University equivalent courses

The retelling of {r}Ama's story in Sanskrit literature.

UG101.
The epic {r}AmAyaRa is one of the two most celebrated epics in Indian tradition. It was composed by {v}AlmIki and consists of 24,000 verses. However, {v}AlmIki's {r}AmAyaRa is not the only version of the story of {r}Ama. The story appears in several versions in Sanskrit as well as in the regional language of India. The story of {r}Ama is told as episodes in the {m}ahABArata and in {p}urARas. There are also independent compositions that retell the story in Sanskrit. There are Jain and Buddhist versions of the {r}AmAyaRa in Prakrit and Pali too. The story of {r}Ama spread not only throughout India but also across South-east Asia. Taking into consideration the vast number of retellings of the story of {r}Ama, we will study only the Sanskrit versions in this course. It is important to study the various narrations of the story of {r}Ama with reference to the original Sanskrit texts rather than translations and secondary sources. Doing so will help us re-examine popular opinions about the story and reveal the complexity of the transmission of this story and texts in general in Sanskrit. This will also help us understand the importance of and need to undertake philological analysis of Sanskrit literature.
Instructor: Anuja Ajotikar and Tanuja Ajotikar.
Prerequisite: familiarity with Sanskrit would be good. Familiarity with Sanskrit literature will also be sufficient.
Schedule: To be announced.
See continuing education course on the same topic.
Course meeting times: Sunday and Thursday 9:00-10.30 am U.S. Central Time (IST 8.30pm-10.00pm).
Course fee: $2,000.
Syllabus.
Express interest.

Reorienting orientalism and holistic understanding of human life

UG102.
Engaging in humanities in the digital age requires liberating one's perspective from the materialistically oriented popular agenda dominating contemporary academia, and adopting a universal holistic perspective based in consciousness. To universalize knowledge requires re-orienting to establish the foundation of knowledge in the expanded consciousness of the knower, and to protect the humanities from the political agendas of dialectical materialism and religious fundamentalism, to rescue valuable knowledge from the oblivion of obsolescence by facilitating its transition to the digital medium, to harness the technologies of the digital medium to reveal new insights and more progress, and to guide technological development. This course clarifies the need to reorient one's perspective from fragmented materialism to holistic consciousness, and to reorient research towards fundamental rather than secondary issues.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf, Tanuja P. Ajotikar, Ph.D., and Shankar P. Adluri, M.D., D.N.B., M.Phil..
Schedule: 17 September – 17 December.
Course meeting times: Sunday 9:00-11:00am U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $1,500; ₹10,000 for residents of India.
Syllabus.
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History of Sanskrit literature I: veda and vedANga

UH101
This is the first of four courses in The Sanskrit Library’s digital humanities programs that provide students with an historical overview and sampling of Sanskrit literature. The courses survey the history of the literature; introduce students to surveys, editions, translations, and studies on it; and read selected passages of the original texts. This course begins with the Vedic saMhitAs, brAhmaRas, and upanizads, and introduces students to the six vedANgas and their interrelation.
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar and Peter M. Scharf
Schedule: Sundays, 14 January – 28 April 2024.
Course meeting times: 9:00–11:00am U.S. Central Time; 8:30–10:30pm IST.
Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of Sanskrit: US101 with concurrent enrollment in US102 or equivalent.
Course fee: $1,500.
Course fee for Indian residents: ₹15,000.
Syllabus.
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Course materials: a bibliography will be distributed to registered students.

History of Sanskrit literature II: Epics: {r}AmAyaRa and {m}ahABArata}

UH102
This is the second of four courses in The Sanskrit Library’s digital humanities programs that provide students with an historical overview and sampling of Sanskrit literature. The courses survey the history of the literature; introduce students to surveys, editions, translations, and studies on it; and read selected passages of the original texts. This course begins with the {r}AmAyaRa and its retelling in various versions in Sanskrit, and ends with the {m}ahABArata, its main story, critical scenes such as the dice match, didactic themes such as human effort (puruzakAra) versus fate (dEva), and subordinate episodes (upAKyAnas).
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar and Peter M. Scharf
Schedule: Sundays, 7 September -- 14 December (no class 30 November).
Course meeting times: 2:00–4:00pm U.S. Central Time.
Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of Sanskrit: US101 with concurrent enrollment in US102 or equivalent.
Course fee: $1,500.
Syllabus.
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Course materials: a bibliography will be distributed to registered students.

Introductory Sanskrit I.

US101.
This course aims to provide a linguistically rich study of the world's most fascinating language equivalent to a first-semester university course. Exercises introduce the extensive literature, profound philosophy and rich mythology of ancient India which has and continues to influence over a quarter of the world’s population today. After introducing the Devanāgarī script and Sanskrit phonology, the course surveys the intricate and highly organized structure of the grammar with the aim of enabling a student to begin reading original materials after the second semester. Readings in the course are adapted from Sanskrit literature. An interactive on-line exercise platform provides immediate intelligent feedback and focused help at every stage of sentence analysis and translation virtually eliminating the difficulty and frustration felt by language learners in a typical course. On-line video presentations supplement the course so class time can focus teacher-student interaction where it is most beneficial.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf
Schedule: 9 September – 19 December 2024.
See also the intensive summer courses US101S and US102S 3 June–29 July 2024.
Course meeting times: Monday and Thursday 9:00-10:00am U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $3,000, or $5,000 if enrolling in both US101 and US102 before 1 September.
Syllabus.
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Introductory Sanskrit II.

US102.
This course completes the linguistically rich survey of Sanskrit grammar begun in US101 and is roughly equivalent to a second-semester university course. Exercises introduce the extensive literature, profound philosophy and rich mythology of ancient India which has and continues to influence over a quarter of the world’s population today. Readings in the course are adapted from Sanskrit literature. An interactive on-line exercise platform provides immediate intelligent feedback and focused help at every stage of sentence analysis and translation virtually eliminating the difficulty and frustration felt by language learners in a typical course. On-line video presentations supplement the course so class time can focus teacher-student interaction where it is most beneficial. After this course, students will be able to read original materials in late Vedic, Epic, and Classical Sanskrit.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf
Prerequisite: US101 or equivalent introduction to Sanskrit.
Schedule: 20 January – 8 May 2025; No class Thursday 20 March and Monday 24 March.
See also the intensive summer courses US101S and US102S 2 June–27 July 2025.
Course meeting times: Monday and Thursday 9:00-10:00am U.S. Central Time. Time commitment: 10-12 hours/week.
Course fee: $3,000.
Syllabus.
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Introductory Sanskrit I (Summer intensive)

US101S.
This course aims to provide a linguistically rich study of the world's most fascinating language equivalent to a first-semester university course. Exercises introduce the extensive literature, profound philosophy and rich mythology of ancient India which has and continues to influence over a quarter of the world’s population today. After introducing the Devanāgarī script and Sanskrit phonology, the course surveys the intricate and highly organized structure of the grammar with the aim of enabling a student to begin reading original materials after the second semester. Readings in the course are adapted from Sanskrit literature. An interactive on-line exercise platform provides immediate intelligent feedback and focused help at every stage of sentence analysis and translation virtually eliminating the difficulty and frustration felt by language learners in a typical course. On-line video presentations supplement the course so class time can focus teacher-student interaction where it is most beneficial.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf.
Schedule: 2–27 June 2025.
See the continuation US102S 30 June – 25 July.
Intensive course meeting times: Live meetings everyday Monday–Friday 10:00am-12:30pm U.S. Central Time, recorded lectures, daily interactive on-line exercises, flexible consultation. Time commitment: 40 hours per week.
Course fee: $3,000, or $5,000 if enrolling in both US101S and US102S before 1 June.
Syllabus.
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Introductory Sanskrit II (Summer intensive)

US102S.
This course completes the linguistically rich survey of Sanskrit grammar begun in US101 and is roughly equivalent to a second-semester university course. Exercises introduce the extensive literature, profound philosophy and rich mythology of ancient India which has and continues to influence over a quarter of the world’s population today. Readings in the course are adapted from Sanskrit literature. An interactive on-line exercise platform provides immediate intelligent feedback and focused help at every stage of sentence analysis and translation virtually eliminating the difficulty and frustration felt by language learners in a typical course. On-line video presentations supplement the course so class time can focus teacher-student interaction where it is most beneficial. After this course, students will be able to read original materials in late Vedic, Epic, and Classical Sanskrit.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf.
Prerequisite: US101 or equivalent introduction to Sanskrit.
Schedule: 30 June – 25 July 2025.
Continuation of US101S 2–27 June.
Intensive course meeting times: Live meetings everyday Monday–Friday 10:00-12:30pm U.S. Central Time, recorded lectures, daily interactive on-line exercises, flexible consultation. Time commitment: 40 hours per week.
Course fee: $3,000.
Syllabus.
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Unfolding the secrets of {A}yurveda: learning Sanskrit with the {a}zwANgahfdaya.

US103.
This course offers students the opportunity to learn Sanskrit specifically to read {A}yurveda texts in Sanskrit. It starts with training basic pronunciation of Sanskrit sounds, and proceeds in sequence to teach nominal declension, verbal conjugation, sanDi and kAraka so that students can identify forms in the verse, dissolve sandhi and construe the verse. The course aims to make students independent in understanding the basic Sanskrit texts of {A}yurveda. The text selected for this course is the {a}zwANgahfdaya.
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar.
Schedule: To be announced.
Course fee: $1,500.
See also US103S summer version, 14 June–30 August 2021, $1,200
Syllabus.
Express interest.

{s}aMkziptamahABAratam: The {m}ahABArata in brief

US110.
Students read an original selection from the great Indian epic {m}ahABArata that tells the whole story in 43 verses. Each verse is accompanied by several sentences each of which paraphrases the verse or some part of it to elucidate its meaning and syntax. Translation exercises are presented in an engaging interactive just-in-time learning environment that provides immediate feedback and help.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf.
Prerequisite: US101–US102 or equivalent introduction to Sanskrit.
Schedule: 6 September – 13 December 2024 (no class 29 November).
Course meeting times: Friday 10:00am-12:00noon U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $1,500.
Syllabus.
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{r}AmopAKyAna: the story of {r}Ama in the {m}ahABArata.

US111.
The story of {r}Ama is the most popular story in all of India and a masterpiece of world literature. While in its most ancient extant version, it is told in about 25,000 verses in {v}AlmIki's large epic poem {r}AmAyaRa, it is summarized in 705 verses in eighteen aDyAyas in the {r}AmopAKyAna in the great epic {m}ahABArata. There it is told to {y}uDizWira who is dejected over the recent abduction of his wife and the exile of his family to the forest. This course reads several chapters of the {r}AmopAKyAna to give intermediate Sanskrit students a firm grounding in the precise understanding of every detail of each verse including sandhi, morphology, and syntax.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf.
Prerequisite: US101–102 or equivalent introduction to Sanskrit.
Schedule: 14 September – 18 December 2023.
Course meeting times: Monday and Thursday 11:00am-12:00noon U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $1,500.
Syllabus.
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Intermediate Sanskrit prose reading.

US120.
In this course intermediate Sanskrit students are given practice reading Classical Sanskrit, Epic and Vedic prose. Readings may include selections from any of the following: the {h}itopadeSa and {p}aYcatantra, which consist of short stories with a moral embeded in a longer narrative composed for the instruction of youth in leadership ({n}ItiSAstra); the {m}ahABArata and {p}urARas; the {b}rAhmaRas and {u}panizads.
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar, or Peter M. Scharf.
Prerequisite: US101–102 or equivalent introduction to Sanskrit.
Schedule: Friday, 17 January – 2 May 2025, except 21 March.
Course meeting times: 10:00am--12:00noon U.S. Central Time or by arrangement.
Course fee: $1,500.
Syllabus.
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saMskftapAWasya maDyamA SreRI.

UP120.
asyAM kakzyAyAM CAtrAH maDyamAyAM SreRyAM saMskftaM paWeyuH. pAWe hitopadeSasya pANktamaDyayanaM Bavet. sarvatra pARinIyasaYjYAnAM prayogaH Bavet.
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar.
Medium of instruction: Sanskrit.
Prerequisite: US101–102 or equivalent introduction to Sanskrit.
Schedule: Fridays, 19 January – 3 May 2023, except 22 March 2024.
Course meeting times: 9:30-11:00am U.S. Central Time. 9:00-10.30PM IST
Course fee: ₹5,000 for students, or ₹15,000 for employed adults, residents of India
Course fee: $1,500 (for non-residents of India).
Syllabus.
Register (residents of India).
Register (non-residents of India).

{s}idDAntakOmudI {v}iBaktyarTaprakaraRa.

US200.
The {s}idDAntakOmudI is a 16th CE commentary on the {a}zwADyAyI. It is widely used by beginners in the study of {p}ARinian grammar to understand rules in the {a}zwADyAyI. The {v}iBaktyarTa section is important from the point of view of learning the syntax and semantics of Sanskrit. This course presents reading of the {v}iBaktyarTa section of the {s}idDAntakOmudI (114 rules nos. 532–646). Rules are analyzed word by word and line by line, presenting the principles of the {p}ARinian tradition reflected in the commentary.
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar.
Prerequisite: US101–102 or equivalent introduction to Sanskrit, or CG20 Introduction to the {p}ARinian tradition, or CG21 {p}ARinian sanDi rules.
Schedule: 8 June–20 August 2021.
Tuesday and Friday 3:30-4:30pm U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $1,500.
Syllabus.
Express interest.

Selected readings in the {s}idDAntakOmudI.

US201.
The {s}idDAntakOmudI is a 16th CE commentary on the {a}zwADyAyI. It is widely used by beginners in the study of {p}ARinian grammar to understand rules in the {a}zwADyAyI. It is important to read the selected parts of this text in order to understand the {p}ARinian grammar. This course offers to read some of the important parts in the Siddhāntakaumudī, i.e. sandhi, nominal morphology, compounds etc.
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar.
Prerequisite: Advanced Sanskrit with CG20 Introduction to the {p}ARinian tradition, or equivalent.
Schedule: 6 September -- 22 December 2024, except Friday 29 November and Sunday 1 December.
Course meeting times: Friday 7:30--8:30pm U.S. Central Time (6:00-7:00am Saturday IST) and Sunday 10:00--11:00am U.S. Central Time (8:30-9:30pm IST). Meeting times may change after 3rd November when Daylight Savings Time ends in the U.S.
Course fee: $1,500.
Course fee: ₹15,000.
Syllabus.
Register.
Register (residents of India).

Verbal conjugation in {B}awwoji {d}Ikzita’s {s}idDAntakOmudI.

US205.
In this course, we read the portions in the {s}idDAntakOmudI that deal with verbal roots, the introduction of l-affixes, their replacement with verbal terminations, Atmanepada and parasmEpada terminations, the introduction of stem-forming affixes, and other aspects of verbal conjugation.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf.
Prerequisite: Advanced Sanskrit with CG20 Introduction to the {p}ARinian tradition, or equivalent.
Schedule: Tuesdays, 16 January – 30 April 2024, except 26 March.
Course meeting times: 10:00am–12:00noon U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $2,000.
Indian course fee: ₹20,000.
Syllabus.
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Advanced reading workshop in {r}aGuvaMSa sarga 2 and the {s}idDAntakOmudI ({v}iBaktyarTaprakaraRa).

US210.
The {r}aGuvaMSa by {k}AlidAsa is one of the Sanskrit {m}ahakAvyas. This great poem is a part of the traditional syllabus of learning Sanskrit. The {s}idDAntakOmudI is a 16th CE commentary on the {a}zwADyAyI. It is widely used by beginners in the study of {p}ARinian grammar to understand rules in the {a}zwADyAyI. The {v}iBaktyarTa section is important from the point of view of learning the syntax and semantics of Sanskrit. In this course, we read the second canto of the {r}aGuvaMSa and analyze it thoroughly in the light of the {v}iBaktyarTa section of the {s}idDAntakOmudI (114 rules nos. 532–646).
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar.
Prerequisite: advanced level of Sanskrit.
Schedule: 8 September--15 December 2022.
Course meeting times: Tuesday and Thursday 9:00--10:00 am U.S. Central Time (7:30 pm IST; 8:30 pm IST after 6th November 2022).
Course fee: $1,500.
Course fee: ₹15,000.
Syllabus.
Register.
Register (residents of India).

{D}AtupAWa: The {m}ADavIyaDAtuvftti.

US310.
Students are introduced to the structure and content of the {p}ARinian {D}AtupAWa and study the beginning of the {m}ADavIyaDAtuvftti with detailed exploration of the sUtras of the {a}zwADyAyI cited in the derivation of the speech forms mentioned in it with the {k}ASikA and other commentaries on them.
Instructor: Peter M. Scharf.
Prerequisite: advanced Sanskrit, a thorough introduction to {p}ARinian grammar, and permission of the instructor. Prospective students are advised to contact the instructor before registering by email to: info@sanskritlibrary.org
Schedule: 20 January – 4 May 2024.
Course meeting times: Saturday 2:00-4:00pm U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $3,000.
Syllabus.
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{k}irAtArjunIya sarga 1.

UP113.
The {k}irAtArjunIya by {B}Aravi is one of the Sanskrit {m}ahAkAvyas. This great poem is a part of the traditional syllabus of learning Sanskrit. Applying the traditional methods to learn a text is important to gain independence in reading and understanding Sanskrit. So herewith we propose a course reading the first canto of the {k}irAtArjunIya thoroughly with sandi analysis, verbal conjugation, nominal declension, identificaiton of {s}amAsas, identification of voice, changing the voice (vAcyaviparivartana), anvaya of the verse and provision of Sanskrit synonyms for each word in the verse.
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar.
Prerequisite: US101–102 or equivalent introduction to Sanskrit.
Schedule: Tuesday and Friday 9.30am 7 September — 17 December 2021 with a break for Thanksgiving.
Course meeting times: Tuesday and Friday 9.30-10:30am U.S. Central Time (IST 8:00-9:00pm/9pm-10:00pm after 1 November 2021 when CST changes to CDT).
Course fee: $1,500.
Syllabus.
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{r}aGuvaMSa sarga 2

UP114
The {r}aGuvaMSa by {k}AlidAsa is one of the Sanskrit {m}ahAkAvyas. This great poem is a part of the traditional syllabus of learning Sanskrit. Applying the traditional methods to learn a text is important to gain independence in reading and understanding Sanskrit and translating the text. So herewith we propose a course reading the second canto of the {r}aGuvaMSa thoroughly with sanDi analysis, verbal conjugation, nominal declension, identificaiton of {s}amAsas, indentification of voice, changing the voice (vAcyaviparivartana), anvaya of the verse and translation in Sanskrit.
Instructor: Tanuja P. Ajotikar
Prerequisite: Introductory Sanskrit.
Instructor's introductory video
Schedule: 8 June – 12 August 2022
Course meeting times: Wednesday and Friday 9:30–10:30am U.S. Central Time; 8–9pm IST
Course fee: $1,500.
Course fee: ₹15,000.
Syllabus.
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Introduction to Digital Philology

UT101
With the current transition of knowledge transmission from the printed to the digital medium, it is essential that students of Sanskrit, as students of every discipline, learn to use the technologies of this new medium. While the written manuscript and the printed book dominated as the principal media of knowledge transmission it was essential for students to learn how to read and write and to use pen and paper, and the facilities that help to navigate books such as tables of contents, alphabetical indices, and page numbers. In the digital age now there are new facilities to navigate knowledge in the digital medium: Web-pages, links, and search interfaces. Yet the digital medium offers many more complex methods of discovering knowledge relevant to one’s interests, such as automated information retrieval and information extraction. Conversely, the facilities available for interlinking resources and the expectations of users now in the digital age demand greater attention to various facets of the preparation of knowledge for distribution. The course offered here prepares students to make such preparations for Sanskrit. This is the first technical course in The Sanskrit Library's digital humanities programs.
Instructors: Tanuja P. Ajotikar and Peter M. Scharf.
Syllabus

Character and higher-level encoding.

UT102.
This course begins by examining methods of character encoding for Sanskrit: the Sanskrit Library Phonetic (SLP) encodings, ASCII meta-encodings, and Unicode. The course then introduces the extensible markup language (XML), and the Text-Encoding Initiative (TEI). Students will learn how to markup text and bibliography, and formalize morphological (lexical and inflectional) tagging in TEI. The course concludes with training in the use of the exceedingly powerful and ubiquitously useful regular expressions. This is the second technical course in The Sanskrit Library's digital humanities programs.
Instructors: Tanuja P. Ajotikar and Peter M. Scharf.
Schedule: Saturdays, 20 January – 4 May 2024, except 23 March.
Course meeting times: 9:00–11:00am U.S. Central Time.
Prerequisite: Advanced competency in Sanskrit, fluency reading Devanagari script, and regular access to a computer and basic computer use skills.
Course fee: $1,000.
Course fee: ₹10,000.
Syllabus.
Register.
Register (residents of India).

TEI-conformant XML markup workshop.

UT110.
This practicum allows students to work closely with an instructor to engage in higher-level encoding of complex texts, especially commentaries, using the extensible markup language (XML) in accordance with the Text-Encoding Initiative (TEI). Examples of texts students are currently working with or could work with include {s}AyaRa's {m}ADavIyaDAtuvftti, {m}allinATa's {s}aYjIvanI, subcommentaries on the {k}ASikAvftti, and {s}AyaRa's {f}gvedaBAzya.
Instructors: Peter M. Scharf and Tanuja P. Ajotikar.
Prerequisite: UT102 Character and higher-level encoding, advanced Sanskrit, a thorough introduction to {p}ARinian grammar, and permission of the instructor. Prospective students are advised to contact the instructor before registering by email to: info@sanskritlibrary.org
Schedule: 8 September -- 15 December (no class 1 December).
Course meeting times: Sunday 2:00-4:00pm U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $1,500.
Syllabus.
Register.

Pali Reading Workshop: Milindapañha “The Questions of King Milinda”.

UL111.
The Milindapañha ‘Questions of King Milinda’ is one of the most celebrated Pali texts. It contains the dialogue between the Bactrian (Indo-Greek) king Milinda (Menander) and the Buddhist monk Nāgasena. Respected as a canonical or para-canonical text by all Buddhist traditions in the world, the Milindapañha represents one of the most brilliant philosophical dialogues of India. In this workshop we will read the first part of the Pali text, comprising the Pubbayoga ‘Story about the past’, the Lakkhaṇapañho ‘Questions on Characteristics’ and the Vimatipañho ‘Questions on doubts’, altogether ninety pages of the Pali Text Society edition by V. Trenckner. In our readings we will discuss grammatical points of the text as well as philosophical issues. Students will be requested to read in turns during the reading sessions.
Instructor: Aleix Ruiz Falqués.
Prerequisite: Intermediate level of Pali, or good knowledge of Sanskrit or Prakrit.
Schedule: 21 June–26 August 2021.
Course meeting times: Monday and Thursday 9:00–10:30am U.S. Central Time.
Course fee: $2,000.
Syllabus.
Express interest.

Beginners’ Course in Marathi for second language learners

UM101
This course is intended to initiate students to the learning of Marathi. The course is mainly meant for the second language learners of Marathi who are University students and intend to familiarize themselves with the language and culture of Maharashtra as a part of their South Asian Studies. This course could be understood as a part of a series of courses that teach Marathi at ascending levels. For the course is being taught to the adult learners, Marathi language and grammar would be contrasted with the first languages of the learners. The method would be a mix of grammar-translation and direct with contrastive analysis to help the adult learners learn at a fair pace.
Instructor: Chinmay Dharurkar
Prerequisite: No.
Instructor's introductory video
Schedule: 7 June – 29 July 2022
Course meeting times: Tuesday and Thursday 9.30–10:30am U.S. Central Time; 8–9pm IST
Course fee: $1,000.
Course fee for Indian residents: ₹10,000.
Syllabus.
Register
Register (Indian residents)