Thomas Egenes - Introduction to Sanskrit (2 vols in pdf)

Thomas Egenes - Introduction to Sanskrit (2 vols in pdf)
Part 1
First published in California, in 1989.
This edition:
# Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass; 1st edition: January 1, 2005
# ISBN-10: 8120811402
# ISBN-13: 978-8120811409

Part 2
# Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass (January 1, 1999)
# ISBN-10: 8120816935
# ISBN-13: 978-8120816930

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Sanskrit-Part-Thomas-Egenes/dp/8120811402

Part 1
This self-teaching guide presents Sanskrit pronunciations, grammar, and vocabulary in simple and systematic steps, allowing students to easily master the fundamentals of this enchanting language.
The text gently leads the beginner through small steps with clear, concise, explanations. Each lesson includes instruction in alphabet, grammar, and vocabulary, with easy practice exercises at the end. Also included is a reading from Bhagavad-Gita and Sanskrit quotations from the Rk Samhita, Upanisads, Yoga
Sutras, Brahma Sutra, and Manu Smrti.
It introduces the script and the grammar in slow, gentle steps. The introduction to the Devanagari script is excellent. It goes beyond other primers. The text is large and very easy to read, and shows you how to actually write the characters. showing the stroke order of each.
(Note: therefore you can also use the first part of this book if you want to learn Hindi, rather than Sanscrit)
It also eases into the grammar in such a way that you can really stick with it and not become too confused like with other text books.
After about 7 lessons, you ease into the different kinds of external sandhi (sound changes and assimilations from one word to another). By the end of the first volume, you've learned a suprising amount: most of the major declensions, and been introduced to the verb, and the principles of compound formation.
Every lesson has plenty of exercises, both English to Sanskrit and vice versa, to test your comprehension and to give you practice. The answers to the exercises are given in the back of the book.
Covered are the basic uses of Classical Sanskrit's 8 cases; paradigms for 9 nominal declensions; a small list of verbs showing present, imperfect, future, and gerund forms; tables for external sandhi, and coverage of two internal sandhi rules.
The book has a lightness to it and it has beautiful quotes from various texts, the quotes are especially touching and very poetic.
A great introduction to the language.

After finishing Book I, you can continue with his Book II, or pick up, with confidence, any of the standard academic introductions - Maurer, Goldman and Sutherland, Deshpande, even (gasp!) Coulson.

Part Two uses verses from the Bhagavad Gita to teach principles of grammar, and includes additional essays on Sanskrit pronunciation and grammar.
This is an excellent and delightful book. It introduces concepts in an easy to understand, tabular format - which is easy for a Western student, while at the same time being respectful of the traditional teaching.
The entire text is a fun read, with plenty of
1) examples (in form of tables) throughout the text
2) translation exercises at the end of each chapter (with answers right there)
3) 1 Bhagwad Gita Shaloka in each text with full grammatical analysis and word meanings right there.
4) Plenty of vocabulary in each chapter
The language used by the author does not feel technical, while at the same time introducing various topics with completeness and clarity.


"A didactically well structured and student-friendly text." Prof. Van Haven, The Netherlands

UPLOADER's NOTE
This is a torrent I had uploaded three years ago on another site, whose tracker unfortunately does not exist anymore. The other two are working, though. And I'm seeding again, as I think it's a very useful text