Sanskrit 4
UndergraduateANU-SKRT21042025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Dive deeper into India’s classical language. Strengthen your grammar. Read and chant smoothly beyond beginners’ level. Enjoy classic Sanskrit literature, touching on the social and historical contexts of this language of ancient wisdom.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 13 July 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 14 weeks
- Price from
- $1,700
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Sanskrit 4
About this subject
On satisfying the requirements of this subject, students will have the knowledge and skills at an Advanced Beginner level of Sanskrit to:
- Read simple epic texts smoothly and accurately and chant texts in sloka meter.
- Translate the vocabulary of the text in hand through the basic use of a Sanskrit-English dictionary.
- Recognise the range of grammatical structures in standard epic Sanskrit texts, and demonstrate a working facility in using the reference grammatical text.
- Appraise the linguistic registers of the root text, in contrast with other genres of Sanskrit literature, and reflect this in appropriate English translation.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the social and historical contexts of epic Sanskrit texts.
This subject is conducted on the 'flipped classroom' model. Students are expected to complete certain set tasks before attending class each week. A total of 10 hours' work per week is expected as follows:
- 7 hours, before class, working independently preparing set number of verses from 'Nala and Damayati' drafting class notes in preparation for class.
- 2 hours, attending on-campus or online class.
- 1 hour, updating and revising class notes, which students take during the class.
The total workload for the subject is 130 hours over 12 weeks of class and the examination period.
- In Weeks 1-3 we will be reading through a sample from the Classical Sanskrit story collection Kathasaritsagara. We will be doing this in both the 2-hr and 1-hr 'sandpit' sessions scheduled for each week. Students are expected to prepare translations independently prior to each class. The major focus of these first weeks' will be building upon the stamina and confidence that students developed by the end of Sanskrit 3 by returning to Lanman's Sanskrit Reader but with a text of increased difficulty.
- In Weeks 4-6 we will be reading through a sample from the renowned Buddhist Sanskrit collection of short stories Jatakamala ('Garland of the Buddha's Prior Births'). These readings will introduce students to intermediate-level Sanskrit narrative prose and verse without the support of a Reader and will also encourage students to develop some basic understanding of the ancient tradition of Buddhist Sanskrit literature. Students will be challenged by encountering Buddhist reinterpretations of familiar Sanskrit vocabulary and will be encouraged to reflect upon the power of storytelling in different South Asian religious traditions.
- During Weeks 7-12 we will be working with two different texts, both of paramount significance in the Sanskrit and Hindu literary traditions:
- • In the 2-hr weekly session, we will focus on readings from the spiritual and philosophical text Bhagavadgita
- • In the 1-hr weekly session, we will focus on readings from the epic text Ramayana
- These readings will introduce students to the further genre of Sanskrit historical and epic texts (itihasa) and are intended to round off the familiarity with story-telling and narrative texts (katha) attended to in the first half of the semester. Students will encounter core concepts and vocabulary relevant to these important traditions. Students will be required to use dictionaries and grammatical reference texts with increasing degrees of independence.
Sanskrit, the classical language of India, has long been renowned for its beauty, subtlety and complexity. It is the key to the civilisational treasures of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and provides direct access to a vast repository of literary, scientific and philosophical wisdom. At the ANU we seek to balance the traditional practice of textual reception—reading and grammar—with language production—speaking, chanting and singing—to provide a truly balanced curriculum. In Sanskrit 4, students will strengthen their grammar skills and enjoy further readings from the classics of Sanskrit literature.
This is a fast paced academic course at a University level.
- Weekly activities (20%)
- Short translation assessments (35%)
- Take home exam: Sanskrit to English translation (40%)
- Contribution and particpiation (5%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Prior study
To help set you up for success before you start this subject, we suggest completing or having equivalent knowledge in:
Others
Completion of SKRT2103 Hindi 3 or demonstration of equivalent level through completion of a placement test. Students with prior knowledge of the language will be required to take a placement test. Students are not permitted to enrol in a subject that is lower than the level they achieve in the placement test, or a lower level than a subject they have already completed. Students without the appropriate level of proficiency for ANU-SKRT2104 (Sanskrit 4) will be withdrawn from this subject and we will recommend an alternative subject at the correct level.
Additional requirements
- Equipment requirements - To successfully engage in this subject students will need the following: • Laptop or computer • Computer camera (either inbuilt or webcam) • Headset with microphone • Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome browser • Reliable internet access • Access to a scanner or smartphone
- Other requirements - This is a fast paced academic course at a University level.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
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