Handbook for

The Online Audio Course

Part One: Learning to Read Sanskrit

By
Carol Whitfield, Ph.D

Table of Contents

The Sanskrit Alphabet

Guide to Pronunciation

Vowel and Consonant Recognition

Vowel and Consonant Recognition with Transliteration

Vowels Following Consonants

Examples of Vowels Following Consonants

Consonant-Vowel Recognition

Exercise 1 Vowels Following Consonants

Exercise 2 Consonant Vowel Recognition
Words without ConjunctsReading Practice

Conjunct Consonants

10-11

Vedanta Vocabulary List 1Reading Practice

12

Vedanta Vocabulary List 1 with Transliteration

13-14

The Sanskrit Alphabet

Simple Vowels

A Aa # $ % ^ \
a
Dipthongs

@ @e Aae AaE
e

Mutes
Gutterals

Palatals

Linguals

Dentals

Labials

ai
1
-V-A*

A<

au
2
-V+A

A>

a
3
+V-A

4
+V+A

Nasals

a
SemiVowels

Sibilants

"

'

ka

kha

ga

gha

ha

ca

cha

ja

jha

ya

ha

ha

ra

ta

tha

da

dha

na

la

sa

pa

pha

ba

bha

ma

va

* -V = unvoiced or hard consonant

-A = unaspirated

+V = voiced or soft consonant

+A = aspirated

Guide to Pronunciation

A a

o in son

Q a

t in start

Aa

a in ma

Q ha

th in ant-hill

i in if

f a

d in day

e in me

F ha

dh in god-head

% u

u in suit

[ a

n in under

oo in boot

t ta

t in time

ri in rig

w tha

t in tank

extend ri in rig

d da

d in did

x dha

dh in dharma

@ e

a in gay

n na

n in never

@e ai

y in my

p pa

p in pine

Aae o

o in okay

) pha

ph in loop-hole

AaE au

ow in now

b ba

b in big

k ka

c in come

bha

b in boat

o kha

ckh in blockhead

m ma

m in much

g ga

g in give

y ya

y in young

" gha

gh in loghut

r in drum

' a

n in song

l la

l in luck

c ca

ch in chum

va

v in vice

D cha

ch in chuck

sh in shine

j ja

j in jim

sh in bushel

H jha

j in job

sa

s in save

| a

n in bunch

ha

h in hum

ra

Vowel and Consonant Recognition

Please practice these vowel and consonant symbols with and without the audio
support until you are able to easily read them.

Vowels

Aae

Aa

AaE

@e

Aae

Aa

@e

AaE

Aae

Aa

@e

AaE

AaE

Aa

Consonants

"

'

"

Vowel and Consonant Recognition with Transliteration

Please practice these vowel and consonant symbols with and without the audio
support until you are able to easily read them.

Vowels

Aae o

Aa

% u

@e ai

Aa

@e ai

Aae o

A a

A a

AaE au

A a

# i

Aae o

% u

AaE au

Aa

@e ai

AaE au

AaE au

% u

Aa ^

D cha d da

) pha h ha
o kha m ma

Consonants

g ga

bha j ja

t ta

" gha s sa

r ra

; a

z a

b ba

x dha v va

p pa

F ha k ka

l la

' a

) pha f a

D cha [ a

o kha F ha

d da

m ma Q ha

w tha t ta

j ja

ba

j ja

c ca

q a

x dha v va

na v va

l la

w tha v va

k ka

p pa

n na

H jha f a

z a

j ja

r ra

s sa

| a

c ca

q a

p pa

g ga

s sa

l la

r ra

" gha

n na

Q ha

; a

bha [ a

H jha

H ha

Vowels Following Consonants

When a word begins with a vowel and does not follow a consonant in a sentence
or compound, the vowel keeps its primary form:
Simple vowels:

A Aa # $ % ^ \

@ @e Aae Aa

Diphthongs:

But, if the vowel directly follows a consonant, it changes to a secondary form.

The table below shows the primary vowel form followed by its secondary form
and in parenthesis an example of the secondary form added to the consonant k

A
* (k)

Aa
a (ka)

%
(k) ^
(k)
@
e (ke)

@e

E (kE)

#
i (ik)
(k)

\

Aae
ae (kae)

$
I

(kI)

(k)

**

AaE
aE (kaE)

* If a consonant is not followed by any other vowel, the vowel A is assumed

unless the consonant has a virma, a diagonal line ( ! ), below the consonant.
For example k + A

k.

** The vowel is rarely used, and is shown here attached to the letter k as the
font I am using does not have this vowel form available in its unattached
secondary form.

Examples of Vowels Following Consonants

A
kog"'cDjH|qQfF[twdxnp)bmyrlvz;sh
Aa
a ka oa ga "a 'a ca Da ja Ha |a qa Qa fa Fa [a ta wa da xa na pa )a ba a ma ya ra
la va za ;a sa ha
#
i

ik io ig i" i' ic iD ij iH i| iq iQ if iF i[ it iw id ix in ip i) ib i im iy ir il

iv iz i; is ih
$
I kI oI gI "I 'I cI DI jI HI |I qI QI fI FI [I tI wI dI xI nI pI )I mI yI rI lI vI
zI ;I sI hI
%

k ou gu "u ' cu Du ju Hu |u qu Qu fu Fu [u tu wu xu nu pu ) bu u mu yu * lu vu zu ;u su

*Notice the placement of the % in

^

k oU gU "U ' cU DU jU HU |U q Q f F [U tU wU xU nU pU ) bU U mU yU * lU vU zU ;U sU

*Notice the placement of the ^ in

\
k o& g& "& ' c& D& j& H& |& q& Q& f& F& [& t& w& * x& [& p& ) b& & m& y& l& v& z& ;& s&
*Notice that d when followed by \ takes a modified form:

k o g " ' c D j H | q Q f F [ t w d x n p ) b m y l v z ; s h
@
e ke oe ge "e 'e ce De je He |e qe Qe fe Fe [e te we de xe ne pe )e be e me ye re le ve ze ;e se he
@e
E kE oE gE "E 'E cE DE jE HE |E qE QE fE FE [E tE wE dE xE nE pE )E bE E mE yE rE lE vE zE ;E sE hE
Aae
ae kae oae gae "ae 'ae cae Dae jae Hae |ae qae Qae fae Fae [ae tae wae dae xae nae pae )ae bae ae mae yae rae
lae vae zae ;ae sae hae
AaE
aE kaE oaE gaE "aE 'aE caE DaE jaE HaE |aE qaE QaE faE FaE [aE taE waE daE xaE naE paE )aE baE aE maE yaE raE
laE vaE zaE ;aE saE haE

Consonant-Vowel Recognition
Exercise 1 Vowels Following Consonants

ka

ik

kI

ke

kE

kae

kaE

ca

ic

cI

cu

cU

c&

ce

cE

cae

caE

qa

iq

qI

qu

q&

qe

qE

qae

qaE

ta

it

tI

tu

tU

t&

te

tE

tae

qaE

pa

ip

pI

pu

pU

p&

pe

pE

pae

paE

Exercise 2 Consonant Vowel Recognition

da

cI

zu

kae

ta

nU

s&

ga

zE

"u

mE

Ha

Fa

QI

;I

ta

[a

ih

cE

mU

"I

haE

jI

hE

ou

naE

saE

gI

'aE

zae

is

hae

DaE

kaE

ja

faE

gU

cu

|aE

'ae

bE

paE

caE

na

zI

gaE

ma

Q&

dE

ca

daE

ig

zU

la

je

z&

ae

iz

ib

su

jae

ij

ke

tI

pe

g&

pae

qa

Fe

we

ra

iy

kI

jE

qe

De

in

bu

la

se

Reading Practice
Simple Words without Conjunct Consonants

nm>

ih

sa

te

va

tu

salutations

and

indeed

not

she

they

or

but

Aip

ikm!

@tt!

tt!

ywa

twa

#v

cet!

also

what

this

that

just as

similarly

like

if

m&;a

@v

tan!

tt>

ten

yen

punr

falsely

indeed

them

therefore

by that

by which

again

many

vym!

prm!

kw<

Asu>

vad>

gt

ik<

Aah

we

other

how

breath

talking

gone

what

said

jra

"q>

xn<

deh>

jIv>

suo<

zaek>

maeh>

old age

pot

wealth

body

soul

pleasure

sorrow

delusion

xIr>

xIman!

Ast!

st!

zIt

%dkm!

jgt!

maya

brave

wise

nonexistence

existence

cool

water

world

maya

ved

av>

Aav>

zIlm!

pura[>

Aakaz>

ivkar>

ivraex>

Veda

being

nonexistence

dispostion

ancient

space

modification

oppositon

gvan! kar[<

vcnain

iv;y>

Am&tm!

Apcy>

%pcy>

iv;adm!

Bhagavan

cause

speech

object

immortal

diminution

increase

dejection

ivvek>

%paix>

inp[<

Avyv> ivnaz>

Utain

zrIrm!

hnnm!

viveka

conditioning
adjunct

ascertaining

limb

beings

body

killing

destruction

Note: The primary purpose of the exercise is to become familiar with the script,
not to learn vocabulary. I have given the basic definitions of these words so that
you dont have to repeat meaningless sounds.

Conjunct Consonants
When two consonants come together without an intervening vowel they are
called conjunct consonants. These are formed in different ways, depending on
the structure of the consonant. Often, the vertical line of the first consonant can
be removed and the remaining part of the consonant conjoined to the latter, so
they become adjacent to each other. In some instances, there is not an easily
removable vertical and the consonants will stack on top of each other. In almost
all cases, if you know the full form of the individual consonants well, you will be
able to recognize them in their conjoined form. The exceptions are listed below
as unusual forms and simply need to be memorized.

Adjacent

kogcjH}|z[twnspbmv

Km = k m

CD = c! D

Nt = n! t

Bx = b! x

Ky = k y

= j! j

Xy =x! y

B = b!

Oy = o! y

{[ = [! [

Xm = x! m

Vy = v! y

Gl = g! l

Tp = t! p

Py = p! y

Sk = s! k

Gv = g! v

Tm = t! m

Wy =w! y

St = s! t

= c! c

TSy = t! s! y

Stacking

d'DqQfFh

= ' k

= d x

= d b

= ;! q

= ' g

= d

= q q

= ;! Q

+ =;! q r

( = ;! q y

10

Unusual Forms

mR = r m

S = s! p! r

= d d

= z! c

vR = r v

T = t! p! r

= d b

= z! n

tR = r t

q( = q y

= d x

Zm = z! m

= k r

Q( = Q y

= d

= z! r

= g! r

f( = f y

= d m

= h [

= p! r

= k k

* = d y

= h n

= t! r

= k t

= d v! y

= h m

= s! r

= t! t

= d r y

= h y

+ =;! q r

y = t! r y

} =j! |

] = k ;

Examples of Unusual Forms

kmR

ktaR

am

aea

mae]

mui

}anm!

tv

bui

iv*a

n!

hir

11

Vedanta Vocabulary List 1

These words are commonly used in Vedantic texts. This exercise is meant to
familarize you with the these terms in Sanskrit. The list below it includes the
transliteration.

n!

AaTma

jIv>

jgt!

$r>

maya

st!

ict!

AanNd>

sTym!

}anm!

AnNtm!

vedaNt>

%pin;d

ma[m!

kr[m!

mae]>

bNxnm!

iv*a

Aiv*a

}anm!

A}anm!

}ainn!

s<sairn!

ma

Ty]

prae]

Aprae]

v&i>

bui>

SwUl

sUm

kar[m!

zrIrm!

deh>

%paix>

kmRn!

AkmRn!

kmRyaeg>

s<Nyas>

s<Nyaisn!

mumu]u>

Aixkairn! ivvek>

vEraGym!

zmaid;qkm! mumu]uTvm!

mns!

zm>

dm>

%prit>

itit]a

smaxanm!

s<sairn!

Aixkairn! ivveikn!

mumu]u>

}ainn!

s<Nyaisn!

AXyas>

AXyaraep>

Apvad>

Aaraep>

vStu

AvStu

kt&RTvm!

aeTvm!

suioTvm!

>ioTvm!

ru>

spR>

maya

kit>

sv

rjs!

tms!

gu[>

Utain

p&iwvI

Aap>

Ai>

vayu>

Aakaz>

zBd>

SpzR>

pm!

rs>

gNx>

cEtNym!

ae>

Tvk

c]u>

ija

a[m!

#iNyai[

vak

pai[>

pad>

payu>

%pSwa>

Svp>

12

Vedanta Vocabulary List 1 with Transliteration

n!

AaTma

jIv>

jgt!

$r>

maya

brahman

tm

jva

jagat

vara

my

st!

ict!

AanNd>

sTym!

}anm!

AnNtm!

sat

cit

nanda

satyam

jnam

anantam

vedaNt>

%pin;d

ma[m!

kr[m!

mae]>

bNxnm!

vednta

upaniad

pramam

prakaraam

moka

bandhana

iv*a

Aiv*a

}anm!

A}anm!

}ainn!

s<sairn!

vidy

avidy

jnam

ajnam

jnin

sasrin

ma

Ty]

prae]

Aprae]

v&i >

bui>

pram

pratyaka

paroka

aparoka

vtti

buddhi

SwUl

sUm

kar[m!

zrIrm!

deh>

%paix>

sthla

skma

kraam

arram

deha

updhi

kmRn!

AkmRn!

kmRyaeg>

s<Nyas>

s<Nyaisn!

mumu]u>

karman

akarman

karmayoga sannysa

sannysin

mumuku

Aixkairn! ivvek>

vEraGym!

zmaid;qkm! mumu]uTvm!

adhikrin

viveka

vairgyam

amdiakam mumukutvam manas

zm>

dm>

%prit>

itit]a

smaxanm!

ama

dama

uparati

titik

samdhnam

raddh

s<sairn!

Aixkairn!

ivveikn!

mumu]u>

}ainn!

s<Nyaisn!

sasrin

adhikrin

vivekin

mumuku

j nin

sannysin

AXyas>

AXyaraep>

Apvad>

Aaraep>

vStu

AvStu

adhysa

adhyropa apavda

ropa

vastu

avastu

13

mns!

kt&RTvm!

aeTvm!

suioTvm!

>ioTvm!

karttvam

bhokttvam sukhitvam

dukhitvam rajju

sarpa

maya

kit>

sv

rjs!

tms!

gu[>

my

prakti

sattva

rajas

tamas

gua

Utain

p&iwvI

Aap>

Ai>

vayu>

Aakaz>

bhtni

pthiv

pa

agni

vyu

ka

zBd>

SpzR>

pm!

rs>

gNx>

cEtNym!

abda

spara

rpam

rasa

gandha

caitanyam

ae>

Tvk

c]u>

ija

a[m!

#iNyain

rotra

tvak

caku

jihv

ghram

indriyni

vak

pai[>

pad>

payu>

%pSwa>

Svp>

vk

pi

pda

pyu

upasth

svarpa

14

ru>

spR>