करावलम्बनम्
NOTE : For accessing resources, Please scan the QR Code given in the book.
About the book
Karāvalambanam, meaning hand holding, is a unique book designed to help modern students and seekers explore the intricacies, profundity, beauty, and sophistication of the Saṃskṛta language. The authors' backgrounds in modern knowledge systems, combined with their passion for teaching and learning Saṃskṛta make the approach of the book contemporary and functional.
Karāvalambanam covers all the important concepts of Saṃskṛta grammar, ranging from Varṇamālā to Vākyārthavimarśa. The book has numerous examples, tables, graphics, and illustrations that make learning more accessible and enjoyable. With its comprehensive coverage and engaging presentation, this book is sure to inspire a lifelong pursuit of engaging with the language.
This book is suited for those who wish to develop a strong foundation in Saṃskṛta and apply it to understand the original works. The book can be a trusted guide, in the long journey of Saṃskṛta studies, as one discovers the rigour and sophistication of the language.
Review from Eminent Scholars
There are a number of efforts to introduce Saṃskṛta language; each with its own objective. The current book is unique for its style of presentation and organisation of topics as it clearly lays out the logical structure in which the language is built.
I appreciate that you added the essence of your teaching experience. Being students of Science, engineering and medicine you have been very successful with this novel experiment. Saṃskṛta has a scientific structure. It is engineered with basic concepts like varṇas, prakṛti, pratyaya, etc. The very idea of introducing Saṃskṛta to modern students with technical backgrounds has made this book unique.
Dr Shrinivasa Varakhedi,
Vice-Chancellor, Central Sanskrit University
The high level of sophistication embedded in most of the traditional Sanskrit texts can be appreciated by a modern student only when it is presented in such formats as he is usually accustomed to. Karāvalambanam is a simple proof of the truth of the above statement in respect of Sanskrit grammar. Sanskrit grammar is a field of unmatched cultivation and sophistication in the entire linguistic world, and especially as presented by Pāṇini, whose work has been famously deemed as “a monument of human intelligence”. The two authors here (the former with an engineering background, and the latter with a medical background) form a commendable pair in making a novel presentation of a rather complex and difficult theme, not easy to master even after years of pursuit.
Prof. K S Kannan DLitt.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Chair Professor,
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences,
IIT-Madras
About the Authors
Dr Sridhar Subbanna holds a BE in computer science and a PhD in Samskrita. He has worked with leading technology companies while learning Samskrita and Shastras from renowned traditional scholars. In his doctoral thesis, Dr Sridhar has explored the similarities between Panini’s Asthadhyayi and computational sciences. He later developed a novel method to teach Samskrita based on the Paninian approach and has trained hundreds of students in this method.
He has established Vidyasvam, a platform for learning traditional knowledge systems. Vidyasvam is currently offering courses on foundational Sanskrit for modern-educated professionals and students in higher education. He is also a member of the founding team of Pūrṇapramati, an alternative school in Bengaluru that is attempting to integrate Indic knowledge systems with mainstream learning.
Dr V. Srinidhi is an MBBS from Bangalore Medical College and a PhD in Public Policy from IIM Bangalore. His primary interests are integrative medicine, health policy and systems research. He has also worked in medical education, knowledge translation, respectful maternity care and digital health.
Dr Srinidhi has been a student of Sanskrit literature and the Dvaita School of Vedanta for over two decades under various traditional scholars and Swamijis. Passionate in manuscriptology, he has collected and edited over ten unpublished manuscripts from the Dvaita tradition and published them from many research institutes and Mathas. Dr Srinidhi is also a member of the founding team of Pūrṇapramati. He is also active in the research activities of Udupi Sri Bhandarakeri Matha.