Description

by Nicolai Bachman, published by The Ayurvedic Press

Learn how to read, write and pronounce the Sanskrit alphabet. 108 color-coded cards with accompanying audio specifically designed to organically step you through the letters in alphabetical order, then letters with vowels, and finally words.

If you learn the Sanskrit alphabet, then you can read and pronounce ANYTHING including mantras, chants and verses, because Sanskrit is 100% phonetic.

These flashcards have been designed for those who want to correctly read, pronounce and alphabetize letters and words in the Devanaagari script of Sanskrit. The ability to read the original script is essential for correct pronunciation.

There are 108 colored flashcards and 6 cream cards which surround them and contain reference information.

# of Cards, Color, Description
6 cream reference – alphabet, vedic marks, numbers, mouth positions
27 yellow vowels + special letters
33 brown consonants
48 green punctuation, consonant+vowel, consonant+consonant, words

Card Features

• All cards show the Devanaagari on the front and transliteration on the back, including all card numbers.
• Reference cards (white) include an introductory verse, a mouth position diagram, the alphabet, vowel abbreviations, digits 0-9 and Vedic accent marks.
• Professionally printed on color coded recycled 80# cardstock cut to 3×4 inches.
• 2 different sort orders – progressive and alphabetic (for dictionary practice).
• Includes all non-obvious unique ligatures and letter variations.
• Sanskrit example on almost every card.
• Position of the letters in the alphabet is shown graphically on every card
• How to write each character, showing arrowed lines numbered for stroke order

Audio Features

• 12 tracks, including
  • Chant to Ganesha
  • Chant to the Heart
  • Introduction
  • Vowels and Special Letters
  • Punctuation
  • Consonants
  • Consonant/Vowel combinations
  • Compound Consonants
  • Words
  • Numbers
  • Alphabet – Guided chant
  • Alphabet – Chanted continuously
• To promote correct pronunciation only Sanskrit examples are pronounced.
• All sounds and examples are repeated twice with space for the student to pronounce. This gives a total of 4 sound impressions per card.

Accolades

Here are some comments from yoga teachers and students.

“… should, without doubt, be in the yoga library of every teacher and serious student.”
Yoga Journal Review, February 2005 issue

“Having familiarity with the Sanskrit language is a key ingredient for any serious practitioner of yoga.
These cards and audio make Sanskrit accessible and enjoyable.”
Tias Little, Yoga Source of Santa Fe

“Beautiful job on the flashcards. Altogether a very inspirational package.”
David Curtis, Tibetan Language Institute

“I highly recommend this for anyone wishing to learn how to read and pronounce the original Sanskrit script.”
David Frawley, American Institute of Vedic Studies

“An invaluable resource for the beginning student of Sanskrit.
Compact and clear, it makes learning the pronunciation, reading and writing of this ancient language a joy.”
Amadea Morningstar, Author of The Ayurvedic Cookbook