San Diego College of Ayurveda Sanskrit class, 8 Jan 2011 Overview of Sanskrit Sanskrit is defined by Sanskrit Sanskrit words are mostly derived from verbal roots with prefixes and suffixes Sanskrit words tend to have a wide variety of potential meanings based on context Sanskrit in Ayurveda All primary texts are in Sanskrit Translations are accurate but sometimes terse Objectives Cover basics of pronunciation Cover some basic terms
Pronunciation Why use diacritics? Some sounds are not present in English Long and short vowels are important Diacritics or no diacritics? Diacritics are used in Sanskrit course materials to help you gain the right pronunciation.
Sanskrit alphabet (varëa-krama) Vowels and endings a अ ä आ i इ é ई u उ ü ऊ å ऋ è ॠ ÿ ऌ e ए ai ऐ o ओ au औ aà A& aù A"
Consonants Velar ka क kha ख ga ग gha घ ìa ङ Palatal ca च cha छ ja ज jha झ ï ञ Retroflex öa ट öha ठ òa ड òha ढ ëa ण Dental ta त tha थ da द dha ध na न Labial pa प pha फ ba ब bha भ ma म Semivowels ya य ra र la ल va व Sibilants / fricative ça श ña ष sa स ha ह
Sandhi combining words External You ll see this if you look at stanzas from books like Caraka-saàhitä Internal Common when making compounds Compounds are usually hyphenated in the Sanskrit course material Examples medas = fat medo-dhätu = fatty tissue ñaö = six ñaò-rasa = six tastes
Word list 8 Jan 2011 äyurveda from äyus meaning life, and veda meaning knowledge. Äyurveda can be understood to mean knowledge of all the components of life and their interactions.
präëa vital force which circulates throughout the body. Also refers specifically to one of the five types of primary circulation, the life-sustaining intake of breath
dhätu basis or foundation. In äyurveda this refers to a category or collection of tissues
rasa taste, liquid, blood plasma. This is a key term and appears in many different contexts
ekam, dvi, tri, catur, païca, ñaö, sapta, añöa, nava, daça Numbers from one to ten: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
prathama, dvitéya, tritéya, caturtha, païcama, ñañöha, saptama, añöama, navama, daçama Ordinal numbers: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth
jan Verbal root "to give birth or give rise to". This occurs frequently as a suffix, e.g. rasaja-vyädhi, disease which arises due to [imbalance of] blood. As a noun, it becomes janma or birth. One of the many words for "mother" is janané (the one who gave birth [to you])
doña defect, something which is to be balanced or rectified; in äyurveda, this generally refers to one of the three doñas (tridoñas): väta, pitta, kapha
rakta the color red, blood mäàsa muscle, meat medas fat. In sandhi with other words this usually becomes medo or medaù asthi bones majjä bone marrow çukra semen, seminal fluid
sapta-dhätu the seven basic tissues or substances of the physical body. These are considered to have an order of derivation, and appear below in that order
rasa-dhätu blood plasma and extravascular fluid in general rakta-dhätu blood (red blood cells) mäàsa-dhätu muscular tissue medo-dhätu fatty tissue asthi-dhätu bone and cartalaginous tissue majjä-dhätu bone marrow tissue çukra-dhätu the vital reproductive essence which manifests as semen in men and facilitates ovulation in women
ojas refined essence of vitality
stana female breast (mammary) stanya that which is related to the mammaries and lactation
åtu season, menstruation (the "monthly season" or menses) ärtava that which is related to the menstrual cycle
çiras the head. Becomes çiro in combination with other words çirodhärä a type of treatment involving a flow (dhärä) of liquid on the head sirä veins
tvac skin. Becomes tvak, tvacä, and other forms in combination with other words puréña stool mutra urine sveda sweat
nidrä sleep tandrä lethargy or laziness svapna dreams, the state of dreaming (sleep)
indriya the senses manas mind, the function of like and dislike, the center of sense perception where pleasure and pain are experienced. ätman the self or soul. Ätmä is the singular form, and in compounds becomes ätma. Ätmä in the sense of "self" can also refer to mind or body depending on context, but almost always means the soul or nonmaterial identity around which the layers of mind, intellect, ego, senses, and physical body are wrapped.