A Grammar of Epic Sanskrit

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.

Thomas Oberlies is Professor at the University of Göttingen, Germany.

"In the estimation of the current reviewer, this work can proudly sit next to works of the likes of Wackernagel and Edgerton."
M. M. D. in: Journal of the American Oriental Society 128.1/2008

"Il doit donc figurer dans la bibliothèque de tout département d'indologie."
Georges-Jean Pinault in: Indo-Iranian Journal 2008

"Thomas Oberlies' book is an excellent study of the variety of Sanskrit attested in the epics, which has not been sufficiently described up to now. This is an exhaustive synchronic description of distinctions betwenn Epics and Paninian Sanskrit, which consistently pays special attention to the diacrony, both retrospective (from Epic back to Vedic Sanskrit) and prospective (from Epic to Middle and New Indo-Aryan). Many new interpretations are suggested by the author, and discussions of crucial problems are based on the new scholary literature. That all makes the book a deep source of knowledge for both indologists and general linguists."
Holger Diessel in: Studies in Language 1/2006

"This is an extremly valuable and interesting work, and its publication is most welcome."
Stephanie W. Jamison in: Kratylos 50/2005

"A Grammar of Epic Sanskrit will be extremely useful: it draws together a great deal of material that was previously scattered through a large number of disparate sources, and in some cases had not been noted at all. Oberlies's interpretations, though inevitably sometimes open to argument, are clear and well-referenced. Compiling this book must have been very laborious, and we must all be gratefull to Oberlies for his efforts."
John D. Smith in: School of Oriental and African Studies 2/2004

"In sum, Oberlies’ Grammar of Epic Sanskrit is a fascinating look at the language of the Sanskrit Epics, and should prove to be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in either that particular stage of language’s history, or in the overall development of the Indic languages."
Hope C. Dawson in: Orientalische Literaturzeitung, 106 (2011) 4–5