About Sanskrit For Mere Mortals

We are surrounded by the idea that Sanskrit is difficult. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Teachers often say that Sanskrit is difficult because Sanskrit was truly difficult for them to learn, which was likely due to whatever teaching method their own teachers employed. Or they say that Sanskrit is difficult in order to maintain the aura that they’ve done something special, something uniquely difficult to become the teacher. At Sanskrit For Mere Mortals, we believe it’s much easier to learn Sanskrit than they say it is, so long as students are introduced to it in the right way. Sanskrit For Mere Mortals was created as a platform to radically reimagine the pedagogy of Sanskrit for everyone in the modern age.

Sanskrit For Mere Mortals is an inclusive space where people who have historically been excluded from Sanskrit study can safely study Sanskrit without fear of judgment or ridicule or exclusion. We are committed to a critical approach and are explicit in our desire to foster an environment where the desire to learn Sanskrit is more important than the caste, gender, race, or class one belongs to. This does not mean that our goal is to force everyone to learn Sanskrit, for we are not interested in the project of Sanskritization. But in case someone out there is interested in learning, we are here for you.

Sanskrit For Mere Mortals aims to be the premier venue for anyone interested in Sanskrit and Sanskrit-related subjects to gain a world-class education in this field. With programs for children and adults, both in person and online, as well as in live and self-study formats, there is something for everyone here.

We chose the name Sanskrit For Mere Mortals for two reasons:

1. On the one hand, in traditional environments (but also in the west broadly and western academia in particular), Sanskrit has the aura of being a divine language, and along with that perceived divinity comes a history of elitism and exclusion/gatekeeping that has prevented women and people of dominated-caste backgrounds from accessing the language. SFMM represents a radical shift away from this perceived divinity that forces the language to operate as if it’s dead towards opening the gates for mere mortals, making Sanskrit available for all regardless of gender or caste.
2. On the other hand, in western academia (but also in traditional Sanskrit learning environments), there is a long history of talking about Sanskrit as something intrinsically difficult to learn — a discourse that is largely accepted due to an accompanying history of an atrocious pedagogy. Thus those who are able to master it do it despite — not because of — how they learned, enhancing their aura as special or uniquely talented for having mastered this otherwise very “difficult” subject. SFMM represents a reimagining of the pedagogy of Sanskrit to make it easy and accessible for “mere mortals” in a fun and engaging way.

At Sanskrit For Mere Mortals, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn Sanskrit. If financial assistance would help you on your learning journey, please contact us about scholarship opportunities.

Dr. Varun Khanna (@TheSanskritDude) has been rigorously trained in several traditional Sanskrit-learning environments in India as well as one of the top global institutions in the modern academy. He studied traditional Sanskrit grammar under Dr. Pushpa Dixit in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, and did his MPhil in Sanskrit and PhD in Hinduism at the University of Cambridge, UK. Dr. Khanna has been teaching Sanskrit and Sanskrit-related subjects since 2008 and has taught at several leading universities in the USA (University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Haverford College). Dr. Khanna utilizes a unique pedagogical method that he has developed over the last two decades in his courses, and is forever refining it to make Sanskrit and Sanskrit-related learning easier and more accessible for everyone. Dr. Khanna’s current research examines the intersections of Sanskrit and power, whereby he hopes to make the best use of his skills to make the world a better place.

Prea Persaud has spent years specializing in the study of religion in the Americas, particularly the study of race, identity, and post-colonialism in the Caribbean. She has been teaching interdisciplinary courses related to her areas of interest since 2013, and has trained extensively in developing her classroom pedagogy. She completed her BA (Magna Cum Laude) in Religious Studies from Rollins College and her MA in Religion along with a Certificate of Advanced Study in South Asian Studies from Syracuse University. Her doctoral dissertation is on the formation of Hindu identity in Trinidad, addressing issues of race, caste, and culture in the Caribbean and beyond. Prea has taught at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, Swarthmore College, and Haverford College, and deeply values providing an engaging experience for her students that asks them to be both reflexive and critical. At Sanskrit For Mere Mortals, Prea is the behind-the-scenes curriculum coordinator, aesthetic visionary, and will bring her interdisciplinary knowledge and pedagogical expertise to the Reading Group. She envisions SFMM as a community where we spend time investing in each other, ensuring that we are accountable to each other, and growing all the time.