Introduction

Sanskrit is the classical language of the Indian subcontinent. The oldest stage of the language is that of the Veda, the fundamental scriptures of Hinduism which date back to some twelve centuries BCE. The classical stage of the language, from some five centuries BCE onward, is the vehicle of a vast and varied literature from epics and poetry to Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious and philosophical texts, and scientific treatises on everything from astronomy and architecture to law and linguistics. Sanskrit was carried outside the Indian subcontinent to adjacent regions which came under the influence of Indian culture, Tibet and China, and Southeast Asia from Thailand to Indonesia. Hindu tradition heralds it as "the language of the gods." Today Sanskrit continues to be the primary language of Hindu rituals; traditional scholars, or pandits, still hold debates and write treatises in this medium; and poetry in Sanskrit continues to be cultivated. What ancient Greek has been for Greece and the Mediterranean world, and what Latin has been for Rome and Europe, Sanskrit has been for India and vast sections of Asia, but Sanskrit literature vastly exceeds Greek and Latin literatures combined, and with more enduring resonance today. In addition to being required to access this tremendous literature, a knowledge of Sanskrit is essential for comparative linguistics. Sanskrit represents one of the oldest branches of the family of languages known as Indo-European, which extend from India to Western Europe (and, with European expansion, to the New World). Sanskrit courses offered at Penn range from the elementary level to the most advanced and from Vedic to classical Sanskrit. Students may satisfy the Language Requirement with two years of Sanskrit with a grade of "B" or higher, or by passing a proficiency examination in classical Sanskrit.

Course Descriptions

Elementary Sanskrit SKRT 460
Dr Deven Patel
In this two-semester course which begins in the Fall semester, students are introduced to the structure of classical Sanskrit. The object of the course is to develop a reading ability in the classical language. By the mid of the Spring semester, we begin reading a section of the epic, the Mahabharata, and stories from the Hitopadesha.

Second-year SanskritSKRT 470

The object of the Fall semester is to develop a reading proficiency in a range of classical Sanskrit literature. We read sections of the Kathasaritsagara ("The Ocean of Stories"); of the epics, the Ramayana ("Rama's Journey") and the Mahabharata ("The Great Bharata War"), including the Bhagavadgita ("The Lord's Song"); of canonical literature such as the Manavadharmasastra ("The Laws of Manu"); and of other texts which may be of particular interest to students in the class. The object of the Spring semester is to introduce students to Vedic Sanskrit by reading increasingly older texts: the Grhyasutras, the Brahmanas, and the Vedas. Students who wish to focus on classical Sanskrit may substitute a rapid reading course in Sanskrit for the second semester.

	The following courses are semester-long reading courses in wich texts selected for study vary over the semesters according to student needs and special interests.

Readings in Sanskrit Literature SKRT 480
Instructor: Dr.Ramkaran Sharma
(The following description is in Dr. Isaacson's words, edited for publication.) This is the kaavya class. We are just now going through a two year cycle in which we survey different genres. After reading muktakas in Fall 2003 and plays in Spring 2004, in Fall 2004 we shall be reading mahaakaavya. A term is too short, alas, to read any single mahaakaavya in its entirety; instead we shall read a sarga or two from (probably) three mahaakaavyas of increasing difficulty. All the works we will read from will be acknowledged masterpieces of classical Sanskrit literature.