RE: Sanskrit

[Guest guest]

"...Is anyone else studying Sanskrit? I am interested to know what

you

have found helpful in your studies.

 

Dharmananda..."

 

Dear Dharmananda,

Vyaas Houston's American Sanskrit Institute is a wonderful

resource. He periodically gives "immersions" in Sanskrit and

advanced immersions in Panini's grammar, studies of the Yoga Sutras,

Bhagavad-Gita etc. He is a wonderful teacher and I've found his

website to be very helpful as well. I did a two week immersion last

June in Connecticut...it was incredible! I know, on the East Coast,

there are also a number of Sanskrit "camps" every year...a chance to

study and speak Sanskrit in depth. Two friends (both Indian) were

taking them this past year..they told me it was mostly Indian

students with a couple of Westerners. Also the Temple I go to

regularly in Ashland MA offers Sanskrit classes. It seems that many

Indian cultural organizations and Temples are now offering Sanskrit

study so there is really alot of opportunity to practice.

Last year I started this practice: take a text(for me it was the

Lalitha Sahasranam) and chant it every day in transliteration,

working on my pronounciation and then switch to the Devanagari

text,translating the names in the text...so I'm immersing myself in

the chant as part of my practice and then I'm studying the text

through studying the Sanskrit and learning the Devanagari script

(which you said you know already!!) and then, also, contemplating

the meaning....even though it takes me a very long time

to "complete" a text, the process itself is a wonderful combination

of bhakti yoga and jnani yoga. Each part of the practice: the

opening nyasam and dhyanam, the chanting, the translating, the

contemplation of the meaning makes the whole experience richer and

deeper.The Sahasranams are great for this . I would love to try this

practice with the Chandi Path but it is really daunting to

imagine....I will probably ask Sri Durga for some special help

during Navaratri, since Chandi is my favorite text right now.

The suggestions from Swamiji and from others on the list here

about how to learn Chandi Path have been really helpful.Thank you.

I'd love to know some of the things you may have discovered,

Dharmananda, through your own interest in Sanskrit.

best regards,

sadhvi

[Guest guest]

Dear Sadvi,

 

Thank you very much for the detailed post about Sanskrit resources.

It is very helpful. I had heard of Vyaas Houston, and checked his

website briefly, but your endorsement encourages me to check this out

more thoroughly. As I live in a remote area on the West coast, I

don't know if there would be any convenient access to his Sanskrit

camps, but the website could be very useful.

 

I also appreciated the program of worship/study you described. It

sounds wonderful. I have mostly chanted mantras and hymns, which I

love, and not yet taken on the chanting of a lengthy scripture.

Following this forum is moving me in that direction, though, and your

words are reinforcing that. Thank you.

>From my first exposure, Sanskrit never seemed "foreign" to me. I

love just the sound of it! The mantras are deeply moving and I find

that the impact intensifies as I understand the meanings more

profoundly.

 

Jai Maa!

 

Dharmananda

[Guest guest]

"...From my first exposure, Sanskrit never seemed "foreign" to me. I

love just the sound of it! The mantras are deeply moving and I find

that the impact intensifies as I understand the meanings more

profoundly...." Dharmananda

 

Dear Dharmananda,

I had the same experience! The first time I ever heard Sanskrit

chanted by Brahmin priests was at a huge yagna...I was so

intoxicated by the sound of the language that I could hardly sit up!

Vyass Houston's Bija Mantra tape is really good!! I like to use

it with the bahya matrika nyasa and the matrka nyasa from

Swamiji's "Siva Puja and Advanced Yajna" (on pages 134-147)

sometimes before I study Sanskrit. Then I feel as though my body is

holding the letters right inside and my attempts at study seem to

flow more smoothly. Swamiji's explanation of the nyasam is SO

beautiful. He is an amazing scholar. I have learned so much from

reading his commentaries in the puja books.Before I ever met Shree

Maa and Swamiji , I had been studying and reading the puja books

from Devi Mandir. You would be amazed, when you go to a Hindu Temple

for puja, how many people are carrying Swamiji's books! Some of the

younger priests are using them for reference! Anyway, I had an idea

in my mind about what Swamiji would be like, thinking he would be

very austere and serious, in keeping with his amazing erudition.

Imagine my surprise (and delight) when I met him for the fist time!

He was an ECSTATIC being! I was just so touched by his humility and

open-heartedness and so happy to be in the presence of such pure

souls as Swamiji and Shree Maa.They are really two Great Lights in

this world.

best love,

sadhvi

[Guest guest]

Dear Karen cha Mike,

It may be worthwhile to explore Vyaas Houston's American

Sanskrit Institute. I have taken their Sanskrit training...and it is

truly wonderful (not that I have " progressed" very far but it was a

terrific way of beginning to get grounded in Sanskrit). Vyaas has an

extremely helpful way of teaching Sanskrit.He, himself, is a person

of remarkable spiritual awareness. If you can take a course

directly with him, it's the greatest! But there are alot of

introductory weekend workshops that get you right into the language.

Then he has courses by cassette and, of course, a website. In fact,

one of my Fall "vrats" is to start right back at the beginning with

his cassette course. you'd be amazed at how much you will learn. You

do have to keep up with it though...I've been pretty lax and find

that now it's a struggle, once again. What I had been doing, and

plan to begin in the Fall..is work with his course, use the

bija/chakra "installation tapes" everyday (they are wonderful and

you can "co-ordinate" them with the Shiva Puja bija installation in

Swamiji's books) and then take a text ...I was working with the

Lalitha Sahasranam, and translate several names of Devi everyday,

reading the commentaries. It was one of the most profound sadhanas

that I have ever done. The other book that is extremely helpful, for

those of us who are studying the language to move along in our

sadhanas, is John Grimes' "Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy"

(out in paperback). You will find many of the words you are

interested in, in transliterated Sanskrit, with the devanagari

script and then a root break-down of the word...plus alot of

fascinating material on the different philosophical systems in the

appendix of the dictionary. I know this book has been mentioned here

at one time.

The other very good overall reference book is George

Feuerstein's "The Yoga Tradition".This is an excellent reference

book. An overall study of the yoga tradition. With these two books,

you can research alot of the questions that are coming up for you.

They are both extremely accessible and fascinating to read. My copy

of John Grimes' book looks like something I have saved from my

college years: it's "dog eared" and the cover is coming off...Iuse

it constantly as a reference.

Also...thanks so much to everyone here for all of the information

about Sanskrit...transliteration websites, dictionaries, etc. It has

been a huge adjustment for me to try and switch over to the

computerized version....I have to admit, I find it almost impossible

to use it for chanting...I'm so used to the other one...once again,

thank goodness for Swamiji's books. After finally reading "Sahib

Sadhu", I am more than grateful that he turned his formidable powers

to translating texts for all of us here in the West.

Best love to everyone,

sadhvi

[Guest guest]

Dear Sadhvi,

 

Thank you so very much for your post. I am printing it so I don't

lose the titles you mention. As I read your post, I remembered that

you did mention at least one of the books in a previous post, and

though I had searched the archives for information, I must have

missed it.

 

What I am first trying to do is learn words for the Mahalakshmi

Astakam. I have it memorized in Sanskrit fairly well (enough for my

trying-hard Western tongue that is). And I know the translation

fairly well, too. But I want my brain to have knowledge directly of

what I am saying as I am saying it in Sanskrit. I really only need

a few key correlations to make that happen. I am doing pretty well

on some of the verses, but others are still a challenge.

 

It feels amazing when I say the words in Sanskrit from memory and

feel the meaning word by word as the sounds emerge. I can't

describe how happy and powerful I feel when that happens. It is

such a surge of energy, a glow of light. I feel it in every part of

my body, but I especially feel my eyes smile. I sense a big orb of

light fusing in/out/up/down.

 

I don't know if I am up for a whole-hearted Sanskrit course,

though. I have some videos and tapes and find it unappealing right

now. There is so much for me to grasp. I get discouraged. I am

going to try to get the books you mentioned, bit at a time as my

retirement income allows. It's slow. Very slow. But Latha has

been a life-savior with her patient responses to my queries. If

Lakshmi weren't a driving force behind what I ask, I would not have

the boldness to keep posting question after question. She is quite

the taskmistress in response to my yearnings! She seems to be

calling the shots as She and I attempt for me to learn one more

string of words. When I hit the wall on something, she

says, "Ask!" How can I not?

 

All gratitude,

Karen

 

, "nityashakti" <sadhvi@p...>

wrote:

> Dear Karen cha Mike,

> It may be worthwhile to explore Vyaas Houston's American

> Sanskrit Institute. I have taken their Sanskrit training...and it

is

> truly wonderful (not that I have " progressed" very far but it was

a

> terrific way of beginning to get grounded in Sanskrit). Vyaas has

an

> extremely helpful way of teaching Sanskrit.He, himself, is a

person

> of remarkable spiritual awareness. If you can take a course

> directly with him, it's the greatest! But there are alot of

> introductory weekend workshops that get you right into the

language.

> Then he has courses by cassette and, of course, a website. In

fact,

> one of my Fall "vrats" is to start right back at the beginning

with

> his cassette course. you'd be amazed at how much you will learn.

You

> do have to keep up with it though...I've been pretty lax and find

> that now it's a struggle, once again. What I had been doing, and

> plan to begin in the Fall..is work with his course, use the

> bija/chakra "installation tapes" everyday (they are wonderful and

> you can "co-ordinate" them with the Shiva Puja bija installation

in

> Swamiji's books) and then take a text ...I was working with the

> Lalitha Sahasranam, and translate several names of Devi everyday,

> reading the commentaries. It was one of the most profound sadhanas

> that I have ever done. The other book that is extremely helpful,

for

> those of us who are studying the language to move along in our

> sadhanas, is John Grimes' "Concise Dictionary of Indian

Philosophy"

> (out in paperback). You will find many of the words you are

> interested in, in transliterated Sanskrit, with the devanagari

> script and then a root break-down of the word...plus alot of

> fascinating material on the different philosophical systems in the

> appendix of the dictionary. I know this book has been mentioned

here

> at one time.

> The other very good overall reference book is George

> Feuerstein's "The Yoga Tradition".This is an excellent reference

> book. An overall study of the yoga tradition. With these two

books,

> you can research alot of the questions that are coming up for you.

> They are both extremely accessible and fascinating to read. My

copy

> of John Grimes' book looks like something I have saved from my

> college years: it's "dog eared" and the cover is coming off...Iuse

> it constantly as a reference.

> Also...thanks so much to everyone here for all of the

information

> about Sanskrit...transliteration websites, dictionaries, etc. It

has

> been a huge adjustment for me to try and switch over to the

> computerized version....I have to admit, I find it almost

impossible

> to use it for chanting...I'm so used to the other one...once

again,

> thank goodness for Swamiji's books. After finally reading "Sahib

> Sadhu", I am more than grateful that he turned his formidable

powers

> to translating texts for all of us here in the West.

> Best love to everyone,

> sadhvi

[Guest guest]

> If Lakshmi weren't a driving force behind what I ask, I would not

> have the boldness to keep posting question after question. She

> is quite

> the taskmistress in response to my yearnings! She seems to be

> calling the shots as She and I attempt for me to learn one more

> string of words. When I hit the wall on something, she

> says, "Ask!" How can I not?

 

 

Dear Karen,

 

Hope Lakshmi continues to inspire you to keep at your search to

perfect the sanskrit vocabulary , to understand and intuit the

meanings behind your chanting.

 

This group is ALL about learning - from the books, from each other

and of course from Maa and Swamiji.

 

There is a saying from the Kural that has been quoted in this forum

in the recent past.

 

The rough translation of that saying is " Because of one good man,

everyone gets rain " meaning EVERYONE benefits because of one good

soul.

 

Applying that to our group , when we have people like you that ask

questions in the spirit of inquiry and learning , we ALL benefit.

 

KEEP THOSE QUESTIONS COMING !!!!!

 

JAI MAA

Latha

[Guest guest]

Dear Karen,

 

I was touched deeply by your post as what you stated is my exact goal

~ to have the understanding in my heart and mind of what I am saying

in Sanskrit while I say it. I am a loooong way from my goal. You

mentioned some videos. Can you tell me more about them? Where can I

get them and what do they teach? Thank you and shanti ~ Linda