Re: [tied] Sanskrit advice

Hi John

Great that you want to study Sanskrit! There are several "primers". The
Teach Yourself is quite good, amongst others.

However, I would recommend above all "The Bhagavad Gita" by Winthrop
Sargeant (State University of NY press 1994 ISBN 0-87395-830-6). It
conatins the text of the Gita, with transliteration (which at first is
essential, then gradually becomes less necessary,) with explanations of each
word for every verse. You do need to know the basic outline of grammar -
what does "aorist" mean, and so on - but you don't have to have memorised
all the endings. By the time you have worked through the book, you not only
have a knowledge of teh comonest word forms and endings, you also have read
at least one work of literature in the language.

You might want to work through a proper grammar at the same time - but I'm
sure you'll find a method that suits you - and good luck!

Peter