The present grammar has been prepared with a view to meet the growing educational need of university students. The author has done his best to bring the present grammar up to the requirements of the students. In writing the various chapters of this book, the author has closely followed Pannini, as explained by Bhattoji Diksita. Many of the rules given here are translations of the relevant Sutras of Panini. The original Sutras are given in footnotes, where necessary. Sandhis and declensions are fully treated; compounds which dominate classical Sanskrit literature have received special attention; formation of feminine bases has been illustrated; Taddhita affixes have been arranged in an alphabetical order. A special feature of the present grammar is the chapter on the Conjugation of Verbs. The general rules given are amply illustrated by examples. All the verbs which change their pada when preceded by particular prepositions are given in an alphabetical order. The chapter on Syntax contains almost everything given in the first 20 chapters of author's Guide to Sanskrit Composition; the chapter on Prosody is based on the Chandomanjari and the Vrttaratnakara. The author has spared no pains to make the book as useful and as complete as possible.

This paperback edition of the 1927 text supplies a complete account of classical sanskrit, the literary language of ancient India. After a brief history of sanskrit grammar and a chart of the Devanagari letters, Macdonell, former Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University provides chapters on alphabet, declension, conjugation, indeclinable words, nominal stem formation, and syntax.

The two great epics of (old) India, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, are written in a language, which differs from so-called classical Sanskrit in many details. Both texts still are of an enormous importance in India and other countries. Because of this, a grammar describing all the different characteristics of epic Sanskrit has been missed until now. The Grammar of Epic Sanskrit will now close this gap.

This book uses modern pedagogical methods and tools that allow students to grasp straightforward original Sanskrit texts within weeks.