Learning Buddhist Sanskrit !

[vinodh]

Hi All,

I would like to know Books that are Buddhist Sanskrit Texts that be used as a complimentary text books (and ofcourse Dharma along side ) to learn Sanskrit. It serves two fold, one is to learn Sanskrit ofcourse, and the next to get accustomed to the Vocabulary & Style of the Buddhist Texts.

I was asking a friend of mine who is a Vedic Scholar and he was suggesting the following as complimentary books for learning Sanskrit:

laghusiddhāntakaumudī

raghuvaṁśaḥ
kirātārjunīyam
naiṣadham
campūrāmāyaṇasya prathamaṁ kāṇḍadvayam
svapnavāsavadattam
veṇīsaṁhāraḥ
śākuntale
tarkasaṅgrahaḥ

Ofcourse apart from the Tarkasangraha, and Campuramayana, others are quite secular Mahakavayas [which are to be studied for Classical Sanskrit).

But I am kinda looking for a Buddhist Sanskrit Crash Course

If any one could suggest a good Buddhist Texts list like that of the above, it would be very much grateful

V

[tantular]

Are you learning from scratch, or do you already know standard Sanskrit? What kind of Buddhist texts do you want to read—sūtra, jātaka/avadāna, śāstra, kāvya, stotra, nāṭaka, tantra, sādhana?

[Kare]

Look for Franklin Edgerton: Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary (2 vols), and his Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Reader. They can be found here:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... &x=36&y=16

[Jinzang]

The Saurananda is easy to get a hold of, not too difficult to translate, and an enjoyable read.

[vinodh]

Are you learning from scratch, or do you already know standard Sanskrit? What kind of Buddhist texts do you want to read—sūtra, jātaka/avadāna, śāstra, kāvya, stotra, nāṭaka, tantra, sādhana?

I know basic Sanskrit i.e Vibhaktis, Lakaraas, Avyayas, Various verb formations etc.

In short, I can read and understand Simple & Basic Sanskrit. I don't think that is enough to read the Sutras, Shastras in their original language and comprehend them,

I am kinda looking for a good mix of the above (I'll ignore Tantra & Sadhan-s for now). Perhaps, the content more inclined towards Sutras, Avadanas & Shastras.



V

[ratna]

You can head over to GRETIL and pick a text that interests you. Kamalaśīla's first Bhāvanākrama is a nice short śāstra that has been used in Sanskrit courses at some universities.
Also, Clay Sanskrit Library for parallel Sanskrit and English texts, e.g. Dīvyāvadāna.

[tantular]

I am kinda looking for a good mix of the above (I'll ignore Tantra & Sadhan-s for now). Perhaps, the content more inclined towards Sutras, Avadanas & Shastras.

First I would try some of the very short sūtras, such as the Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya, the Pratītyasamutpāda, the Pratītyasamutpādādivibhaṅganirdeśa, & the Nairātmyaparipṛcchā (all transliterated on the GRETIL site linked by Ratna). These are philosophically interesting, grammatically easy, full of fundamental Buddhist vocabulary, and no more than a page or two in length.

Some interesting, slightly longer sūtras, progressively more difficult: Śālistamba, Vajracchedika, Mahākarmavibhanga.

The Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Reader—already mentioned above—is a good introduction to prose narrative and gāthās in longer sūtras, with manageable selections from the Lalitavistara, Mahāvastu, Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, and some others.

For śāstra, Nāgārjuna's Pratityasamutpādahṛdayakārikā + vyākhyāna is the shortest & easiest complete śāstra (i.e. root verses + commentary). Then Vasubandhu's Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi with commentary, then the Triṃśikāvijñaptikārikā with Sthiramati's bhāṣya. Then Vasubandhu's commentary on the Madhyāntavibhāga. Even if you aren't particularly interested in yogacāra, I think it's best to start with these, as they're short and Vasubandhu has a concise yet clear style.

Aśvaghoṣa's Saundarānanda, already mentioned above, is the easiest Buddhist mahākāvya. Śrī Harṣa's Nāgānanda is the best Buddhist play.

Since you live in a part of India where traditional Sanskrit learning is still strong, it would be a shame to only study on your own, though. Anyone who wants to read any kind of Sanskrit would benefit from studying the Laghusiddhāntakaumudī and a little Kālidāsa with a pandit (especially if they teach entirely in Sanskrit). If they're willing to read Buddhist texts with you, that can also be very interesting and helpful.