So how does one go about learning sanskrit?

I was asking myself the same question just the other day. There just aren't any good sanskrit classes around any more.

I NEED to learn it. Of almost anything I learn, it's so important I can learn sanskrit. I have to find a speaker who I'm friends with I suppose.

Panic not. Luckily there are lots of online "self study" sanskrit courses.

Take Hindi. Here is the wikipedia information on Sanskrit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit

The Sanskrit alphabet is the same one used in Hindi. It is called the Devangari script.
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/sanskrit.htm

As usual, google. I typed in "where can I learn Sanskrit online?" Here's one answer:

http://acharya.iitm.ac.in/sanskrit/tutor.html

wow thanks a lot for all of those links, they're very helpful and will certainly help me get the ball rolling

Several pages of them if you do a Google search with the words sanskrit tutorials.

found an excellent link for anyone interested:

http://www.danam.co.uk/Sanskrit/Sanskrit%20Introductory/Sanskrit%20Introductory.html

Is this really Sanskrit? Because, I was told what Sanskrit is. And therefore I was skeptical, that it was a designer language, a fraud, and really I should know, but sometimes the fakes are so similar, I never studied Sanskrit, just Sumer. Is that real? Because, I know what it is.

I keep getting designer frauds, because I keep getting answers. I know this one.

Sanskrit's antiquities have been revealed to me, Sanskrit's secrets and orthodox tongue.