Sanskrit 1 is a beginner's level course that provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the foundations of Sanskrit - a major classical language of South Asia with unparalleled cultural influence and the gateway to a vast repository of literary, intellectual, religious, and political knowledges. In this course students will learn to read and write in Devanagari (the main script used for written Sanskrit texts), gain understanding of the cornerstones of Sanskrit grammar, and develop proficiency in understanding and translating basic Sanskrit sentence structures. This focus on grammatical learning is balanced with attention paid to original Sanskrit texts and a highly interactive and diverse classroom environment that encourages discussion and collaborative engagement. In addition, this course introduces students to the cultural and historical knowledge required to understand Sanskrit's social and literary significance in ancient South Asia. By the end of this course, students will be able to independently translate short Sanskrit texts at an introductory level and will be equipped to pursue Sanskrit language studies and translations of increasing complexity.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Read, write, and pronounce all 49 sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet correctly using the Devanagari script.
- Use an active vocabulary of approximately 180 items.
- Translate short sentences and texts into and out of Sanskrit.
- Demonstrate understanding and accurate employment of foundational Sanskrit grammar through the identification and explanation of grammatical forms and sentence structures.
- Recognise the impact of sandhi on Sanskrit words and apply correct principles of transliteration when working between Devanagari and Roman scripts.
Other Information
Fees - Students enrolling through Open Universities Australia should refer to the fee schedule published on the OUA website.
On successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to engage at an Introductory level of Sanskrit.
Students with native speaker proficiency (may include cognate languages and dialects) must review the language proficiency assessment site and contact the CAP Student Centre for appropriate enrolment advice. Students with previous “language experience or exposure” are required to undertake a language proficiency assessment to ensure enrolment at the most appropriate level.
Relevant past experience includes:
- Previous study of the language (both formal and informal, for example but not limited to, at school, or, home, or through online activities, etc.)
- Being exposed to the language in childhood via a family member or friend
- Travel or living in a country where the language is spoken
- The language being spoken in your home (even if you do not speak it yourself)
Students who are not sure if they need to undertake a language proficiency assessment should seek advice from the course or language convenor. Students who intentionally misrepresent their language proficiency level may be investigated under the Academic Integrity Rule 2021 as having failed to comply with assessment directions and having sought unfair advantage. This may results in a penalty such as reduced grades or failure of the course.
Students are not permitted to enrol in a language course below one that they have already successfully completed, except with permission of the language and/or course convenor.
Indicative Assessment
- Devanagari script assessment (600 words) (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Short translation assignment 1 (800 words) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Short translation assignment 2 (800 words) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Short translation assignment 3 (1000 words) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Take-home exam (1200 words) (30) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Sanskrit 1 is conducted on the 'flipped classroom' model. Students are expected to complete a set amount of work, including study and practice tasks, prior to class each week. A total of 10 hours' work per week is expected as follows:
- 4 hours, before class, preparing materials for in-class activities
- 3 hours attending on-campus or online classes
- 3 hours developing and completing assessments and/or undertaking revision activities based on individual feedback from the teacher
The total workload for the course is 130 hours over 12 weeks of class and the examination period.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
A. Ruppel, The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit.
The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit Video Resources: Video Resources - Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit A. M. Ruppel
M. Taylor, The Little Red Book of Sanskrit Paradigms.
Preliminary Reading
Additional readings will be provided by the course convenor.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $4500 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $5820 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANU Online | ||||||
| 2320 | 23 Feb 2026 | 02 Mar 2026 | 31 Mar 2026 | 29 May 2026 | Online | N/A |
| OUA Online | ||||||
| 3066 | 23 Feb 2026 | 02 Mar 2026 | 31 Mar 2026 | 29 May 2026 | Online | N/A |