पाठ pāṭha · Sanskrit School
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Take-away · tools to practise on your own

Two things you can take off the site and use anywhere: a tutor prompt to paste into your own AI, and a printable decoder card.

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Beyond the pāṭha lessons, the kośa platform has these Sanskrit tools to use alongside the course.

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① AI-tutor prompt card

There is no GPU on the server this semester, so we cannot run an online AI tutor. Instead: copy the whole "system prompt" below and paste it into your own ChatGPT / Claude / Line bot, and it will practise with you using our method. Tell it which lesson you have reached when you start.

You are an introductory Sanskrit AI tutor using the "use-first, analyse-later" Michel Thomas method. The student is a Thai native speaker, a beginner working through Perry's A Sanskrit Primer. Talk with the student in Thai throughout.

[Your role]
- When the student wants to say something but does not have the form, simply hand them the finished Sanskrit form so they can use it at once — do not stop to explain grammar.
- Never use grammatical terms (accusative / first-conjugation / ṇatva, etc.) with the student; use the vivid images instead (hats / families / the slim version).
- When you introduce a new content word, if it has a Thai cognate, point it out in one line (e.g. aham → อหังการ); for pure function words with no cognate, do not invent one.

[Scope — cursor] The student has reached Lesson ___ (ask at the start). Only give forms from this lesson and earlier; if they insist on something harder, give the nearest already-learned wording and say "you'll learn that later," without expanding.

[Written / spoken] Written Sanskrit shown to the student is always word-by-word, unsandhied (padapāṭha, e.g. rāmaḥ nagaram gacchati). Sandhi forms appear only when reading aloud, marked "listen only."

[Hard rules]
- If you are not sure a Sanskrit form is correct, do not give it — give a lower, already-learned form you are sure of instead.
- Do not output any precise statistics or percentages.
- Anchor examples in things the student knows (Bangkok place names, the Ramakien, temples, ceremonies).
- When the student makes a mistake, do not interrupt to correct; reply naturally using the correct form (recast).

Note: an outside LLM is not covered by our L3 truth-checking, so the forms it gives may be wrong — use it as a practice partner, and check anything you are unsure of against the lesson page or your teacher.

② Decoder Card

30 Sanskrit→Thai sound-change rules (read backwards, Thai→Sanskrit) + high-frequency cognate words. = the four highest-frequency rules taught in week one. You can print it as an A4 to carry.(v1 draft, pending final human review; a few rules still need sources.)

A · Consonant correspondences

A1
Three sibilants ś / ṣ / s → ศ / ษ / สtaught in L00
śiṣya/ศิษย์;bhāṣā/ภาษา
A2
Five-varga stops: voiceless k c ṭ t p → ก จ ฏ ต ป; voiced g j ḍ d b → ค ช ฑ ท พ
guru/คุรุ;rāja/ราชา;kāla/กาล
A3
Nasals ṅ ñ ṇ n m → ง ญ ณ น มtaught in P09
nagara/นคร;nārī/นารี
A4
Semivowels and h: y r l v → ย ร ล ว; h → หtaught in P05
vāyu/วายุ;loka/โลก
A5
Retroflex ḍ → ฑ; Pali ḷ → ฬ (keep distinct)
garuḍa/ครุฑ;krīḷā/กีฬา
A6
Voiced aspirates gh jh ḍh dh bh → ฆ ฌ ฒ ธ ภ (spelling kept, read voiceless)taught in P01
dharma/ธรรม(ธ讀 th);megha/เมฆ

B · Vowels & syllables

B1
Syllabic ṛ → ริ / รึ / ฤ (word-dependent)taught in L00
ṛṣi/ฤๅษี;kṛṣṇa/กฤษณะ
B2
A short /a/ inserted inside consonant clusters (epenthesis)taught in L00
prajñā/ปรัชญา;indra/อินทร์
B3
Long vowels ā ī ū → า ี ู (roughly; length often swaps — don't memorise rigidly)taught in P06
bhāṣā/ภาษา;dhūli/ธุลี
B4
ir / īr → เอียtaught in P12
kīrti/เกียรติ;kṣīra/เกษียร
B5
Added vowel word-finally / -medially (to make it pronounceable)
rāga/ราคะ;vinaya/วินัย
B6
Vowel substitution ◌ิ↔◌ี, ◌ุ↔◌ู, etc.
kavi/กวี;guṇa/คูณ
B7
Floating อ / อา / อุ → consonant + inherent vowel; or drop a vowel to compress
āsana/อาสนะ;uposatha→โบสถ์

C · Voicing & aspiration shifts

C1
p → b (ป→บ)taught in P07
putra/บุตร;pāpa/บาป
C2
v → ph (ว→พ)
varṣā/พรรษา;viśeṣa/พิเศษ
C3
t → d (ต→ด)
tārā/ดารา;tantrin/ดนตรี
C4
s / ś → ฉ
śloka/โฉลก
C5
Sanskrit voiced stops written with Thai 'voiced' letters but read voicelesstaught in P01
gaṅgā/คงคา;deva/เทพ;buddha/พุทธ
C6
Cluster onsets shift: ปร→บร, วร→พร
vrata/พรต;vyāyāma/พยายาม

D · Final-syllable restructuring

D1
Word-final -a systematically droppedtaught in L00
deva/เทพ;nagara/นคร;candra/จันทร์
D2
Final clusters kept in spelling, silent, + killer mark ◌์taught in P04
duḥkha/ทุกข์;vicāraṇa/วิจารณ์
D3
Doubled consonants simplified (the karma type)
karma/กรรม;dharma/ธรรม
D4
Word-final consonant dropped
nimantana/นิมนต์
D5
Word-final ◌ะ added to surface the hidden /a/ (coexists with D1)
rāga/ราคะ;hima/หิมะ
D6
Coda adjustment พ→ภ; first syllable adds ◌ั
prārabdha/ปรารภ;pakṣa/ปักษ์

E · Marks, sandhi, doublets

E1
repha (-ar) → รร (a tell-tale sign of a Sanskrit word)taught in P02
karma/กรรม;suvarṇa/สุวรรณ
E2
anusvāra ◌ํ → a nasal consonant (usually → ง)taught in P11
haṃsa/หงส์;vaṃśa/พงศ์;saṃsāra/สงสาร
E3
Drop the พินทุ ◌ฺ (virāma)
cakra/จักร;krodha/โกรธ
E4
Internal sandhi ṇatva n→ณ / ṣatva s→ษtaught in P03
brāhmaṇa/พราหมณ์;lakṣaṇa/ลักษณะ
E5
Sanskrit/Pali doublets (same sound→Sanskrit form; dense cluster→Pali; both kept→split meaning)taught in P10
prajñā/paññā→ปรัชญา/ปัญญา

Reverse side · all 100 high-frequency cognates

1ธรรมधर्मdharmaA2D3E1
2กรรมकर्मन्karmanfalse friend · Thai ≠ Skt. senseD3E1
3บุญपुण्यpuṇyaC1D3
4บาปपापpāpaC1
5พุทธबुद्धbuddhaD3C5
6สงฆ์सङ्घsaṅghaE2D2
7พระवरvara
8ศรัทธาश्रद्धाśraddhāA1
9ศีลशीलśīlaA1
10สมาธิसमाधिsamādhi
11นิพพานनिर्वाणnirvāṇaE1
12ทานदानdāna
13บูชาपूजाpūjāC1
14เทศนาदेशनाdeśanā
15มงคลमङ्गलmaṅgala
16วิหารविहारvihāra
17ธาตุधातुdhātu
18มุตติमुक्तिmukti
19สันติशान्तिśāntiA1
20มรรคमार्गmārgaA2D2
21นรกनरकnarakaA3
22มารमारmārafalse friend · Thai ≠ Skt. senseA2
23พรหมब्रह्मbrahmaB2
24วิษณุविष्णुviṣṇu
25ฤๅษีऋषिṛṣiB1
26อาตมันआत्मन्ātman
27มนุษย์मनुष्यmanuṣyaE4D2
28มุนีमुनिmuni⚠ to verifyB6
29บิดาपितृpitṛC1
30มาดาमातृmātṛ⚠ to verify
31บุตรपुत्रputraC1E3
32ธิดาधीताdhītā
33ภรรยาभार्याbhāryā
34สามีस्वामिन्svāmin
35ญาติजातिjāti
36มิตรमित्रmitra
37บุรุษपुरुषpuruṣaC1E4
38สตรีस्त्रीstrīB2
39นารีनारीnārīA3
40ราชาराजrājaA2
41กษัตริย์क्षत्रियkṣatriyaB2D2
42ครูगुरुguruA2B6
43อาจารย์आचार्यācārya
44ศิษย์शिष्यśiṣyaA1D2
45บัณฑิตपण्डितpaṇḍitaC1E4
46วิทยาविद्याvidyāA2
47วิชาविद्याvidyāB6
48วิทยาลัยविद्यालयvidyālaya
49มหาวิทยาลัยमहाविद्यालयmahāvidyālaya
50ปริญญาपरिज्ञाparijñā
51ปรัชญาप्रज्ञाprajñāB2E5
52ทฤษฎีदृष्टिdṛṣṭiB1E5
53ภาษาभाषाbhāṣāA1A6
54วาจาवाचाvācāA2
55กวีकविkaviB6
56ศาสตร์शास्śāsD2
57บัตรपत्रpatraC1
58ประกาศप्रकाशprakāśaC6B2D5
59อนุมัติअनुमतिanumati
60วิเคราะห์विग्रहvigrahaE3
61สุริยसूर्यsūrya
62จันทร์चन्द्रcandra⚠ to verifyD1E3
63ดาราताराtārāC3
64นภาनभस्nabhas
65เมฆमेघmeghaA6
66อากาศआकाशākāśa
67อวกาศअवकाशavakāśaE5
68วายุवायुvāyuA4
69คงคาगङ्गाgaṅgāfalse friend · Thai ≠ Skt. senseC5A2
70สมุทรसमुद्रsamudra
71สินธุसिन्धुsindhu
72บรรพตपर्वतparvataE1
73ปทุมपद्मpadma
74ปฐพีपृथिवीpṛthivīB1
75นครनगरnagaraD1
76มหาमहाmahā⚠ to verify
77กายकायkāya
78ศีรษะशीर्षśīrṣaA1B5
79เนตรनेत्रnetraE3
80หัสต์हस्तhasta⚠ to verify
81บาทपादpādaC1
82หทัยहृदयhṛdayaB1
83จิตचित्तcittaD3
84วิญญาณविज्ञानvijñāna
85เวลาवेलाvelā
86กาลकालkālaA2
87ราตรีरात्रिrātri
88ทิวาदिवाdivā
89มาสमासmāsa
90พรรษาवर्षाvarṣāC2E1
91รัฐराष्ट्रrāṣṭraE4
92ประเทศप्रदेशpradeśaC6
93ประชาप्रजाprajāC6B2
94อุดมउत्तमuttamaD3
95ยศयशyaśa
96เกียรติकीर्तिkīrtiB4
97บริษัทपरिषद्pariṣadfalse friend · Thai ≠ Skt. senseC1
98อลังการअलंकारalaṃkārafalse friend · Thai ≠ Skt. senseE2
99สงกรานต์सङ्क्रान्तिsaṅkrāntifalse friend · Thai ≠ Skt. senseE2
100สงสารसंसारsaṃsārafalse friend · Thai ≠ Skt. senseE1E2