Lesson 25

Simple Sanskrit – Lesson 25

As was explained in previous chapter, शिवसूत्रम् १२ – क प य् is helpful in understanding that when विसर्ग is followed by क or प, then विसर्ग stays.

Intuitively we have started discussing the विसर्गसंधि-s !

In स्वर-संधि-s, we considered, what संधि-result happens with which combination of पूर्ववर्ण and परवर्ण.

Even for विसर्गसंधि-s same or similar consideration applies, since

1. There is a वर्ण, the पूर्ववर्ण before the विसर्ग.

   • The पूर्ववर्ण is essentially a vowel.

2. विसर्ग by itself is not a वर्ण. It is an expiration. The expiration is sort of an extension of the pronunciation of पूर्ववर्ण.

   • All vowels can have such expiration-extension.

   • It was noted in the previous chapter that most vowels can have 18 types of pronunciation. With expiration possibly becomes the 19th type !

   • When I learnt the देवनागरी script, which is also the script for my mother-tongue मराठी, we learnt the vowels as अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ लृ ए ऐ ओ औ अं अः We learnt अं अः as being vowels by their own merit and getting associated with all consonants. In writing practise we learnt writing बाराखडी (बाराक्षरी) for each consonant e.g. क का कि की कु कू के कै को कौ कं कः They are 12 बारा, right ?

3. The परवर्ण can be a vowel or a consonant.

4. Though विसर्ग by itself is not a वर्ण, it is very much an element and a part of the process of विसर्गसंधि.

5. The process of विसर्गसंधि, is a process involving three elements – पूर्ववर्ण, विसर्ग, and the परवर्ण.

6. The matrices presented for स्वरसंधि-s are relevant for understanding विसर्गसंधि-s also, specifically because पूर्ववर्ण is essentially a vowel. So the rows in the matrices for स्वरसंधि-s will be the rows in matrices for विसर्गसंधि-s also. That makes a good justification to discuss विसर्गसंधि-s next  after स्वरसंधि-s.

7. Major difference, however, comes up, because परवर्ण can be either a vowel or a consonant. Would that call for too many columns for परवर्ण ?

Possibly it would be good to make a matrix for cases when परवर्ण is a vowel. Then think separately of instances when परवर्ण will be a consonant. As mentioned at the end of previous lesson, one can find examples of विसर्गसंधि-s almost all over गीता. Examples here are compiled mostly from गीता

Table !