An Introductory Sanskrit Reader

Martin Pfeiffer

• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9783745869934
• eBook ISBN: 9783745869941
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Doubtless Sanskrit must be called a difficult language. This is a fact that cannot be helped. But even though nothing can be done about the language itself, some thoughts may be given to the preparation of teaching aids that can make the task of learning Sanskrit less arduous. The present collection of texts comprises 30 specimens from original literary works written in Sanskrit, which have been chosen employing objective criteria regarding script and language, and which are suitable as first reading material for learners who have already acquired a certain familiarity with Sanskrit grammar and lexicon. However, the choice of texts has not been guided by formal criteria alone, but also by considerations regarding content: For the most part, the specimens belong to the narrative genre; they have been taken from narrative literature, from the epics Mah?bh?rata and R?m?yana, and from the Pur?nas. It goes without saying that all texts are printed in Devan?gar? characters.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• 1. The Hare That Outwitted the Lion (Pañcatantra 1, 6)
• 2. How the Lion's Servants Got the Camel Killed (Pañcatantra 1, 8)
• 3. Frogs Go for a Ride on the Back of a Snake (Pañcatantra 3, 10)
• 4. The Two Murderers (Pañcatantra 5, 2)
• 5. Brahman, Thief, and Rākṣasa (Tantrākhyāyika 3, 6)
• 6. Somaśarman's Father (Tantrākhyāyika 5, 1)
• 7. Three Fastidious Young Brahmans (Vetālapañcaviṃśatikā 5)
• 8. How Somaśarman Died of a Snake's Poison (Vetālapañcaviṃśatikā 12)
• 9. The Boy Who Laughed as he Was Being Sacrificed (Vetālapañcaviṃśatikā 17)
• 10. Caṇḍamahāsena and Aṅgāravatī (Kathāsaritsāgara 11, 43-73)
• 11. The Hypocritical Ascetic (Kathāsaritsāgara 15, 30-53)
• 12. Three Fastidious Young Brahmans (Kathāsaritsāgara 82, 1-52)
• 13. The Story of the Siddhāśrama (Rāmāyaṇa 1, 29, 1-32)
• 14. Jābāli's Address to Rāma (Rāmāyaṇa 2, 108, 1-18)
• 15. Sītā in the Hands of Rāvaṇa (Rāmāyaṇa 3, 56, 1-32)
• 16. The Birth of Karṇa (Mahābhārata 1, 104, 1-21)
• 17. Arjuna and Ulūpī (Mahābhārata 1, 206, 11-34)
• 18. Manu Vaivasvata and the Fish (Mahābhārata 3, 185, 1-54)
• 19. Indradyumna Regains his Seat in Heaven (Mahābhārata 3, 191, 1-27)
• 20. Kṛṣṇa Conquers the Snake Kāliya (Harivaṃśa 56, 1-46)
• 21. Kṛṣṇa and the Cowherdesses (Harivaṃśa 63, 1-35)
• 22. Viṣṇu's Incarnation as a Fish (Bhāgavatapurāṇa 8, 24, 7-45)
• 23. Kṛṣṇa Lifts up the Mountain Govardhana (Bhāgavatapurāṇa 10, 25, 1-28)
• 24. King Pṛthu Conquers the Earth (Viṣṇupurāṇa 1, 13, 69-91)
• 25. The Birth of Dattātreya (Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa 17, 1-25)
• 26. The Birth of Mārtāṇḍa (Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa 105, 1-27)
• 27. Dama Kills his Father's Murderer Vapuṣmat (Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa 136, 11-36)
• 28. Viṣṇu is Extolled as Veṅkaṭanātha (Skandapurāṇa 2/1, 35, 20-36)
• 29. Paraśurāma Kills his Mother Reṇukā (Kālikāpurāṇa 83, 1-28)
• 30. The Creation of the Universe (Kriyāyogasāra 2, 1-24a)