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Book Review - The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit by A. M. Rupell -

Reading Religion January 2018

Article · January 2018

DOI: 10.17613/wakx-pn59

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14/03/2018 The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit | Reading Religion

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The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit

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Cambridge Introduc on to Sanskrit)

A. M. Ruppel

Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, March 2017. 436 pages. $130.00. Hardcover.
ISBN 9781107088283.
For other formats: Link to Publisher's Website (h p://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/religion/buddhism-and-eastern-religions/cambridge-introdu

Review
Link to Publisher's Website Learning Sanskrit is usually considered to be a harrowing experience what with the memoriza on of
(h p://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/religion/buddhism-
elaborate rules of grammar and the language’s various verb and noun forms in numerous tenses
and-eastern-religions/cambridge-introduc on-sanskrit?
and cases (such as the voca ve case). This has discouraged many students from comple ng the
format=HB&isbn=9781107088283) study of Sanskrit and most leave it halfway. Every textbook that tries to solve this problem ends up
crea ng another one, so it seems! The Cambridge Introduc on to Sanskrit comes as a welcome
relief and is an excellent tool for learning Sanskrit.

In The Cambridge Introduc on to Sanskrit, A. M. Ruppel, a Sanskrit teacher of rich experience,

assures the student that one can minimize “the need for rote memoriza on” (1). The many
innova ons in this book start with the first chapter being numbered “0” rather than “1.” This is a
Sanskrit textbook and a user-friendly computer manual bundled into one.

The introduc on by Ruppel is clear and concise about expecta ons from teachers and students, and
also outlines study techniques, that are immensely helpful in bringing the student to easily grasp
the intricacies of Sanskrit grammar. Throughout the book, examples are taken from important
Sanskrit literature, like the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita, and so the student becomes familiar
with many texts in the course of learning. Every minor detail of the language that is par cularly
useful for Anglophone students is provided, so that the chances of the student making an error are

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14/03/2018 The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit | Reading Religion

minimized. For example, in the lessons on transla on, Ruppel gives a good sense of the vastness of
the meanings of a single word and the various nuances with which a word might be used.

The root forms of all nouns and verbs are shown, which helps the student to understand the
various forms that a root can take, some mes overwhelmingly, in Sanskrit. The nature of different
kinds of stems is elaborately explained, assis ng the student in understanding newer usages of
these stems in later studies.

The Cambridge Introduc on to Sanskrit comes with useful appendices including prac ce handouts
for wri ng Sanskrit and also reference sec ons, including the background of the passages quoted in
the book; an index of gramma cal terms; an introduc on to Sanskrit meter; an introduc on to
Vedic Sanskrit; lists of conjunct consonants, numerals, and compounds; and a Sanskrit-English
vocabulary. I am myself a teacher of Sanskrit and the quality of The Cambridge Introduc on to
Sanskrit can be seen in the fact that I have dumped all other textbooks in this one’s favor. The ease
of learning and teaching using this textbook cannot be overemphasized.

About the Reviewer(s):

Swami Narasimhananda is the editor of Prabuddha Bharata.

Date of Review:
January 8, 2018

About the Author(s)/Editor(s)/Translator(s):

A. M. Ruppel was the Townsend Senior Lecturer in the Greek, La n and Sanskrit Languages at
Cornell University, New York for nine years, and is currently Head of Sanskrit at St James Senior
Boys' School in Ashford, UK. Ruppel has received the Stephen and Margery Russell Dis nguished
Teaching Award as well as a grant from the Cornell Center for Teaching Excellence, and is the
author of Absolute Construc ons in Early Indo-European (Cambridge, 2012).

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