Re: QuickRef: saMskRta-adhyayana: Sanskrit learning guidelines
002. saMskRuta varNamAlA: Sanskrit alphabets
संस्कृत वर्णमाला
स्वराः (अचः)
अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ ॠ ऌ ए ऐ ओ औ अं अः
व्यञ्जनानि (हलः)
क ख ग घ ङ
च छ ज झ ञ
ट ठ ड ढ ण
त थ द ध न
प फ ब भ म
य र ल व
श ष स ह
हलन्त्
क् ख् ग् घ् ङ्
च् छ् ज् झ् ञ्
ट् ठ् ड् ढ् ण्
त् थ् द् ध् न्
प् फ् ब् भ् म्
य् र् ल् व्
श् ष् स् ह्
ळ क्ष
varNamAlA in Baraha transliteration
saMskRuta varNamAlA: Sanskrit Alphabets
svaraH (achaH): vowels
a A i I u U Ru RU ~Lu e ai o au aM aH
vya~jjanAni (halaH): consonants
ka kha ga gha ~ga
cha Cha ja jha ~ja
Ta Tha Da Dha Na
ta tha da dha na
pa pha ba bha ma
ya ra la va
sha Sha sa ha
halant: consonants with diacritic
k kh g gh ~g
ch Ch j jh ~j
T Th D Dh N
t th d dh n
p ph b bh m
y r l v
sh Sh s h
La kSha
Analysis: varNamAlA
• The term वर्णमाला--varNamAlA denotes alphabets in Sanskrit. Although varNa is mainly associated with color, the term also means 'a letter, character, sound, vowel, syllable, word' and mAlA indicates a string, so varNamAlA means 'a string of letters'.
• A vowel is known by the name स्वरः--svaraH and a consonant by the name व्यंजनं--vyaMjanaM or व्यञ्जनं--vyanjjanam.
• The word स्वरः--svaraH means 'sounded' and व्यंजनं--vyaMjanaM means 'manifesting'.
• A स्वरः--svaraH is sounded by itself, without the help of another letter. A व्यंजनं--vyaMjanaM, on the other hand, cannot be pronounced by itself unless some vowel is mixed with it.
• The term व्यंजनं--vyaMjanaM is derived by the combination वि + अञ्ज् + अन--vi + a~jj + ana--'change' + anoint/mix + respiration', that is, 'pronounce after changing by mixing with a vowel'.
For example, the consonant क्--k cannot be pronounced directly, but when mixed with the vowel अ-a, it becomes pronounceable as क-ka. This means that without the vowel the constant by itself is dead and inarticulate and that a vowel is inherent in its pronounciation. In PANini's system of Sanskrit grammar, the consonants are given with an अ--a added to them, for the sake of pronunciation.
• However, a consonant can end a word in its inarticulate form as in जलम्--jalam, meaning 'water'. Notice how the consonant is written with a diacritic in its inarticulate form, which is known by the name हलन्त्--halant or विराम--virAma.
• ळ क्ष--La kSha are actually conjunct consonants that are sometimes included in the varNamAlA.
• Unlike the Greek alphabets which bear names for their symbols (alpha, beta, etc.), Sanskrit alphabets have no names as they represent their sound directly. Exceptions are the anusvAraH, visargaH and the letter र्--r, which is known as रेफः--rephaH. The word कारः--kAraH is used to denote a sound which is not inflected: for example, ककार--kakAra for the 'ka' sound.
• A vowel by itself, or a consonant, simple or conjunct, with a vowel added to it, is called an अक्षरं--akSharaM--syllable. (Note: It is akSharaM means a letter or syllable, and akSharaH refers to Shiva or ViShNu.)
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रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥
To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.
--viShNu purANam
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