Introduction

The Sanskrit language is a classical language of South Asia belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting impact on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies.

Sanskrit belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. With that said, if you want to take up classes to learn the language outside your school, then here are top 5 online courses offering Sanskrit:

Learnsanskrit.org

The learning website, learnsanskrit.org, aims to help students read “real” Sanskrit as quickly as possible. The lessons on the website focus on the commonly used parts of the Sanskrit grammar, such as word formation, the system of compounds, the appropriate ways to use participles, noun stems, etc. This website also uses clear and correct grammar to avoid confusion on the learner’s side.

The learnsanskrit.org also aims to simplify the learning process without even simplifying the “language” itself. As we all know, some language-learning websites are a bit difficult for learners to comprehend the lessons — which leaves them to find another website instead. But learnsanskrit.org has beginner-friendly lessons that are easy to pick up for every learner. What’s more amazing here is that all the lessons are offered for free!

Learn Sanskrit Online

The website was founded by Vidyadhar Bhat, who is a Sanskrit scholar and a teacher who taught Sanskrit for several years in schools and traditional gurukula. Today, Learn Sanskrit Online is managed by a growing team whose goal is to continue developing the website to teach learners using the most convenient ways. Currently, the website continues to release new lessons and improve the platform.

There are free lessons available on the website, as well as paid one-on-one classes via Skype. The lessons are suitable for beginners up to advanced learners. To make the most out of it, first, try the free lessons offered on the platform. Once you’ve finished them all, then it’s time to try the online classes to enhance your knowledge about Sanskrit grammar. Learn Sanskrit Online is worth your time.

Chinmaya International Foundation: Easy Sanskrit Course

The Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) is the research wing of the Chinmaya Mission. It is the center of excellence for studying and researching as well as dissemination of knowledge in the areas of Indian philosophy, culture, art, science, and business — both modern and traditional.

The Easy Sanskrit Course is a foundation for beginners who want to learn about Sanskrit completely. The lessons are designed for every mother tongue, children or adults, beginners or advanced. The Easy Sanskrit Course is a stepping-stone for all Sanskrit learners. It will teach you not only the grammar but also welcomes you to the Indian culture. However, the courses are free.

Open Pathshala

Keeping the motto of “your best source to learn Sanskrit,” Open Pathshala is an e-learning platform for learning Sanskrit, Hindi, English, and other regional languages across India. The platform is popular in India for having high-quality and online video tutorials, one-on-one Skype classes, and live group sessions. Aside from having language classes and video tutorials, the website also offers courses for learning the Indian culture.

Their goal is to educate learners using the advancements of technology. Open Pathshala can be accessed through their website or by using their mobile application for the convenience of every learner around the world.

The Sanskrit Language – Guided Sanskrit Lessons

This website is intended to study along with the book “The Sanskrit Language” by author Walter Harding Maurer. The book is available worldwide and can even be bought on Amazon. This way of learning is great for self-studying at home with complete resources — this book and this website.

This website has a complete summary of each lesson of the book, answers to the exercises, as well as additional notes and tips. The most effective way to study side-by-side is to first read the lesson in the book and then read the lesson on the website. The website lets you understand more Sanskrit grammar. All you need to do is to buy that book and open this website