Student Research Desk

Use this page when you have a Sanskrit word and want a reliable path from lookup to evidence. The goal is not to pick one dictionary forever; it is to learn which record answers today's question, what the record proves, and what still needs checking.

Trust Block

One-Word Workflow

1 Choose the first dictionary Start with MW unless your task needs compact English, source trails, or Sanskrit-Sanskrit explanation. 2 Look up the headword Try IAST or SLP1. If exact lookup fails, inspect prefix matches before deciding the word is absent. 3 Open the lemma dossier Compare coverage, source links, gender/POS signals, and DCS frequency chips where available. 4 Check the evidence trail Use citation apparatus and dictionary pages when the question depends on sources, not only glosses. 5 Name the certainty Keep observed, derived, inferred, and reviewed evidence visibly separate in your notes.

What To Do Next

If your lookup shows... Do this Why
A clear MW result with a source link Read MW, then compare AP if you need a shorter English gloss MW gives breadth; AP often helps students choose a usable first sense.
Many senses or nested compounds Open the dossier and compare PWG/PWK Petersburg records often preserve distinctions hidden by a quick English lookup.
L. or lexicographer-only evidence Compare PWG, VCP, SKD, or the citation apparatus This is dictionary-tradition evidence, not direct corpus attestation.
Sanskrit-Sanskrit disagreement Keep both conventions visible VCP/SKD may organize meaning differently from English dictionaries.
No exact hit Try prefix lookup, variant spelling, and a broader dictionary Absence from one index is not absence from Sanskrit.

Short Exercises

Use these as 10-minute classroom or self-study prompts. Each exercise should end with one cited dictionary record and one sentence about evidence level.

Word Task Route
dharma Compare a familiar word across English and Sanskrit-Sanskrit dictionaries. Reader Lookup -> Lemma dossier -> VCP/SKD.
agni Find a quick reading gloss, then inspect whether source evidence changes your confidence. Dictionary chooser -> MW -> AP -> citation tools.
gam Notice why verbal/root evidence is not the same as a simple noun lookup. Reader Lookup -> dossier -> R2 sense explorer.
rAma Compare coverage and source links without assuming all dictionaries use the same scope. Reader Lookup -> dossier -> dictionary pages.
mokza Practice input schemes and spelling discipline by comparing SLP1 and IAST. Reader Lookup -> evidence labels -> source record.