Speak Sanskrit in Ten Days ((With Transliteration))

Introduction

My experience of SANSKRIT TEACHING from 1976 onwards, in Bombay, Coimbatore, Madras, etc revealed to me that general teaching of Sanskrit only makes the student gain working knowledge of Sanskrit, with capacity to translate English passages into Sanskrit, with capacity to translate English passages into Sanskrit, but does not inculcate in the student, the fluent methods of speaking simple Sanskrit sentences, connected to day-to-day-living. Thus they are deprived of the joy of speaking Sanskrit and consequent new enthusiasm for more and more revelry in Sanskrit. If one could introduce small simple sentences of conversational Sanskrit, in the leisure-time to the people at home, friend's house, etc, especially entertaining the children, it will create interest and enthusiasm to learn small simple words and sentences of Sanskrit, and the common fear of Sanskrit, in the minds of people will be removed. This becomes a great service to the society to make them interested in Sanskrit, the main medium of our cultural fore.

Organizations like the Sanskrit-wing of the erstwhile Hindu Seva Pratisht'haan, Aurobindo As'ram, Pondicherry, etc., are doing yomen service in this direction, and I happened to go through some of their books, which were impressive to me. So I too thought of popularizing simple conversational Sanskrit among members of Chinmaya Family I Chinmaya Mission, Standardising some equivalents in Sanskrit to English words of day-to-day conversation.

I started taking successfully ten-day-classes for conversational Sanskrit. I also started Easy-Sanskrit Lessons in the same in method in 'Tapovan Prasad' (International Monthly Magazine of Chinmaya Mission) from February 1984. Recently in October 1994, I successfully completed ten-day-course in 'SPEAK SANSKRIT IN TEN DAYS' in Port Blair, Andamans.

With the success of these classes on 'Speak Sanskrit in Ten days' suggestions have been forthcoming for making the course available in a printed book from for the benefit of Chinmaya Family Members in all centres of Chinmaya Mission. When I sent the manuscript of 'Speak Sanskrit in Ten days' to Shri Narain Bhatia ji, Chief Executive, CCMT, Bombay, with a request to explore the possibility of its publication by CCMT PUBLICATION TRUST, Shri Bhatiaji readily appreciated the usefulness of the idea, and I am glad the Publication division of Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Bombay has since undertaken the publication of this work. I invoke the Blessings of our Pujya Gurudev, H.H.Brahmaleena Swaamii Chinmayaanandaji for making the endeavour useful to our Chinmaya Family Members in different centre of Chinmaya Mission. I am also requesting the head of Chinmaya Mission, H.H.Swaamii Tejomayaanandaji to write the foreword for this book.

Foreword

Having perused the ten-day study-course, meant to enable conversing in Sanskrit, written by Swaamii Prasannaatmaananda, I experience 'prasannataa', pleased disposition. People exhibit respect for Sanskrit language; but they are not seen with same degree of enthusiasm for its study. I believe that by this study-course, that taste for Sanskrit will be well-born in their minds. I pray that this endeavour of Swaamii Prasannaatmaananda should be fruitful.