Introduction into Vedic Sanskrit

Teacher(s)

Kulikov Leonid;

Language

French
> English-friendly

Prerequisites

LGLOR1670 Sanskrit I et LGLOR1680 Sanskrit II

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

Introduction into Vedic Sanskrit, the most archaic state of Old Indo-Aryan before its fixation in the form of classical Sanskrit, represented by texts ranging from the hymns of the Rigveda to ritualistic prose.
Systematic presentation of the phonetics, morphology and syntax of this form of Sanskrit, illustrated by extracts from representative texts.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	translate and grammatically analyse, using the appropriate tools, Vedic texts of simple and medium level;
2	observe the linguistic peculiarities of this state of language in relation to classical Sanskrit;
3	understand the basic concepts of Vedic culture, mythology and religion.

Content

Vedic Sanskrit is the oldest documented language of India and the most ancient form of the Old Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-European language family, attested in the Vedas compiled over the period of the mid-2nd to mid-1st millennium BCE. The course deals with the linguistic peculiarities of this state of language in relation to classical Sanskrit, focusing on its main grammatical features (accentuation, sandhi rules, nominal and verbal morphology, syntax), style and metres. These features are illustrated by texts, which include hymns and magic spells of the Rigveda and Atharvaveda as well as fragments of the Vedic Brahmanical prose.

Teaching methods

The lectures rely on a detailed study of Vedic texts (hymns, spells, prose commentaries) and on reference grammars.
The exercises for the students consist in preparing the grammatical and philological analysis and translation of the Vedic texts by using the appropriate working tools (grammar, dictionary and, where necessary, existing French, German and English translations).

Evaluation methods

Oral exam consisting in the reading, translation and grammatical analysis of example sentences or extracts from the studied Vedic texts as well as sentences from unknown Vedic texts.

Other information

Course taught in French but offering facilities in English, Dutch, German and Russian.

Bibliography

• Renou, L. Grammaire de la langue védique. Lyon, 1952.
  
• Lanman, Ch.R. Sanskrit Reader. Harvard UP, 1884.
  
• Geldner, K. F. Der Rig-veda aus dem Sanskrit ins Deutsche übersetzt. Cambr., MA, 1951.      
  
• The Rigveda: the Earliest Religious Poetry of India / transl. by Stephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton. Vol. 1-3. New York etc.: Oxford University Press, 2014.
  
• Renou, L. Études védiques et pāṇinéennes. [EVP] Vol. 1-17. Paris, 1955-69.
  

Teaching materials

• Macdonell, A.A. A Vedic grammar for students. Oxford, 1916 (ou reprint)
• Macdonell, A.A. A Vedic reader for students. Oxford, 1917 (ou reprint)

Faculty or entity

EHAC