The 9 books to learn Sanskrit below are compiled to help those who want to study on their own. Contrary to popular belief, Sanskrit is not a dead language. It is still taught in schools and homes across India, although it’s used as a second language. Some Brahmins still consider Sanskrit as their mother language. So if you want to learn Sanskrit, these books could help you!
1/ Sanskrit: A Complete Course for Beginners – Level: Beginner
- Full name: Sanskrit: A Complete Course for Beginners
- Author: Michael Coulson, Richard Gombrich, James Benson
- Price: $51.75
- Rating: ⭐3.9
- Level: Beginners
Sanskrit is one of the simple and easy Sanskrit books for Beginners. We appreciate the linguistic explanations of this reference, and it has helped learners understand a lot of otherwise difficult aspects of Sanskrit. Plus, its explanations are very simple and concise, but they do not forget important details in the complex grammar of Sanskrit. Furthermore, it provides some commonly used vocabulary for learners to gain a solid understanding of the Sanskrit fundamentals.
2/ Sanskrit Alphabet – Level: Beginner
- Full name: Sanskrit Alphabet (Devanagari) Study Book Volume 1 Single letters
- Author: Brni Medha Michika
- Price: $6.80
- Rating: ⭐4.6
- Level: Beginners
This workbook was designed to help beginners learn Devanagari (the alphabet script is commonly used for the Sanskrit writing system). After immersing yourself in this comprehensive book, learners may be able to write and read simple Sanskrit words and sentences. Furthermore, it contains all of the letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each letter includes pronunciation hints, a guided handwriting practice sector with step-by-step instructions, and word examples.
3/ The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit – Level: Beginner
- Full name: The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit
- Author: A. M. Ruppel
- Price: $36.11
- Rating: ⭐4.7
- Level: Beginners
“The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit” is the best Sanskrit book for beginners. It is ideal for those who are just starting out with Sanskrit or studying independently. Plus, Devanagari script is used in parallel with transliteration, allowing learners to master the writing system. Besides, it contains many original texts not only in sentence practice exercises but also in Sanskrit structures and systems. Yet, all grammar is introduced in detail so that beginners can understand and improve their language skills.
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4/ Sanskrit For Beginners: A New Approach – Level: Beginner
- Full name: Sanskrit For Beginners: A New Approach
- Author: Dayaram Singh
- Price: $10.99
- Rating: ⭐4.1
- Level: Beginners
“Sanskrit For Beginners: A New Approach” is the best choice when you’re looking for a basic Sanskrit grammar book for self-Study. This book is extremely comprehensive because no aspect of Sanskrit grammar has been ignored. Plus, it also includes English translation to help beginners with meaning awareness. In particular, learners will be able to download MP3 audio files for free.
5/ KathaagucchaH: Simple stories in Sanskrit – Level: Beginner
- Full name: KathaagucchaH: Simple stories in Sanskrit with English translations
- Author: Shubha Vengadakrishnan
- Price: $0.00
- Rating: ⭐4.8
- Level: Beginner
If you want to improve your spoken Sanskrit skills, this reference material is for you. This book includes seven short stories in simple Sanskrit, as well as their English translations for beginners. At the end of the book, a clear glossary with the meanings of some vocabulary is also provided to further assist readers. Yet, the bright and colorful illustrations will pique learners’ interest perfectly.
6/ Complete Sanskrit Beginner to Intermediate Course – Level: Beginner
- Full name: Complete Sanskrit Beginner to Intermediate Course: Learn to read, write, speak and understand a new language
- Author: Michael Coulson
- Price: $66.94
- Rating: ⭐4.2
- Level: Beginners
“Complete Sanskrit Beginner to Intermediate Course” is one of the best books to learn Sanskrit by yourself because it offers tons of grammar exercises. The book contains 15 learning units with a detailed glossary and extra reference section.
This book will:
- Provide authentic Sanskrit materials
- Teach the key skills
- Introduce core Sanskrit grammar and common vocabulary
- Cover Devanagari script
- Update latest reference resources
- Offer self-tests and learning activities
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7/ Sanskrit Grammar and Reference Book – Level: Beginner, Intermediate
- Full name: Sanskrit Grammar and Reference Book
- Author: Ratnakar Narale
- Price: $36.22
- Rating: ⭐4.4
- Level: Beginner, Intermediate
“Sanskrit Grammar and Reference” is the best Sanskrit grammar book for beginners and intermediates. This All-in-One manual packs a comprehensive Sanskrit Reference Book and a complete Sanskrit Grammar for both beginners and intermediates. It includes flowcharts, unique charts, golden rules, dictionaries of word form, and conjugations for every Sanskrit verb. For that reason, this book is very ideal for learners, and it has sold nearly 2 million copies.
8/ Stories from the Mahabharata – Level: Intermediate
- Full name: Stories from the Mahabharata: A Sanskrit Coursebook for Intermediate Level: A Sanskrit Language Course
- Author: Warwick Jessup, Elena Jessup
- Price: $25.00
- Rating: ⭐5.0
- Level: Intermediate
This book packed some Sanskrit short stories for intermediate students. Learners can interact with classical culture in an exciting way through Sanskrit literature. This book compiled simple Sanskrit episodes that help students hone their grammar skills. In each chapter, a theme that appears in the Sanskrit epics is also discussed. We believe that this will be an excellent resource for you to expand your Sanskrit vocabulary and knowledge.
9/ A Sanskrit Dictionary – All levels
- Full name: A Sanskrit Dictionary: A concise sanskrit dictionary of words from principal traditional scriptures, major philosophical works and historical texts
- Author: John M. Denton
- Price: $93.41
- Rating: ⭐4.0
- Level: All levels
This dictionary is recommended for Sanskrit learners at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Even if you already knew every word in this textbook, you also certainly gain benefits from the vocabulary and useful phrases with their expression and pronunciation hints in this ideal material.
10/ Top FREE Sanskrit books for Beginners
If you are a beginner in Sanskrit, you can get almost everything you need on an online platform with some FREE books below. Overall, these books are the ideal places to look up, study, and reinforce basic Sanskrit fundamentals.
1/ A Sanskrit Grammar for Beginners: In Devanagari – Forgotten Books: First of all, think about what you’re looking for. Do you want a grammar or an exercise book? Of course, the exercise book will include and remind grammar rules, but it won’t provide detailed explanations. Inadvertently, this factor leads to learners not mastering basic Sanskrit grammar and confusing them with difficult grammar points.
2/ Learn Sanskrit in 30 days book: It is a valuable guide to learning everything right from the basics of the Sanskrit language. It covers four parts: dealing with the alphabet, nouns, roots and verbs, and names of articles in many reference materials.
3/ A Dictionary of Sanskrit Grammar: If you’re a beginner, you should get this one. This book’s grammar is quite useful and common, so you should definitely use it to hone your language skills.
It can be difficult at the beginning when taking up Sanskrit, but you should not give up because you’ll definitely gain a lot in return. Plus, it’s worth noting that these 9 books to learn Sanskrit are best used with learning language applications, online resources, or even personal tutor. If the list is helpful, please leave a comment to support us!
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