Sanskrit: : An Appreciation Without Apprehension

This is a good book for learning Sanskrit if you have no experience with the Devanagari script. If you do its still a good book for Sanskrit novices. Satyamev Jayate!!

This book is beyond excellent. If you are a desi (NRI) trying to learn Sanskrit, do not think any further. Order this book. I promise to you, you will love this book. This book does use Devanagri as the representation script for Sanskrit words. There is an entire section devoted to Devanagri script, so there shouldn't be any problem learning it. This book introduces concepts slowly, one by one without making it too complicated. Books like Coulson's (That's the correct spellings I hope), are on the other extreme. They might be for users who are doing some comparative research etc. But for a layman like myself, this book is a God sent. It is actually enjoyable to read the book. And at the same time its not like the author is just beating around the bush. He is actually pretty fast at introducing new concepts, just that everything is presented in such an easy way that its like an interesting story unfolding. This book is beautiful. It is a book for a beginner. I have struggled for so long because of lack of resources but now it seems there are so many resources on the net. This book will be a very nice (gentle) invitation into the Sanskrit world. It brings out the concepts beautifully and I believe that the author is quite fast in giving new concepts too. Hats off to Mr. Bharat S. Shah (the Author of this book). I actually wish the author writes more books on Sanskrit, maybe one which will be a step after this book, specially introduction to Ancient Sanskrit Literature (Puranas, Scriptures etc.) That book could have more Vocabulary, special usage notes, etc. Thank you for this book.

I wrote this book to enable one to swim fearlessly in the surf of this delightful and yet intimidating language. This book takes one from the alphabet, all the way to the calssics, scriptures, and quotable quotes. It doesn't aim to make you a Pundit of Sanskrit, but serves as a life saver, and gives one enough confidence to enjoy and appreciate the written Sanskrit. Fortunately, one is spared the endless grammatical rules, their exceptions, and exceptions to those exceptions. Author uses delightful and lyrical quotes, points out their beauty, but only hints at the grammar. We are taken on a guided tour through all mysteries and intricacies of this devine language. At one tenth the cost of a college credit course, this book offers a real bargain.

I really enjoyed this book, which helped me achieve something I never thought I would- it helped me to read and comprehend Sanskrit! It is easy to read and follow, and written in a very easy going teaching style. I highly recommend it.

What I liked best about this book is its focus on familiar poems and prayers, and not Sanskrit works that only scholars can decipher. Although Sanskrit remains a difficult language, Dr. Shah's book has made learning it much more enjoyable and for the first time, it seems possible.