Lesson 18: Sanskrit for Beginners Course
Summary:
No new content. Class was memorizing paradigm endings (nara) and vowel/visarga sandhi.
Source: Introduction to Sanskrit (4th Ed) – Thomas Egenes – Part One
Resources:
- Sandhi & Declensions Practice Sheet (Print out and fill in by memory. For paradigm, choose any word like naramas or phalaneuter).
Homework:
- Exercises on Pg 79:
- 5 g-h
- 6 g-j
- 7 g-j
- 8 (13-24)
Questions:
You'll have more questions throughout the course. How to ask? Leave in comments below, so others can also benefit. We'll respond within 48 hours. Only ask specific to this Lesson.
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Recorded 22 Nov, 2020
I miss hallway conversations to share ideas/new found things. Perhaps a student email group? For now I wanted to share this verse I found, and attempted to translate individual words. I thought others might find it interesting
Learning
ācāryāt pādamādatte pādam śiṣyaḥ svamedhayā
pādam sabrahmacāribhyaḥ, pādam kālakrameṇa ca
आचार्यात् पादमादत्ते पादम् शिष्यः स्वमेधया
पादम् सब्रह्मचारिभ्यः, पादम् कालक्रमेण च
ācāryāt – From the teacher (m,abl,sing)
pādam – ??? (I couldnt find it to mean quarter anywhere!)
pādamādatte – ???
siṣyaḥ – Disciple (m,nom,sing)
sva – ones’s own
medha – intellect, intelligence (I am not sure what the ayā at the end translates to)
sa – Good
brahmacāribhyaḥ – From students (m,abl,plu)
kālakrameṇa – in the process of time (instrumental)
One fourth from the teacher, one fourth from own intelligence,
One fourth from classmates, and one fourth only with time.
The 4 pillars of Sanskrit. Thanks for finding it.
pādam: (one) foot, step. Implied meaning is “one quarter”.
datte (verb 3rd, sing, we’re yet to learn): give, grant, bestow.
ā: verbal prefix (like: āgacchati). Means: motion towards.
ādatte: take, accept, carry off
pādam ādatte = accept one step
ācāryāt pādam ādatte = Accept/take one step from teacher.
Thanks Andre. Can you also help with “svamedhayā” please?
sva – Good
√medha – intellect, intelligence…but only in one dictionary. Mostly it seems to mean “the object of sacrifice” ( http://sanskritdictionary.com/?q=medha%22&lang=sans&iencoding=iast&action=Search ) . Also I cant figure out the “ayā” at the end.
Sanskritdictionary.com = confusion.
Use the only accurate dictionary (researched out of 50 sites): https://andhrabharati.com/dictionary/sanskrit/index.php?w=%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A7
Immediately can see word is both mas/fem.
Thus -ayā is INST for fem.
Therefore:
medhayā = with understanding
svamedhayā = with good/sound/firm understanding
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Alternative way of memorizing declensions (by Melanie):
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I began learning noun declension tables by reciting the declensions in rows, like we did in class.
Later, I devised a method of learning that tested my recall in a different way – production at random. It really helped me to reinforce the declension table in memory.
I used the learning aid for about 20 – 30 minutes and in that time my reaction time sped up noticeably.
I’m offering it in the hope that the learning aid may help some of the other students in learning noun declension too.
I’ve attached a copy of the 1 page document.
And this is a description of the layout.
2 tables, side by side on an A4 sheet of paper.
In the first table the squares are numbered 1 – 24.
In the second table, the squares contain the corresponding case endings. I used the case endings that my eye recognizes when I read or write sanskrit rather than the proper endings, eg ābhyām instead of abhyām.
I folded the paper in half vertically so that only the first table was visible.
Then I used an online random number generator to generate a number between 1 and 24. There are probably many sites that do this. I used http://www.random.org
Then tested myself to produce the case ending corresponding to the number/square.
As you can see, it’s a learning aid that can be modified to learn verb conjugation, vowel sandhi or anything else in tabular form.
If you think it would be of help to the other students, they would probably need to modify the contents to suit their particular preferences – eg colour, case endings etc.
Thank you again for all the time and effort you put into preparing and presenting the classes.
Download: https://tinyurl.com/y29z3w3l
Actually Andre, I didn’t mean that this learning aid was an alternative way of exercising the memory muscle but rather, an additional way of reinforcing the material. My understanding is that –
First, the information enters the mind using methods like recitation, picturing the information, handwriting etc, techniques used in class and at home – reception of material, creating pathways into the brain.
Second, learning aids such as the one I offered, flash cards etc, provides opportunities for the brain to produce the information on cue – production, creating pathways out of the brain which, in my experience, reinforces the material.
I’ve been told that neuroscience confirms the need to create pathways in and out of the brain when learning and also confirms that hand writing information helps to retain it- the muscle memory that you referred to in class.
Learning is an activity that we all do and we probably all have preferred approaches. I’d like to hear some time about the learning methods that others in the class use – collective wisdom!
Method’s logic make sense (to mind mind at least).
Hi Andre
Missed last week’s class. Can you please let us know the class group exercise for us to practice
Thank you
We had no group exercises because was exclusively time spent memorizing sandhi/paradigm for nara.