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(Dummies) Guide to ‘Start Writing In Samskritam”
BIG CHALLENGE: you love Samskritam,are learning it & now want to start writing in Samskritam – but HOW?
This series is for folks like me - just starting out to write
*inspired by this thread below https://twitter.com/pvaal2/status/1086423979127132163?s=21
BIG CHALLENGE: you love Samskritam,are learning it & now want to start writing in Samskritam – but HOW?
This series is for folks like me - just starting out to write
*inspired by this thread below https://twitter.com/pvaal2/status/1086423979127132163?s=21
Prologue; *अत्र शीरषके डम्मि अथवा डम्मिभ्यः इव नामकरणं कर्तुम् ऐच्छम्, परन्तु डम्मिपदेन कं वर्णयति यत् परिभ्रमं जातम्।
यदि कदापि सहृदयानां मनसि लेखकः एव डम्मि इति चिन्ता उद्भवति स्यात्?
धैर्यं कथञ्चित् सङ्ग्रह्य एतत् शीर्षकं एवं दत्तवान्।
यदि कदापि सहृदयानां मनसि लेखकः एव डम्मि इति चिन्ता उद्भवति स्यात्?
धैर्यं कथञ्चित् सङ्ग्रह्य एतत् शीर्षकं एवं दत्तवान्।
Problem1:You know what you want to say. Your ideas are complex, clauses are nested & you appreciate nuance. But you sure as heck don’t know how to convey all that in Samskritam
All you can manage to write are sentences like ‘Rama reads”, “I go to temple” & “My name is Kalidasa”!
All you can manage to write are sentences like ‘Rama reads”, “I go to temple” & “My name is Kalidasa”!
Problem2: You know what you want to say, but the words (Samskritam) fail you...
All the rights words are popping up in your mind, BUT unfortunately in the wrong language. Maybe in Hindi, Tamil, Axomiya or even Swahili! Everything except the Samskritam words you are hunting for…
All the rights words are popping up in your mind, BUT unfortunately in the wrong language. Maybe in Hindi, Tamil, Axomiya or even Swahili! Everything except the Samskritam words you are hunting for…
Problem3: You know want you want to say, but you are sure that your sentence sucks! The spelling is wrong, tenses are wrong, the यल्लिङ्ग-यद्वचन stuff is all over the place and you are mortally scared.
Surely, people will now KNOW for sure that you are a comprehensive idiot!
Surely, people will now KNOW for sure that you are a comprehensive idiot!
Not to worry! There is a solution for all problems. Here is my tried and trusted 10 step approach
You may benefit from this & end up like Kalidasa, not only answering “अस्ति कश्चिद् वाग्विशेषः” but go on to create ‘Kumarasambhavam 2’ or ‘Raghuvamsam 3–The Return of the Nandini!’
You may benefit from this & end up like Kalidasa, not only answering “अस्ति कश्चिद् वाग्विशेषः” but go on to create ‘Kumarasambhavam 2’ or ‘Raghuvamsam 3–The Return of the Nandini!’
The 10 Magic Steps© 
Like everything in life, a light touch helps us take stuff in our stride
So please avoid taking everything written here too seriously and do sprinkle a pinch of salt.
Like everything in life, a light touch helps us take stuff in our stride
So please avoid taking everything written here too seriously and do sprinkle a pinch of salt.
Step 1
First things first, read and follow the Samskrita twitter and soak in the brilliance of the simple sentences used by the mahagyanis here.
There are many and I am attaching some handles to start you off! https://twitter.com/hsraghav/status/1085058123776307200?s=21
First things first, read and follow the Samskrita twitter and soak in the brilliance of the simple sentences used by the mahagyanis here.
There are many and I am attaching some handles to start you off! https://twitter.com/hsraghav/status/1085058123776307200?s=21
Step 2:
Use http://www.spokensanskrit.org liberally
This is a wonderful site that you can use to find words, synonyms, sentences etc.
This can also be used to unscramble sentences written by others
This easy site is a lifesaver to the beginner and is a MUST in your favourite list
Use http://www.spokensanskrit.org liberally
This is a wonderful site that you can use to find words, synonyms, sentences etc.
This can also be used to unscramble sentences written by others
This easy site is a lifesaver to the beginner and is a MUST in your favourite list
Step 3:
Break up sentences
You don’t need to write complex sentences. Use bite sized pieces
Create complex ideas with a string of simple sentences.
Get started with simple and before you know it, you will be writing complex sentences
Break up sentences
You don’t need to write complex sentences. Use bite sized pieces
Create complex ideas with a string of simple sentences.
Get started with simple and before you know it, you will be writing complex sentences
Step 4:
Don’t worry too much about spellings in the beginning
Ending with म् or Anusvara ? प्र or पृ,? It’s important to be correct but don’t fret too much in the beginning
You will pick it up along the way & there will always be folks who will nudge you in the right direction
Don’t worry too much about spellings in the beginning
Ending with म् or Anusvara ? प्र or पृ,? It’s important to be correct but don’t fret too much in the beginning
You will pick it up along the way & there will always be folks who will nudge you in the right direction
Step 5:
Vibhakti – a big bugbear
Use रामस्य or रामाय? Use फ्रथम or द्वितीय? And what is all this Genitive/Dative stuff?
Shockingly, the vibhakti for the same phrase in your mother tongue doesn’t work with Samskritam!
Again, no worries. Few iterations and you will be OK
Vibhakti – a big bugbear
Use रामस्य or रामाय? Use फ्रथम or द्वितीय? And what is all this Genitive/Dative stuff?
Shockingly, the vibhakti for the same phrase in your mother tongue doesn’t work with Samskritam!
Again, no worries. Few iterations and you will be OK
Step 6:
Definitely mug up vibhakti tables for common sound endings
You should know at least राम, हरि, गुरु, रमा, नदी, फलम्, सः सा, तत्, अहम्, त्वम् before you come in to bat
Similarly, mug up लट्, लृट्, लङ्, लोट् for parasmaipadi+atmanepadi. The more you know the better it is..
Definitely mug up vibhakti tables for common sound endings
You should know at least राम, हरि, गुरु, रमा, नदी, फलम्, सः सा, तत्, अहम्, त्वम् before you come in to bat
Similarly, mug up लट्, लृट्, लङ्, लोट् for parasmaipadi+atmanepadi. The more you know the better it is..
Step 7:
Use intelligent short cuts
If you don’t know the formal past tense, use क्तवतु as a great escape hatch: पठितवान्, पठितचती, पठितवत् instead of all the 9 past tense forms
Similarly, क्तवा, तुमुन् and the 7 क question forms (किम्, कुत्र, कदा, कति..) are life savers
Use intelligent short cuts
If you don’t know the formal past tense, use क्तवतु as a great escape hatch: पठितवान्, पठितचती, पठितवत् instead of all the 9 past tense forms
Similarly, क्तवा, तुमुन् and the 7 क question forms (किम्, कुत्र, कदा, कति..) are life savers
Step 8:
Know standard rules like in Kartari sentences, Karta=1, Karma=2 and Verb=Karta & in Karmani, Karta=3, Karma=1 and Verb=Karma OR linga+vachana+vibhakti agrees in a Visheshya/Visheshanam combo
You will then understand the reasoning quickly when folks suggest corrections
Know standard rules like in Kartari sentences, Karta=1, Karma=2 and Verb=Karta & in Karmani, Karta=3, Karma=1 and Verb=Karma OR linga+vachana+vibhakti agrees in a Visheshya/Visheshanam combo
You will then understand the reasoning quickly when folks suggest corrections
Step 9:
Internalize the standard high frequency word combinations that help you write simple sentences
You will start to notice many of these combos in sentences & conversations
Soon enough, these catch phrases will stick in your mind. The only trick is more practice..
Internalize the standard high frequency word combinations that help you write simple sentences
You will start to notice many of these combos in sentences & conversations
Soon enough, these catch phrases will stick in your mind. The only trick is more practice..
Step 10:
You will make horrendous mistakes & probably make less sense than a 3 yr old
You will cringe the moment you press that tweet button because you figured out a gross error!
But focus on your common mistakes, internalize them & make daily improvements
You will get there
You will make horrendous mistakes & probably make less sense than a 3 yr old
You will cringe the moment you press that tweet button because you figured out a gross error!
But focus on your common mistakes, internalize them & make daily improvements
You will get there
Keeping the thread open so that I can keep adding advice/tips from others to help folks get started with writing the देवभाषा
लिखतु संस्कृतम्
From @yaajushi
https://twitter.com/yaajushi/status/1086478423156015104?s=21
लिखतु संस्कृतम्
From @yaajushi
https://twitter.com/yaajushi/status/1086478423156015104?s=21
How to easily find the right tense form (लकार) https://twitter.com/pvaal2/status/1087521140938027009?s=21
Another trick to find the appropriate Vibhakti https://twitter.com/pvaal2/status/1087527204630728704?s=21
How to identify Dhatus https://twitter.com/pvaal2/status/1087674324130168832?s=21
