• Learn the Dēvanāgarī script. This will take some time, and we’ll be working on the script throughout this course. Still, make sure you know how to form the independent signs and the most common conjunct characters. Do the exercises on this page, and please make use of the additional resources listed under exercises below to gain more practice.
• Know what sandhi is and the significance of the dot (‧) we put after words in these first few lessons.
• Know how to greet people in Sanskrit, using phrases like namastē and api kuśalam.
• For homework, transliterate one of the below verses from Dēvanāgarī into Roman, and two of the below verses from Roman to Dēvanāgarī. I would like you write the verses by hand (so that, even if you use some automated transliteration tools, you will still have practice writing the letters). Please also send me a recording of you speaking at least one of the verses (preferably all three). You will submit these on Canvas.

I have prepared the following video lectures for this lesson. Please watch them before coming to class.

In addition to the handout provided above (Nāgarīlipipravēśikā), there are a load of resources for learning the Dēvanāgarī script. I particularly recommend the following:

• General overview:
  • Pages 1–7 of Arṇanidhiḥ, an excellent overview prepared by Somdev Vasudeva. Page 2 presents eastern and western variants of the Dēvanāgarī characters.
• Writing:
  • Wikner’s chart from his Practical Sanskrit Introductory shows the characters with guide lines.
• Conjunct consonants:
  • Pages 3–7 of Arṇanidhiḥ present conjunct consonants in a systematic and rational way.
  • These pages of David Shulman and Priya Hart’s textbook list all of the common conjunct consonants.
  • Deshpande’s textbook has a relatively complete list of conjunct consonants.
  • Max Müller’s grammar also lists the common conjunct consonants.
  • The UBC Sanskrit website can display conjuncts based on your input.
• Flashcards:
  • I made a big deck of Anki flashcards that can be downloaded here.
  • Other Anki flashcards:
    • Anki cards for Dēvanāgarī (based on Ruppel’s Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit)
    • Other Anki Dēvanāgarī cards
  • I made several sets of Quizlet flash cards:
    • Independent vowels
    • Consonants (with inherent vowel)
    • Consonants (with vowel markers)
    • Conjunct Consonants
  • Other Quizlet flashcards (not made by me)
  • Printable Dēvanāgarī flashcards from Liberation Philology
  • Printable Dēvanāgarī flashcards on the University of Washington Hindi website.
  • Wikner’s Practical Sanskrit Introductory contains a few pages of Dēvanāgarī flashcards.
  • Not exactly flashcards, but the UBC Sanskrit website has an interactive Dēvanāgarī Tutor (requires Flash).

Note that if you are able to type in either Dēvanāgarī or Roman transliteration (with diacritics), as described here, then you can use a number of online transliteration tools, such as Aksharamukha, to help you practice.

I have also previously put together a number of Dēvanāgarī Exercises on Google Forms. You have to type in a Dēvanāgarī phrase corresponding to the phrase shown in Roman transliteration (and, in the last two exercises, the reverse). Obviously this requires knowledge of how to type in Dēvanāgarī and transliteration.

• Exercise 1 (words; no conjunct consonants)
• Exercise 2 (words; no conjunct consonants)
• Exercise 3 (words; some conjuncts)
• Exercise 4 (words; some conjuncts)
• Exercise 5 (phrases; conjuncts)
• Exercise 6 (quarters of a verse)
• Exercise 7 (nāgarī to transliteration)
• Exercise 8 (nāgarī to transliteration)

I recommend writing out the letters again and again on a sheet of paper, first in alphabetical order, then in reverse, and gradually adding the vowel markers and the conjunct signs.

H. M. Lambert wrote an Introduction to the Devanāgarī Script in 1953, which you may find useful, although its system of transliteration is a bit different from the one we use here.

1. Simple consonants (Part I)

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. करः “ray,” “hand” (noun, masc.)
2. कषः “touchstone” (noun, masc.)
3. खलः “bad person” (noun, masc.)
4. खरः “donkey” (noun, masc.)
5. गजः “elephant” (noun, masc.)
6. गतः “gone” (adj, masc.)
7. गलः “throat” (noun, masc.)
8. घनः “cloud” (noun, masc.)
9. घटः “pot” (noun, masc.)
10. चरः “moving” (adj., masc.)
11. चणः “chickpea” (noun, masc.)
12. छलम् “fraud” (noun, neut.)
13. जनः “people” (noun, masc.)
14. जलम् “water” (noun, neut.)
15. झषः “fish” (noun, masc.)
16. भटः “soldier” (noun, masc.)
17. जडः “senseless” (adj., masc.)
18. रणः “delight” (noun, masc.)
19. गणः “group” (noun, masc.)
20. पणः “wager” (noun, masc.)
21. ततः “stretched” (adj., masc.)
22. कथम् “how?” (adv.)
23. रथः “chariot?” (noun, masc.)
24. दलम् “petal” (noun, neut.)
25. धनम् “wealth” (noun, neut.)
26. नरः “man” (noun, masc.)
27. नमः “reverence” (noun, neut.)
28. पदम् “step” (noun, neut.)
29. फलम् “fruit” (noun, neut.)
30. बलम् “strength” (noun, neut.)
31. भरः “burden” (noun, masc.)
32. मतम् “thought” (adj., neut.)
33. यवः “barley” (noun, masc.)
34. यमः “Yama” [a god] (noun, masc.)
35. रवः “noise” (noun, masc.)
36. रसः “flavor” (noun, masc.)
37. वनम् “forest” (noun, neut.)
38. वरः “boon” (noun, masc.)
39. शशः “hare” (noun, masc.)
40. शमः “patience” (noun, masc.)
41. शरः “arrow” (noun, masc.)
42. सरः “pond” (noun, neut.)
43. समः “same” (adj., masc.)
44. हरः “Śiva” (noun, masc.)
45. हतः “struck” (adj., masc.)

2. Simple consonants (Part II)

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. कमलम् “lotus” (noun, neut.)
2. करणम् “instrument” (noun, neut.)
3. चरकः “wanderer” (noun, masc.)
4. जननः “father” (noun, masc.)
5. तरणः “raft” (noun, masc.)
6. नगरम् “town” (noun, neut.)
7. पवनः “wind” (noun, masc.)
8. भजनम् “worship” (noun, neut.)
9. भरतः “Bharata” [a name] (noun, masc.)
10. मरणम् “death” (noun, neut.)
11. यवनः “Greek” (noun, masc.)
12. वसनम् “clothing” (noun, neut.)
13. वदनम् “face” (noun, neut.)
14. वचनम् “statement” (noun, neut.)
15. शकटम् “cart” (noun, neut.)
16. शरणम् “refuge” (noun, neut.)
17. सकलम् “entire” (adj., neut.)

3. Dependent vowel signs

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. कविः “poet” (noun, masc.)
2. कीरः “parrot” (noun, masc.)
3. करुणः “pitiable” (adj., masc.)
4. गुहा “cave” (noun, fem.)
5. गृहः “house” (noun, masc.)
6. घोषः “noise” (noun, masc.)
7. चेतः “consciousness” (noun, neut.)
8. चूडा “top of the head” (noun, fem.)
9. छाया “shadow” (noun, fem.)
10. जिनः “victorious” (adj, masc.)
11. टीका “commentary” (noun, fem.)
12. डीनः “flown” (adj., masc.)
13. तरुणः “young” (adj., masc.)
14. दीनः “miserable” (adj., masc.)
15. देवः “god” (noun, masc.)
16. दुःखम् “pain” (noun, neut.)
17. धूमः “smoke” (noun, masc.)
18. पादः “foot” (noun, masc.)
19. पुरम् “town” (noun, neut.)
20. पौरः “townsperson” (noun, masc.)
21. बालः “child” (noun, masc.)
22. भूमिः “earth” (noun, fem.)
23. भैरवः “terrifying” (adj., masc.)
24. मुनिः “sage” (noun, masc.)
25. मृतः “dead” (adj., masc.)
26. मृगः “deer” (noun, masc.)
27. मणिः “gem” (noun, masc.)
28. महाभारतः “Mahābhārata” (noun, masc.)
29. रमा “Lakṣmā” (noun, fem.)
30. रामः “Rāmaḥ” (noun, masc.)
31. रामायणम् “Rāmāyaṇam” (noun, neut.)
32. रविः “sun” (noun, masc.)
33. वरुणः “Varuṇaḥ” (noun, masc.)
34. वेदः “Vēda” (noun, masc.)
35. शाखा “branch” (noun, fem.)
36. शौचम् “purity” (noun, neut.)
37. शिवः “Śiva” (noun, masc.)
38. शृणु “listen!” (2nd pers. imper. parasmai.)
39. शौरः “heroic” (adj., masc.)
40. सूनुः “son” (noun, masc.)
41. सीता “Sītā” (noun, fem.)
42. सोमः “sōma” (noun, masc.)
43. सुखम् “pleasure” (noun, neut.)
44. हरिः “Viṣṇu” (noun, masc.)
45. हितम् “beneficial” (adj., neut.)
46. हेतुः “reason” (noun, masc.)
47. हृदयम् “heart” (noun, neut.)

4. Independent vowel signs

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. अशोकः “Aśōkaḥ” [a name] (noun, masc.)
2. आलापः “chat” (noun, masc.)
3. इतिहासः “legend” (noun, masc.)
4. ईहा “desire” (noun, fem.)
5. उलूकः “owl” (noun, masc.)
6. ऊहः “transformation” (noun, masc.)
7. ऋषिः “sage” (noun, masc.)
8. एधः “fuel” (noun, masc.)
9. ऐतरेयः “Aitarēyaḥ” [a name] (noun, masc.)
10. ओषधिः “herb” (noun, fem.)
11. औषधम् “medicine” (noun, neut.)

5. Double consonants

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. कुक्कुटः “chicken” (noun, masc.)
2. ठक्कुरः a title (adj., masc.)
3. तच्च “and that” (tat “that” + ca “and”)
4. गच्छति “he goes” (3sg. pres. parasmai.)
5. मज्जति “he sinks” (3sg. pres. parasmai.)
6. तज्जः “born from that” (adj., masc.)
7. हट्टः “market” (noun, masc.)
8. दत्तः “given” (noun, masc.)
9. भिन्नः “broken” (adj., masc.)
10. अन्नम् “food” (noun, neut.)
11. बद्धः “bound” (adj., masc.)
12. बुद्धः “awakened” (adj., masc.)
13. पिप्पलः “the Peepal tree” (noun, masc.)
14. टिप्पणी “comment” (noun, fem.)

6. Conjuncts with semivowels

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. कर्णः “ear” (noun, masc.)
2. वर्णः “color” (noun, masc.)
3. कर्म “action” (noun, neut.)
4. क्रमः “order” (noun, masc.)
5. कर्कशः “harsh” (adj., masc.)
6. कर्ता “agent” (noun, masc.)
7. कर्षणम् “dragging” (noun, neut.)
8. घ्राणः “smell” (noun, masc.)
9. द्यौः “sky” (noun, masc.)
10. अद्य “today” (adv.)
11. पथ्यः “healthy” (adj., masc..)
12. पाठ्यः “to be recited” (adj., masc.)
13. व्रणः “wound” (noun, masc.)
14. व्रतम् “vow” (noun, neut.)
15. ग्रहः “planet” (noun, masc.)
16. ग्लानिः “weariness” (noun, fem.)
17. प्राणः “breath” (noun, masc.)
18. तत्र “there” (adv.)
19. अमात्यः “adviser” (noun, masc.)
20. त्यागः “giving away” (noun, masc.)
21. त्वम् “you” (sg.)
22. त्वरितम् “haste” (noun, neut.)
23. श्रेयः “better” (adj., neut.)
24. श्वा “dog” (noun, masc.)
25. श्लाघः “praise” (noun, masc.)
26. सहस्रम् “one thousand” (noun, neut.)
27. अजस्रम् “constantly” (adv.)
28. ह्रदः “pond” (noun, masc.)

7. Conjuncts with nasals

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. आत्मा “self” (noun, masc.)
2. हन्ति “he strikes” (3sg. pres. parasmai.)
3. बन्धः “bond” (noun, masc.)
4. अग्निः “fire” (noun, masc.)
5. विघ्नः “impediment” (noun, masc.)
6. रुग्णः “broken” (adj., masc.)
7. अङ्गम् “part” (noun, neut.)
8. ज्ञानम् “knowledge” (noun, neut.)
9. अञ्जलिः “cupping the hands” (noun, masc.)
10. चञ्चलः “unsteady” (adj., masc.)
11. अण्डम् “egg” (noun, neut.)
12. भाण्डम् “pot” (noun, neut.)
13. बन्धुः “relative” (noun, masc.)
14. बिन्दुः “drop” (noun, masc.)
15. डिम्बः “child” (noun, masc.)
16. बिम्बः “disc” (noun, masc.)
17. अम्भः “water” (noun, neut.)
18. दम्पतिः “lord of the house” (noun, masc.)
19. आप्नोति “he obtains” (3sg. pres. parasmai.)
20. स्नानम् “bath” (noun, neut.)
21. स्मितम् “smile” (noun, neut.)
22. विस्मयः “amazement” (noun, masc.)
23. श्मश्रु “moustache” (noun, neut.)
24. अश्नुते “he obtains” (3sg. pres. ātmanē.)

8. Conjuncts with sibilants

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. क्षणः “moment” (noun, masc.)
2. अक्षरः “syllable” (noun, masc.)
3. अप्सरः “Apsaras” [divine woman] (noun, fem.)
4. उत्सुकः “eager” (adj., masc.)
5. स्तनितम् “thunder” (noun, neut.)
6. स्खलनम् “tripping” (noun, neut.)
7. स्कन्दः “Kārttikēya” (noun, masc.)
8. वृश्चिकः “thunder” (noun, neut.)
9. स्थानम् “place” (noun, neut.)
10. अस्थि “bone” (noun, neut.)
11. तिष्ठति “he stands” (3sg. pres. parasmai.)
12. उपविष्टः “seated” (adj., masc.)
13. निष्फलम् “fruitless” (adj., neut.)
14. स्फोटः “flash” (noun, masc.)
15. दृष्टः “seen” (adj., masc.)

9. Stop-stop conjuncts

Transliterate the following words into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and say them aloud:

1. उत्कण्ठः “eager” (adj., masc.)
2. शक्तः “capable” (adj., masc.)
3. उक्तम् “spoken” (adj., neut.)
4. सक्थि “thigh” (noun, neut.)
5. बुद्बुदः “bubble” (noun, masc.)
6. उत्पत्तिः “origin” (noun, fem.)
7. उद्भेदः “appearance” (noun, masc.)
8. उद्गारः “discharging” (noun, masc.)
9. अब्जः “lotus” (noun, masc.)
10. अब्धिः “ocean” (noun, masc.)
11. खड्गः “sword” (noun, masc.)
12. खड्गः “sword” (noun, masc.)
13. सप्त “seven”
14. सद्भावः “existence” (noun, masc.)

10. Roman to Dēvanāgarī

Using your answers to the above exercises (or an automatically-transliterated version of the above exercises), write each word in Dēvanāgarī.

11. Verses: Dēvanāgarī to Roman

Transliterate the following verses into Roman characters (ISO-15919 or IAST) and read them aloud:

(From Bhavabhūti’s Uttararāmacaritam; see the description of the śārdūlavikrīḍitam meter for a translation.)

(From the end of Dharmakīrti’s Pramāṇavārttikam. Rough translation: “Not even the most brilliant scholars have plumbed the depths of my philosophy, or seen its highest truths with what little mental capacity they have. For lack of anyone in the world capable of receiving it, it will grow old within this very body, like the water of the ocean stays within its limits.”)

12. Verses: Roman to Dēvanāgarī

Transliterate the following verses into Dēvanāgarī and read them aloud:

(Another verse of Dharmakīrti’s. John Brough has translated it as follows: “If he had seen this dainty creature, / Golden as saffron in every feature, / How could a high creator bear / To part with anything so fair? / Suppose he shut his eyes? Oh, no: / How could he then have made her so? / — Which proves the universe was not created: / Buddhist theology is vindicated.”)

(A verse of Bhartr̥hari’s. Barbara Stoler Miller translates: “It eludes the pillage of thieves, / Promotes endless joy; / Bestowed on those who beg, / It waxes greater yet / And perishes not despite the end of time. / Wisdom is a treasure deep within. / Kings, renounce your arrogance / Towards its masters! / Who can rival them?”)

(Another verse of Bhartr̥hari’s. Barbara Stoler Miller translates: “I failed to master the knowledge / Needed to conquere the host of polemists / Abroad in the world. / I did nothing to spread my fame / Across the sky on the rapier / Made to pierce martial elephants’ heads. / I never sipped the moonrise nectar / From women’s beautiful, / Tender, blossom lips. / Alas, I passed a futile youth, / Like a flaming lamp / In an empty house.”)

The following exchange comes from the beginning of Bhavabhūti’s play, Rāma’s Last Act (Uttararāmacaritam), composed in the early 8th century. A messenger, Aṣṭāvakra, has just come to Ayōdhyā, Rāma’s capital, with a message from Rāma’s sister Śāntā and brother-in-law R̥ṣyaśr̥ṅga.

Note that Sītā actually speaks Prakrit in Bhavabhūti’s play. I have converted her lines into Sanskrit for this exercise.

This is a relatively long exchange, but please notice, first of all, that Aṣṭāvakra greets Rāma and Sītā with the formula that we encountered last lesson, namely with the noun svasti followed by a pronoun in the dative case (here vām, a relatively exotic dative dual). And note that Rāma responds with the respectful greeting we encountered last lesson as well, namely, abhivādayē (“I salute [you]”). He addresses Aṣṭāvakra as bhagavan, indicating that he abides by a religious life. He also bids him politely to take a seat (itaḥ āsyatām, literally, “may there be a sitting over here”).

Now look at what Sītā and Rāma say to Aṣṭāvakra next:

• Sītā says namas tē, a greeting that we encountered in the last lesson, and which is still very common in India.
• Sītā asks api kuśalam. This is an extremely common greeting, which means “is all well?” Literally api is a particle indicating that the sentence is a yes-or-no question, and kuśalam is a noun meaning “wellness” (among other things). People very often ask, simply, api kuśalam. But to ask about a specific person’s health and well-being, you put the person’s name in the genitive case, as Sītā does here (lit. “is there wellness of all my elders...” etc.)
• Rāma asks a similar yes-or-no question, namely, whether is brother-in-law and sister are “without difficulties” (nirvighnaḥ).
• Sītā finally asks another yes-or-no questin, namely, whether Śāntā is “thinking of us” (asmān smarati).

Aṣṭāvakra responds in the affirmative, apparently to all of their questions. He says atha kim, which means something like “of course” or “it goes without saying.” Sanskrit doesn’t really use words for “yes,” but you can respond in the affirmative in any of the following ways:

• atha kim “of course!”
• bāḍham “absolutely!”
• asandigdham “without a doubt!”
• ām “yes”
• ōṁ “yes” (rather portentious and assuming)

A very polite response to questions like “are you well?” is to say “thanks to seeing you” (tava darśanāt) or “thanks to your kindness” (tava prasādāt).

To respond in the negative, you can simply say na, which means “no.”