Selected Bibliography With Annotations - Book Summary

This document is the first edition of the Eastern School Bibliographic Guides, No. 1: Sanskrit Language Study: A Selected Bibliography with Annotations, compiled and annotated by David Reigle in collaboration with Nancy Reigle, and issued in February 1993 (with an enlarged second edition in June 1993). Published by Eastern School Press, it aims to guide individuals interested in learning Sanskrit.

The introduction extols Sanskrit as the "most perfect language known," highlighting its systematic construction from verb roots, its refined grammar (Panini's), and its scientific phonetic arrangement. It notes Sanskrit's status as the "eldest sister" of Indo-European languages and its potential for artificial intelligence. Traditionally, Sanskrit is considered the language of the gods, with its verb roots as primal vibrations. The primary motivation for studying Sanskrit is to access its vast untranslated literature, including sacred texts of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, as translations often fail to capture the full nuance of the original.

The bibliography is organized into the following categories:

Sanskrit-English Dictionaries: Reviews several key dictionaries, primarily focusing on Horace Hayman Wilson, Monier Monier-Williams, and Vaman Shivram Apte. It highlights their strengths and weaknesses, such as script usage (Devanagari vs. Roman transliteration), scope of vocabulary, and clarity of entries. The Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Sanskrit on Historical Principles from Deccan College is lauded as a monumental, ambitious project, modeled after the Oxford English Dictionary, providing extensive citations for word meanings.
English-Sanskrit Dictionaries: Discusses Monier-Williams' and V.S. Apte's English-Sanskrit dictionaries, comparing their origins and completeness.
Introductory Sanskrit Study: Recommends resources for beginners, including Bruce Cameron Hall's "Sanskrit Pronunciation" (with cassette) for accurate pronunciation, Judith M. Tyberg's "First Lessons in Sanskrit Grammar and Reading" as a helpful precursor to formal study, and Thomas Egenes' "Introduction to Sanskrit: Part One" for a gentle, step-by-step approach. Kurt F. Leidecker's "Sanskrit: Essentials of Grammar and Language" is presented as an overview providing a map of the language, emphasizing verb roots as fundamental building blocks.
Sanskrit Course Textbooks: Critiques the older "Perry-Whitney-Lanman method" and praises Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland's "Devavāņipraveśikā" as a modern, effective replacement used in many universities. This textbook is noted for its use of traditional Sanskrit grammatical terminology, its reliance on the Rāmāyaṇa for readings, and its avoidance of assumptions about prior language study. George L. Hart III's "A Rapid Sanskrit Method" is presented as beneficial for gaining reading fluency in simple Sanskrit, emphasizing rapid reading of texts. R. Antoine's "A Sanskrit Manual for High Schools" is highlighted for its focus on English-to-Sanskrit translation and its extensive use in India. Michael Coulson's "Sanskrit: An Introduction to the Classical Language" is recommended for self-study within the "Teach Yourself Books" series, noting its use of direct Sanskrit text examples and its explanation of how to read commentaries. M. B. Emeneau and B. A. van Nooten's "Sanskrit Sandhi and Exercises" is a supplementary resource for learning sandhi rules.
Sanskrit Readers: Lists and evaluates several readers. Charles Rockwell Lanman's "A Sanskrit Reader" is a long-standing, widely used resource with selections from epics, fables, and Vedic texts, all in Devanagari script with a glossary and notes. J. Gonda's "A Sanskrit Reader" is noted for its interesting selections from the Mahabharata and Puranas but is out-of-print and uses Roman transliteration. The Bhagavad Gita edition by Annie Besant and Bhagavan Das is highly recommended for second-year study due to its word-for-word meanings, which aid in understanding syntax and reduce dictionary reliance.
Simplified Sanskrit Grammars: Reviews Arthur A. Macdonell's "A Sanskrit Grammar for Students," which aims to omit material deemed unessential for Western learners and focuses on classical Sanskrit, excluding Vedic forms. It notes the existence of Macdonell's "Vedic Grammar for Students" for comparative study. Jan Gonda's "A Concise Elementary Grammar of the Sanskrit Language" is described as an ideal, concise grammar for linguists, featuring translation exercises and reading selections with a glossary.
Sanskrit Reference Grammars: Discusses William Dwight Whitney's "Sanskrit Grammar" as the standard comprehensive reference in the West, despite its dated terminology and ethnocentrism, praising its breadth. Whitney's "The Roots, Verb-forms, and Primary Derivatives of the Sanskrit Language" is identified as a crucial supplement for identifying verb forms. Moreshwar Ramchandra Kale's "A Higher Sanskrit Grammar" is presented as the equivalent standard in India, deeply respecting Panini's grammar and including extensive paradigms, a syntax chapter, and a root dictionary. D. Krishna Iyengar's "New Model Sanskrit Grammar" is noted for its systematic presentation of verb conjugations. Kashinath Vasudev Abhyankar and J. M. Shukla's "A Dictionary of Sanskrit Grammar" is a valuable resource for understanding traditional grammatical terminology.
Sanskrit Syntax: Covers Vaman Shivarām Āpte's "The Student's Guide to Sanskrit Composition" as a widely used text in India, focusing on classical Sanskrit with numerous examples. J. S. Speijer's "Sanskrit Syntax" is presented as a Western-authored reference work for classical Sanskrit syntax, noting the challenge of Sanskrit's inflectional system compared to word order in European languages. Irach J. S. Taraporewala's "Sanskrit Syntax" comprises lectures offering linguistic insights, particularly on the early Sanskrit verb system, drawing comparisons with related languages.
Vedic Sanskrit: Recommends Suryakanta's "A Practical Vedic Dictionary" as a significant improvement over previous Vedic dictionaries, covering all four Vedas and providing Hindi/English definitions with examples. A. A. Macdonell's "Vedic Grammar" and "A Vedic Reader for Students" are highlighted as standard resources for Vedic study, noting the absence of native Vedic grammars and the importance of comparing Vedic and classical Sanskrit.
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit: Focuses on Franklin Edgerton's "Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary" and "Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Reader," categorizing texts based on the degree of "hybridity." Edgerton's approach treats Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit as distinct from standard Sanskrit. The dictionary is presented as a supplement to general Sanskrit dictionaries, and the reader aids in accessing difficult texts.
Traditional Sanskrit Study: Emphasizes the foundational importance of Panini's "Aṣṭādhyāyi" and its commentaries. Śrisa Chandra Vasu's translation of the "Aṣṭādhyāyi" is recommended for its inclusion of the "Kāšikā Vṛtti." Bhattoji Dikṣita's "Siddhānta Kaumudi" and Varadarāja's "Laghukaumudi" are presented as topic-based rearrangements that facilitated learning Panini's complex grammar. The Amarakośa is discussed as a traditional Sanskrit dictionary, a versified vocabulary that required memorization.
Modern Spoken Sanskrit: Mentions Hajime Nakamura's "A Companion to Contemporary Sanskrit" as an introduction to Sanskrit as spoken by pandits today, and N. D. Krishnamurthy et al.'s "Conversational Sanskrit" as an attempt to popularize Sanskrit for everyday conversation using simplified structures.

The bibliography concludes with Suggested Selections for getting started and getting serious, recommending specific books for different stages of learning. It also notes that many of the listed books are in print and offers assistance in obtaining them, including photocopies of out-of-print titles. The document also includes a brief note on the International Transliteration System.