Installation

This package is available in MELPA as smaskritam-mode.

M-x package-install RET samskritam-mode RET

Manual installation

(use-package samskritam
  :ensure t
  :bind (("\C-cd"   . samskritam-word-at-point)
         ("\C-cD"   . samskritam-word)
         ("\C-cs"   . message-buffer-display-dict-select))

  :init
  (setq google-translate-backend-method 'curl)
  (defun google-translate--search-tkk () "Search TKK." (list 430675 2721866130))
  (global-set-key "\C-ct" 'google-translate-smooth-translate)
  )
;; Hover cursor over राम and call C-cd.

;; OR, something like this:
(use-package samskritam
  :bind (("C-c C-s w"   . samskritam-word)
         ("C-c C-s p" . samskritam-word-at-point)
         ("C-c C-s s" . message-buffer-display-dict-select))
  )

Dictionaries

ambuda-dict-choices is the list of dictionaries to call. Results from these calls are appended to dict buffers. Function message-buffer-display-dict-select sets the default dictionary (message-buffer-display-dict) to display in the message buffer. Each call to samskritam-word makes call to all ambuda-dict-choices and updates corresponding buffers.

Usage

C-cd : Calls Ambuda.org to display word definition under cursor. C-cD : Asks user to provide word for word definition. C-ct : Asks user to provide text for translation.

Instead of switching to dict buffers, I use popper.el to toggle between dictionaries in a popop window by updating the popper-reference-buffers.

(use-package popper
  :ensure t ; or :straight t
  :bind (("C-`"   . popper-toggle)
         ("M-`"   . popper-cycle)
         ("C-M-`" . popper-toggle-type))
  :init
  (setq popper-reference-buffers
        '("\\*Messages\\*"
          "\\*Ambuda\\*"
          "\\*Amarakosha\\*"
          "\\*Apte\\*"
          "\\*Apte-Kosh\\*"
          "\\*Shabdasagara\\*"
          "\\*Vacaspatyam\\*"
          "\\*Shabdarthakausubha\\*"
          "\\*MW\\*"
          "Output\\*$"
          "\\*Async Shell Command\\*"
          help-mode
          compilation-mode))
  (popper-mode +1)
  (popper-echo-mode +1))                ; For echo area hints

;; Add some missing characters to devanagari-inscript
  (with-temp-buffer
    (activate-input-method "devanagari-inscript") ;; the input method has to be triggered for `quail-package-alist' to be non-nil
    (let ((quail-current-package (assoc "devanagari-inscript" quail-package-alist)))
     (quail-define-rules ((append . t))
     ("^'" "॑")
     ("^''" "᳚")
     ("__" "॒")
     )))

Inspiration

• ambuda.org
• define-word
• google-translate
• popper.el