Table Of ContentIdeal for courses in beginning Sanskrit or self-study, this
textbook employs modern, tried-and-tested pedagogical
methods and tols, but requires no prior knowledge of ancient THE CAMBRIDGE
languages or linguistics. Devanāgarī script is introduced over
several chapters and used in parallel with transliteration
for several chapters more, allowing students to progress
in learning Sanskrit itself while stil mastering the script. INTRODUCTION
Students are exposed to annotated original texts in addition
to practise sentences very early on, and structures and systems
to
underlying the wealth of forms are clearly explained to
facilitate memorisation. All grammar is covered in detail, with
chapters dedicated to compounding and nominal derivation,
and sections explaining relevant historical phenomena. ‘… a fresh and engaging
Online resources include: aproach (…) which takes the SANSKRIT
learner’s concerns fully into
• Flash cards custom-made for the vocabulary account. Full of sage practical
and forms in the book advice while maintaining
• Video tutorials for all chapters rigorous instructional standards.’
• Up-to-date links to writing, declension and Paul Dundas, Reader in Asian A. M. Ruppel
conjugation exercises and online dictionaries, Studies, University of Edinburgh
grammars, and textual databases
‘[A]n excellent introduction to
Sanskrit, making the language
accessible to the beginner but
informed of the latest research.’
A. M. Ruppel was the Townsend Senior Lecturer in the James Clackson, Professor of
Greek, Latin and Sanskrit Languages at Cornell University Comparative Philology,
(Ithaca, NY) for nine years, and currently is Head of Sanskrit University of Cambridge
at St James Senior Boys’ School in Ashford (Surrey), UK.
Ruppel has received the Stephen and Margery Russell ‘[T]he clarity and simplicity
Distinguished Teaching Award as well as a grant from the Cornell of the explanations make the
Center for Teaching Excellence, and is the author of Absolute book very well suited for self-
Constructions in Early Indo-European (Cambridge, 2012). study (…) well designed for
use by students with no prior
acquaintance with South Asia,
or with other classical languages’
Lawrence McCrea, Professor
of Sanskrit Studies, Cornell
University
Cover design: Andrew Ward
THE CAMBRIDGE
Ruppel
INTRODUCTION to SANSKRIT
9781107088283: Ruppel: PPC: C M Y K
Te Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit
Ideal for courses in beginning Sanskrit or self-study, this textbook employs modern, tried-and-
tested pedagogical methods and tools, but requires no prior knowledge of ancient languages or
linguistics. Devanāgarī script is introduced over several chapters and used in parallel with trans-
literation for several chapters more, allowing students to progress in learning Sanskrit itself while
still mastering the script. Students are exposed to annotated original texts in addition to practice
sentences very early on, and structures and systems underlying the wealth of forms are clearly
explained to facilitate memorisation. All grammar is covered in detail, with chapters dedicated to
compounding and nominal derivation, and sections explaining relevant historical phenomena.
Online resources include:
· Flash cards custom-made for the vocabulary and forms in the book
· Video tutorials for all chapters
· U p-to-date links to writing, declension and conjugation exercises and online dictionaries,
grammars and textual databases
A. M. Ruppel was the Townsend Senior Lecturer in the Greek, Latin and Sanskrit Languages at
Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) for nine years, and currently is Head of Sanskrit at St James Senior
Boys’ School in Ashford (Surrey), UK. Ruppel has received the Stephen and Margery Russell Dis-
tinguished Teaching Award as well as a grant from the Cornell Center for Teaching Excellence, and
is the author of Absolute Constructions in Early Indo-European (Cambridge, 2012).
THE CAMBRIDGE INTRODUCTION TO
Sanskrit
A. M. RUPPEL
Cornell University, St James Senior Boys’ School
University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom
One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10006, USA
477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia
4843/24, 2nd Floor, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, Delhi – 110002, India
79 Anson Road, #06–04/06, Singapore 079906
Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge.
It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of
education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence.
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781107459069
© A. M. Ruppel 2017
Tis publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2017
Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Inc.
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ruppel, A. M., author.
Te Cambridge introduction to Sanskrit / A. M. Ruppel.
New York : Cambridge University Press, 2016.
LCCN 2016010373 | ISBN 9781107088283 (hardback)
LCSH: Sanskrit language – Study and teaching – India. | Indo-European
languages – Study and teaching. – India. | BISAC: RELIGION / Buddhism /
General (see also PHILOSOPHY / Buddhist).
Classifcation: LCC PK438.I5 R836 2016 | DDC 491/.282421–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016010373
ISBN 978-1-107-08828-3 Hardback
ISBN 978-1-107-45906-9 Paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of
URLs for external or third-party Internet websites referred to in this publication
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
Tis book is dedicated to my students.
I hope that they have learned as much from me
as I have from them.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements xiii 2) H ow These Categories are
Expressed 31
Technical Note I: Verbal Roots, Stems
CHAPTER 0 and Verb Classes 32
Studying Sanskrit 1 Technical Note II: Affixes and
Why Learn Sanskrit? 1 Endings 33
How to Use This Book 2 Technical Note III: Punctuation
Study Techniques 4 Marks 33
Supplementary Materials 5
Further Study – Language and CHAPTER 4
L iterature 6 The Present Tense 38
List of Abbreviations 7 Verbal Endings of the Present
Notes for the Reader 8 Indicative Active; Class I, IV, VI
Verbs 38
CHAPTER 1 Technical Note: Sandhi 39
Writing Sanskrit 9
Writing Single Characters 10 CHAPTER 5
Writing Words 12 Road Map: Nominals 43
Definition 43
CHAPTER 2 1) Case 43
The System of Sanskrit Sounds 18 2) Number 47
Vowels 19 3) Gender 48
Consonants 19 Three Aspects of Nominal Usage 48
Use of this Chapter for Reference 21 ‘Postpositions’ 50
CHAPTER 2A CHAPTER 6
Word Stress: Heavy and Light a-Stems 57
S yllables 25 a-Stem Nouns 57
a-Stem Adjectives 58
CHAPTER 3 Dictionary Matters 58
Road Map: Verbs 29 Retroflexion of n 59
1) T he Categories of the Syntactic Note: इति and Direct
Sanskrit Verb 29 Speech 59
vii
CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 10
Vowel Gradation and Why We Need to Prepositions and Preverbs 101
Know about It 68 Prepositions 101
Vowel Gradation 68 Preverbs 101
Applications: 70 More Internal Sandhi: Vowels and
Verb Classes 71 Nasals 104
Class X Presents 71
Causatives 71 CHAPTER 11
Verbal Roots Ending in a Introduction to External Sandhi I:
V owel 72 Consonant Sandhi 109
Verbal Roots Cited in Guṇa 72 Introduction to External Sandhi 109
Consonant Sandhi 110
CHAPTER 8
Absolutives, ta-Participles and CHAPTER 12
Infinitives; Introduction to Internal Imperfect Indicative and Present
Sandhi 80 Potential 118
Formation and Meaning of Meaning 118
the Absolutive and the ta- Forms 118
Participle 80
Brief Introduction to Internal Sandhi: CHAPTER 13
internal sandhi before t 82 ī- and ū-Stems; Sandhi II: Visarga
Use of Participles and Especially the Sandhi 125
ta-Participle 84 ī- and ū-Stems 125
The Infinitive 85 Regular ī-Stems 125
Root ī-Stems 125
CHAPTER 9 ū-Stems 125
ā-Stems 92 Feminine Nouns Formed from
ā-Stem Nouns 92 Masculine Nouns 127
Adjectives 93 Adjective Agreement 127
Adverbs 95 Visarga Sandhi 128
More Internal Sandhi: The Ruki Rule Stylistic Note: Word Repetition 130
on the Retrof lexion of s 95
Stylistic Note: ‘to go’ and Abstract CHAPTER 14
Nouns 96 Compound Nouns 137
Syntactic Note: Relative Clauses in a General 137
Nutshell 96 Stems 138
viii
