Shivadam's Dances of Universal Peace - Sanskrit Tutorial Video

Shivadam's Sanskrit Tutorial Video for the Dances of Universal Peace

shivadam (Sanskrit: what gives what is auspicious; [which gives auspiciousness, well-being, prosperity])

Shivadam Adam Burke is a certified Dance leader and mentor-in-training, a mureed in the Sufi Ruhaniat International and is serving on the Board of Directors of Dances of Universal Peace, North America. Shivadam also leads kirtan and zikr. With proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking Hindi and Sanskrit, Shivadam brings decades of musical/spiritual practice and travels in India and Nepal into his leadership style.

A special note from Shivadam: I offer my Sanskrit experience with the hope that I may be able to answer questions related to the use of Sanskrit in the Dances of Universal Peace. With very little exception, Sanskrit is pronounced exactly as it is written in the Devanagari script. In fact, that script was developed to visually "record" the lexicon of the much more ancient, aural tradition of this divine language. I have attained full proficiency with pronunciation. For any questions related to meaning or grammar that I may be unable to address immediately, I have the support of numerous resources. Feel free to contact me with your Sanskrit questions.

The following video is intended to assist Dance leaders with the use and pronunciation of Sanskrit, as well as to address some of the questions around Sanskrit, and to enable those who wish to use it to have more familiarity with this sacred language. (Each segment just under 10 minutes - the total time for all video segments is about 50 minutes. Parts 4 and 5 include specific mantras and sacred names used often in the DUP. Please watch as much or as little as you like!)

Part 1: An Introduction to Sanskrit

Part 2: The Sounds of Sanskrit

Part 3: Sanskrit Sounds (cont'd)

Part 4: Sanskrit Sounds / Mantras and Names

Part 5: Mantras and Names

A "Quiz": If you view videos 1 through 5, you will have acquired enough knowledge to write, in Devanagari, the Sanskrit praise: "Jaya Ganesha"!

If there is interest in this series, in a follow-up video, I can talk about
some of the reasons good pronunciation may matter, and how one can
learn the proper pronunciation for any word, name, or mantra. Meanwhile,
please contact me with any questions that may come up for you.

Shivadam's Dances of Universal Peace (click)

Shivadam.net