conversations.

Topic Details:

The pronouns we are discussing today are for - This/here/referring to something near the speaker.

In Sanskrit, this pronoun takes the gender of the subject that it is referring to.  As in any other language, there are 3 genders, namely - masculine(पुंलिङ्ग - puMli~nga), feminine(स्त्रीलिङ्ग - strIli~nga) and neuter(नपुंसकलिङ्ग - napuMsakali~nga).  But in Sanskrit, the meaning of the word has no bearing in deciding the gender of the word!  The way the word is formed, rather, what it ends with, determines the gender of the word itself!  To make this point clear, we shall see some examples below and also build our vocabulary along side.

The pronoun for masculine gender is अयम्.  For feminine gender is इयम्.  And neuter gender is इदम्.  The pronoun word would depend on the reference word.  Masculine gender words generally end with a 'hrasva' vowel.  Feminine gender words end with 'dIrgha' vowels.  Whereas neuter gender end in 'aM'. 

अयं रामः  ayaM raamaH  m. This is raama अयम् अजः  ayam ajaH  m. This is a goat अयं वृक्षः ayaM vRukShaH m. This is a tree अयम् अरिः ayam ariH m. This is an enemy अयं हरिः ayaM hariH m. This is Lord viShNu अयम् आचार्यः ayam aachaaryaH m. This is a teacher अयं गुरुः ayaM guruH m. This is a teacher अयं इन्दुः ayaM induH m. This is moon अयं शिरः ayaM shiraH m. This is a head इयं सीता iyaM sItaa f. This is sItaa इयं कला iyaM kalaa f. This is art इयं छाया iyaM Chaayaa f. This is shade इयं वृक्षच्छाया iyaM vRukShachChaayaa f. This is a tree's shade इयं नासिका iyaM naasikaa f. This is a nose इयं धेनुः iyaM dhenuH f. This is a cow इदं फलम् idaM phalam n. This is a fruit इदं पुस्तकम् idaM pustakam n. This is a book इदं जलम् idaM jalam n. This is water इदं पर्णम् idaM parNam n. This is a leaf  An important rule while writing  the anuswaara, the अं at the end of any word is that, if the following word starts with a consonant, it goes up as in अं.  But if the following word starts with a vowel, then the dot on top becomes a 'half म् (m)' as in अम्.  For example, अयं हरिः (ayaM hariH) अयम् अरिः (ayam ariH) Happy practicing! Ending prayer:  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam ____________________________________________________

Lesson 11

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Expansion of vocabulary via learning a riddle

Home Work:

• Practice the vocabulary words and use them on a day to day basis.

Topic Details:

A riddle is called a प्रहेलिका (prahelikaa).  A prahelikaa is generally a verse in the form of a couplet.  It gives hints towards the answer.  It is up to the reader to put it together!

In today's lesson, we shall improve our vocabulary, along with trying to solve the puzzle.   The prahelikaa is as follows -

न तस्यादिर्न तस्यान्तं मध्ये यस्तस्य तिष्ठति ।
तवाप्यस्ति ममाप्यस्ति यो जानाति स पण्डितः ॥
na tasyaadirna tasyaantaM madhye yastasya tiShThati |
tavaapyasti mamaapyasti yo jaanaati sa paNDitaH ||

After splitting the composite words (sandhis), it could be read as -
न तस्य अदिः न तस्य अन्तं मध्ये यः तस्य तिष्ठति ।
तव अपि अस्ति मम अपि अस्ति यः जानाति स पण्डितः ॥
na tasya adiH na tasya antaM madhye yaH tasya tiShThati |
tava api asti mama api asti yaH jaanaati sa paNDitaH ||

It means,
It has a 'न' in the beginning, 'न' in the end.  In between sits a 'य'.
You have it too, I have it too, he who know is a wise man (paNDita)!

If the clues are put together, the word comes out to be 'नयन'!  नयन means 'eye'.  It starts with a 'na' and ends with a 'na', has a 'ya' in between.  You have it and I have it too.  That would be an eye!  That is the answer!

Now for a run down of the words occurring in the verse, to improve the vocabulary -

तस्य	-	his/it's
अदिः	-	beginning
अन्तम्	-	end
मध्य	-	middle
तिष्ठति	-	sits/stays
तव	-	your
अपि	-	also
अस्ति	-	have/be/exist
मम	-	my
यः	-	he who
जानाति	-	knows
सः	-	he
पण्डितः	-	wise/learned
नयन	-	eye

Happy practicing!

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

____________________________________________________

Lesson 10

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Parts of the body in song form

Home Work:

• Learn body parts along with singing the song

Topic Details:

We have made little words, little sentences and little conversations.  Now, how about a little rhyme!  

We all know the song 'Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes....'. I have translated the same into Sanskrit.  It is sung in the same tune.  The fun and challenge is to sing it faster and faster while acting it out. Kids love this game. Watch out!  By the end of it, everyone will be doubling over with laughter :).

The vocabulary we need for this one are -

शिरः	-	head
स्कन्धौ	-	2 shoulders
जानू	-	2 knees
अङ्गुल्यः	-	toes
नेत्रे	-	2 eyes
कर्णौ	-	2 ears
मुखम्	-	mouth
नासिका	-	nose

In English, there are singular and plural words.  In Sanskrit, there are the same singular and plural numbers.  But then, there is a special number case for two of anything!  It is called dual!

In Sanskrit,
singular is called एकवचनम्
dual is called द्विवचनम्
plural is called बहुवचनम्

The words for the respective body parts have been given accordingly for the song.

Now the song itself... Sing along everyone :).


शिरः, स्कन्धौ, जानू, अङ्गुल्यः
जानू, अङ्गुल्यः


शिरः, स्कन्धौ, जानू, अङ्गुल्यः
जानू, अङ्गुल्यः


नेत्रे, कर्णौ, मुखम्, नासिका


शिरः, स्कन्धौ, जानू, अङ्गुल्यः
जानू, अङ्गुल्यः

Keep singing :)

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

____________________________________________________

Lesson 9

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Simple sentences used in day to day conversations.

Home Work:

• Practice using the sentence while making conversations.

Topic Details:

We have so far learnt question words and verbs in first, second, third persons.  It is time to strike a conversation now!  How would one greet a person?  He would say 'hello', 'good morning', etc.  Let us see the a few such sentences.

हरि ॐ
Hello

सुप्रभातम्
Good morning

नमस्ते
Salutations

धन्यवादः
Thanks

चिन्ता मास्तु
No worries

क्षम्यताम्
Excuse me / Sorry

पुनः मिलामः
We shall meet again (as in, 'see you, bye')

आम्
Yes

न
No

मित्रम्
Friend

Using these words we make conversations thus

हरि ॐ
Hello

सुप्रभातम्
Good morning

कुशलं वा?
How are you?

भवती किं पिबति?
What will you drink? (addressing a female)

अहं क्षीरं पिबामि|
I shall drink milk.

श्रीमन्, भवान् किं पिबति?
Respected sir, what will you drink?

अहम् आम्ररसं पिबामि|
I shall drink mango juice.

तर्हि आनयामि|
Then, I will get it.

धन्यवादः|
Thank you.

चिन्ता मास्तु
No worries / welcome.

Using these little words here and there not only reinforces their meanings and pronunciations, it makes learning Sanskrit more fun.  For building further vocabulary, check the vocabulary words.  Happy practicing and conversing.

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - aum pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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