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Gita Society of Belgium © 2001 - 2012

Branch of the International Gita Society (IGS/USA)

Self-help Sanskrit Grammar

for

Bhagavad Gita Students

by

Philippe L. De Coster, B.Th.,D.D.

Read, Understand and Chant.

Gita Satsang Ghent

© 2012 Philippe L. De Coster, Ghent, Belgium

2

The Sanskrit Grammar

for Bhagavad Gita Students

Foreword

Since Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages of our planet, your ability to read,

understand, write and speak it amounts to a unique experience (and perhaps your

special status). It may be said that Sanskrit is really the world-language. Its

knowledge helps in studying:

a. European things of the past as a lot of technical terms are similar between

Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, even Hittite etc. in many technical fields like

medicine, law, physics, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy

and many more.

b. The languages, religion and cultures of the Middle East like Persian,

Iranian and Arabic which owe a lot of similarity.

c. Indian things whether religions, philosophy, arts, science (like Ayurveda,

Vedic mathematics, Vastu, Tantra, Kriyayoga and other specialisations)

which are all the popular subjects in today’s world.

d. A glimpse of ancient world religions, languages, customs, traditions,

culture can be easy to get through the glass of Vedic and Sanskrit

literature.

The key to learning the Sanskrit alphabet is repetition. While I was a schoolboy

my father used to say while doing my home-work for school, “bene, bene

respondare”, and is that which you must do too. Review the alphabet as often as

possible during the course of the day, which takes only a few minutes to bring it

to mind. If you feel any hesitation in remembering the letters, immediately

search the answers in this book. Repeat often and aloud if at all possible.

Memorisation should be easy, but relaxing and regular. If surrounding permits,

say each letter aloud as you write it. While the numbered arrows on the letters

indicate the suggested order for writing, they are only suggestions, while you

may follow another order if you prefer and is easier for you.

The Sanskrit language is a language of nature, the more that there is a direct link

between the sound and signs. Writing Sanskrit is based on the sound of the

spoken form. In other words, Sanskrit has no spelling; there are no silent letters

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either. In contrast to Sanskrit, you cannot read many English words properly

unless you know English to a certain extent. This means that a student is

assumed to have known already the English language before one starts learning

it!

There is only one set of alphabet in Sanskrit. This avoids many complexities of

writing capital, small and italic letters as they are in the Roman alphabet. There

are not many punctuation marks in the Sanskrit (Devanagari) language; while

for writing this language of nature, any comprehensive alphabet can be used and

vice versa.

Thanks to its phonetic scripts, there is an easy-flowing, natural and logical way

to proceed while learning this outstanding language of nature, and to write any

language after that. In contrast to this, see how difficult it is to learn the spelling-

oriented Western languages whose silent letters add to the complications as in

French, English and Dutch, and others. By careful examination of the Roman

alphabet we notice that some sounds are repeated in it while many other sounds

are left out.

There is logic in its sound system, and a natural continuity in its word-making as

well as sentence-making. Compare this with pronouncing and spelling of the

languages of other countries than India.

There is logic in the Sanskrit sound system, and a natural continuity in its word-

making as well as in sentence-making. Compare this with pronouncing and

spelling of the languages outside India.

Sanskrit sentence structure is flexible. The declensions and the conjugations

have a wide range, and every student has, therefore, more freedom in composing

sentences in Sanskrit. As we mentioned above in Sanskrit the order of words in

a sentence does not matter.

Sanskrit words possess a special vibration of sound waves whose resonance is

very effective. People use Sanskrit Mantras for healing. They owe this mystic

character and holiness to the essential spiritual character of Sanskrit. Spirituality

has moulded into Sanskrit! Hence its name, - perfection to be reached by any

word.

On the racial discriminations, Sanskrit was once an ancient language owned by

the Aryans; that it was a member of the Indo-Aryan family of languages; for the

overdoing of this theory which is only a speculation or a hypothesis, that the

non-Aryan races can think they should have no interest or discourage any efforts

favouring Sanskrit. This is an over reacting to the idea of the Aryans race who

4

are blamed as the oppressors of the indigenous cultures of certain countries.

Falling prey to these widespread misnomers and some intimidating aspects

which are often deliberately commissioned that, unfortunately, people shy away

from studying Sanskrit. They either give up after some trial or never try to own

this treasure of human wisdom stored in Sanskrit literature. However, see how

many virtues and advantages Sanskrit language and literature has to offer to all

of us.

It is said that Brahma was the creator and introduced Sanskrit language to the

Sages of celestial bodies. Therefore, this language is also called Dev Vani,

which means the language of gods. It was during eighteenth century when a

similarity between Sanskrit, Latin and Greek was found, which gave the reason

to study and discover the relationship of all Indo-European languages. The

earliest form of Sanskrit language was Vedic Sanskrit that came approximately

around 1500-200 B.C. This was the period when knowledge was imparted orally

through the generations.

The Sanskrit language is truly a fountainhead, if one surveys its three thousand

years of its existence. The story of the origin of Sanskrit began right from the

Vedic age, sailing through the post-Vedic years and centuries later till today.

The Aryans collected the mass of hymns, rituals and poems about their gods in

the four Vedas (10th century BC) which document the various dialects that they

brought to India (but that was not the Sanskrit we know of today). From the

Punjab, where the Aryans settled first after they came from Central Asia, their

speech spread along the east as far as present Bihar by about 600 BC. Obviously

this Vedic or Old Indo-Aryan language met with the language of the Dravidians

(who were then not restricted to just the southern regions) and Austrics, and

some give and take happened. The result was Prakrit or Middle Indo-Aryan

dialect which soon engulfed the whole country in the north, east and centre. The

Aryan invasion was moving towards completion.

From the Bhagavad Gita:

The Supreme Lord said: From where has this dejection come into your

mind in this perilous hour? This is unknown to an Aryan, not leading to

heaven but causing disgrace, O Arjuna. (2.02)

With a glorious life of over three thousand years, Sanskrit continues to be a

living language even today, bobbing up during Hindu ceremonies when mantras

(ritual verses) are chanted. And though restricted, it is still a medium of literary

expression, but “great and inspiring works” have long stopped being written.

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The Bhagavad Gita, literally translated as the “Song of God”, is a part of the

immense Indian epic, the Mahabharata, a story of the enmity and ensuing war

between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The Gita or Mother Gita, as it is also

called, enjoys an exalted position in India's culture and philosophical milieu.

This brilliant chronicle is regarded as the highest philosophy in the Hindu

pantheon.

The Bhagavad Gita starts with a scene on the battlefront at Kurukshetra, wherein

Arjuna (or Partha as he is also referred to) prepares to confront the Kauravas.

Lord Krishna Himself becomes his charioteer (hence the name Paarthsaarathi)

and drives his ratha into the battlefield.

On seeing his own family, the legendary Bhishma Pitaamah and his Guru,

Acharya Drona on the other side of the battlefield, Arjuna is overcome by waves

of sadness, anxiety and emotion. He is convinced that he would be committing

an unforgivable sin by slaying his own kith and kin. Arjuna suddenly feels weak

and shaky and slumps down on the chariot, laying down his bow and arrow. He

declares to Krishna that he would not be fit to wage war against his own

relatives and requests him to take him away from the battlefield. In the verses 28

and 29 of Chapter 1, Arjuna says: (the author’s own translation.)

When the son of Kunti (Arjuna) saw that all those standing there in the

ranks of the two armies were his kinsmen, he was overwhelmed with

deepest pity and consequently said in sorrow: (1:27-28a)

Arjuna said: Seeing these kinsmen, O Krsna, ranged, eager for combat, my

limbs fail, and my mouth is dried up, my body quivers and my hair stands

on end. (1.28b-29)

The Supreme Lord Krishna comes to the rescue of Arjuna and reveals to him the

Ultimate Truth of Advaita (oneness with Godhead). Krishna further inspires

Arjuna by telling him to go ahead, discharge his duty as a Kshatriya (warrior)

and fight to destroy wrongdoers without having hatred for them in his heart.

The Supreme Lord Krishna explains about Ananta Prakriya - about how the

process of creation is endless and continues as a cycle in between birth and

death. The human soul (Jeevatma), which is but a part of the Universal Soul

(Paramatma), is not affected by death and so, cannot actually be killed. Hence,

the Supreme Lord Krishna says, it is only right action, without concern about the

result, which is truly important to achieve in life.

Everyone reading the Bhagavad Gita finds in it a part which he or she can

completely identify with, in his or her own personal life. All of us go through a

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dilemma at some point of time or the other. This is where Mother Gita comes to

our aid, guiding us to do what is right and prevent us from treading the path of

wrong or sin.

What makes the Bhagavad Gita stand out as an incomparably brilliant gem is

that it adopts a pane-theistic attitude rather than a pantheistic one. This means,

that the Bhagavad Gita completely accepts the philosophy that God is the

Universe and everything that we see in it. But it also goes one step ahead and

proclaims that God is everything, plus something more that we normally do not

perceive. What is that something more?

Pane-theism expounds the theory of God as being a Supreme Force that is

greater than the Universe itself - that He is a Synergy. Not only that, it says that

God is affected by both gross and subtle changes in the Universe, so He learns

and evolves with the evolution in the Universe as well.

The Bhagavad Gita, not only propounds the theory of Advaita to the maximum,

but it also states that all His creations in this Universe are also co-creators, who

help Him achieve His mission!

This attitude of the Bhagavad Gita takes into consideration all practical aspects

of life, without relying wholly and solely on the karma theory of pantheism.

The Bhagavad Gita can also be viewed as being one of the most powerful

expressions of pantheism among the scriptures of the world. This aspect

acknowledges the Presence of God residing in everything and in all things and

all beings - good and evil, darkness and light and so on.

Ever since the revelation of the Bhagavad Gita by the Supreme Lord Krishna,

many attempts have been made to translate the works into foreign languages.

The original Bhagavad Gita was narrated in Sanskrit, the then prevalent Indian

language. Charles Wilkins was the one to first translate this work into English in

1785. Schlegel then translated this into Latin in the year 1823, after which Von

Humbolt gave a German version of the Gita in 1826. Lassens converted the

work into French in 1846 and Galanos did a Greek translation in the year 1848.

The Bhagavad Gita has further been translated into Russian, Japanese, Chinese,

Hebrew, Dutch, Portuguese, Arabic and so on, and has become a world-wide

Sacred Book, at a time when the traditional Western religions suffer a serious

decline, not only because of many scandals as child abuse, but because their

teaching are no longer compatible with today’s science.

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An up-to-date translations, responding today’s scientific revelations, is the

Bhagavad Gita version translated by Dr. Ramananda Prasad, Ph.D., founder of

the International Gita Society (IGS/USA). You can buy the book on-line:

http://www.gita-society.com/content2011/buygita4edition.html

Sanskrit Transliteration and Pronunciation Guide

Sanskrit is one of the world's most ancient languages and is derived from the

same proto mother language as Latin and Greek so many of the words are

common. In this manuscript Devanāgari characters are transliterated along the

scheme adopted by the International Congress of Orientalists (ICO) at Athens in

1912. There are fifty-two (52) alphabets in the Sanskrit language. Forty-nine

(49) most usual alphabets are given below. The alphabet ‘a’ at the end of

English transliteration of Sanskrit words should be pronounced very softly, or

should not be generally pronounced at all; but never pronounced as “ā”, except

in Sanskrit poetry or in chanting. As an example, the word “Rāma” should be

pronounced as Raam, not as Rāmā or “Raamaa”, except in chanting.

All Sanskrit sounds are pronounced at one of five different points of contact in

the mouth, as indicated in the diagram below (page 10).

The word "alphabet" is not usually applied to Sanskrit or other Indian languages.

There is a subtle difference between the notion of "alphabet" and the "aksharas"

as the letters of Sanskrit are called. When we think of the word "alphabet" we

normally think of the letters of the language and a name given to each letter to

identify it. In most languages the letters of the alphabet have names which may

give a clue to the sound associated with the letter. In Sanskrit and other Indian

languages, there is no specific name given to the letters. The sound the letter

stands for is actually the name for the letter. In a phonetic language reading

becomes easy since the reader will be reading out the letters by uttering the

sound associated with the “akshara”. More information on this is given in a

separate section on Sanskrit and Phonetics.

© September 2012 Philippe L. De Coster, B.Th.,D.D.

http://www.gita-society.com/content2011/buygita4edition.html

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A recommended study book on the Sanskrit Grammar (among

many others):

Buy at “Amazon” (Internet)

9

The Sanskrit Alphabet

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The chart below shows the first twenty-five consonants. Each row lists all the

sounds that are pronounced at a given point of contact. The “a” is added for the

sake of pronunciation.

Velar kanthya ka kha ga gha ña

Palatal tālavya ca cha ja jha ña

Retroflex Mūrd-

hanya

ta tha da dha na

Dental dantya ta tha da dha na

Labial osthya pa pha ba bha ma

The first row lists all the sounds said in the throat, referred to as “velar”.

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The second row lists the “palatal” sounds, with the tongue touching the

soft palate, at the top of the mouth.

The third row lists the “retroflex” sounds, so called because they curl the

tip of the tongue upward toward the head, with the tongue touching the

hard palate – the ridge behind the upper teeth.

The sounds in the fourth row are pronounced with the tongue flat and the

tip of the tongue touching the point at which the upper teeth meet the

gums.

The sounds in the fifth row are pronounced with the lips.

You will notice that the third and fourth rows are very identical. The only

difference between them is the point of articulation, and that is, the place where

the tongue touches the upper part of the mouth.

Gutterals

The first group of consonants are the gutterals.

क ख ग घ ङ

ka kha ga gha na

क sounds like the first sound in cup.

ख is the aspirated form of क.

ग sounds like the 'g' in gum.

घ is the aspirated form of ग.

ङ sounds like the ng in finger.

Palatals

The second group consists of the palatals.

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च छ ज झ ञ

ca cha ja jha ña

च sounds like chair.

छ is the aspirated form of च.

ज sounds like the 'j' in jar.

झ is the aspirated form of ज.

ञ

sounds similar to the last syllable of the Spanish word

espana, where the 'n' has the combination sound of the

English 'n' and 'y'.

Cerebrals

The third group of consonants are the cerebrals.

ट ठ ड ढ ण

ta tha da dha na

ट sounds similar to the 't' in taylor.

ठ is the aspirated form of ट.

ड sounds similar to the 'd' in day, differ, etc.

ढ is the aspirated form of ड.

ण sounds similar to the 'n' in fund.

13

Dentals

The fourth group is made up of the dentals.

त थ द ध न

ta tha da dha na

त sounds like the first sound in thirty.

थ is the aspirated form of त.

द sounds like the first sound in thus.

ध is the aspirated form of द.

न sounds like the 'n' in null, name, etc.

Labials

The fifth group of consonants are the labials.

प फ ब ध म

pa pha ba bha ma

प sounds like the 'p' in pun.

फ is the aspirated form of प.

ब sounds like the 'b' in butter.

ध is the aspirated form of ब.

म sounds like the 'm' in man.

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The Vowels

The Vowels

In Sanskrit, the vowels form an independent group from the consonants. There

are fifteen vowels which comprise five short ones, eight long ones and two

support vowels. Among these fifteen, only thirteen are in normal use these days.

The vowels are called "swaras" in Sanskrit.

Short Vowels

अ इ उ ऋ ऌ

a i u r l

अ is pronounced as in cup, bus, etc.

इ is pronounced as in inform, init., etc.

उ is pronounced as in look, book, etc.

ऋ has no direct equivalent and is pronounced somewhere between ri and ru, like

crystal.

ऌ is also like ऋ and is pronounced somewhere between li and lu, similar to

glycerin.

Long Vowels

The eight long vowels are:

आ ई ऊ ॠ ए ऐ ओ औ

a i u r e ai o au

The first four are the long forms of the corresponding short vowels.

ए and ओ are long vowels which do not have short forms in Sanskrit.

ऐ and औ are often likened to diphthongs though they are not strictly

combinations of two vowels.

15

आ is pronounced as in far, bar, fall, etc.

ई is pronounced as in easy, eagle, etc.

ऊ is pronounced as in rooster, fool, etc.

ॠ is the long form of ऋ

ए is pronounced as in fable, gray, etc.

ऐ is pronounced as in my, fly, etc.

ओ is pronounced as in road, goat, etc.

औ is pronounced as in down, noun, etc.

Support Vowels

The two support vowels are known as "ubhayakshara" and are mostly appended

to syllables. They are not used independently like other vowels.

They add specific sounds to the syllables they are appended to. These two

support vowels are represented using the vowel अ

आ आ am ah

The first is known as the "anuswara" and the second "visarga". The anuswara

adds a sound similar to the sound of 'm' in "sum" to the syllable. The visarga

adds a sound similar to "ha" to the syllable. The "ha" will change depending

upon the vowel ending the syllable. The visarga more or less extends the vowel

in the syllable with h+the same vowel as in the syllable.

Example: if the syllable ends in vowel इ then the visarga would add a sound like

"hi".

There may be differences in the manner in which these two are introduced in

conventional Sanskrit primers. When reading Sanskrit, it will be necessary to

render the visarga in a way that will distinguish it from the syllables ha, hi, hu,

etc. This may be accomplished by shortening the vowel in the visarga.

16

One is tempted to ask, "Well how can Sanskrit be a phonetic language then, if

the sound for the letter is context-dependant?". We shall answer this in a later

section dealing with phonetics.

Semi-vowels, sibilants, etc.

The sixth group of consists of three subgroups.

Semivowels

य र ल व

ya ra la va

Sibilants

श ष स

śa sa sa

Aspirate

ह

ha

17

Pronouncing and tracing the vowels

The letter is a. It is “a” like the “a” for America and Agni. To be pronounced

several times.

Now write the letter several times.

18

The letter is “ā” like the “a” in father and ātman.

Now write the letter several times, filling each row.

19

The letter is “i”, like the “ea” in heat, for example agni.


20

The letter is “ī”, like the “e” in “be”, for example “gītā”.


21

The letter is “u” like in suit, for example “guru”.


22

The letter is “ū”, like the “oo” in fool, for example sūrya.


23

Exercise

Practice pronouncing the letters you have learned so far.

Sanskrit Pronunciation guide summary before going any further

For the precise pronunciation of the Sanskrit, we recommend to listen together

with your Bhagavad Gita book with Sanskrit and English texts which includes

the Roman transliteration. You find the Gita chants on:

http://www.vmission.org.in/files/talks/index.htm

Approximate pronunciation can be learned by reading the transliteration of the

text while listening to above recordings. In addition, the following notes will be

useful:

k g c j t d t d p b (all consonants) are pronounced with minimal breath,

much less than is used in the release in English.

the 'h' which follows the same consonants (kh, gh, etc.) designates

additional breath released simultaneous to the consonant.

t th d dh n are cerebral, pronounced by turning the tip of the tongue up

towards the very front of the upper roof of the mouth (not on the slope

down to the teeth as in English).

t th d dh n are dental, pronounced with the tongue at the back of the upper

teeth.

r and r are cerebral and are created by lightly touching the tip of the

tongue, rather than by shaping the mouth as in the English 'r'.

s is palatal, pronounced as 'shh' with the tongue at the same position as y;

s is cerebral like 'sh' with the tongue the same as in r.

m can be pronounced simply as 'm'. The dot placed under indicates the

option of pronouncing an 'n' blended with the first letter of the following

word (ex: nilam kamalam could optionally be nilankamalam).

http://www.vmission.org.in/files/talks/index.htm

24

More vowels

The letter is “ŗ” like the “ri” in river (as a rule not rolled), for example ŗk.


25

The letter is like the “ree” in reed, but held longer than ŗ, for example

dātrn.


26

The letter “Į” is like the “Iry” in jewelry, for example kĮp.


27

The letter is “e” like the “e” in “they”, for example devatā.


28

The letter is “ai” like the “ai” in aisle, for example vaidya.


29

The letter is “O” like the “o” in pole, for example ojas.


30

The letter is “au” like the “ou” in loud, for example apauruşeya.


31

Exercise


The Consonants

The consonants in Sanskrit are known as "vyanjanani" and total thirty-three in

number, though in recent times, a few additional ones have been included to

support some frequently used syllables.

The consonants are grouped into six groups. The first five have five consonants

each and the last one has eight. The grouping is based on the natural ordering of

sounds such as gutterals, palatals, etc.

An interesting observation is that the letters of Sanskrit are given names exactly

matching the sound they represent. A consonant derives its name from the sound

when the basic vowel "a" is sounded with the consonant. In Sanskrit and in other

Indian languages, each consonant has a generic form in which its pronounciation

will not have any vowel sound associated with it. The generic form is required

when more than one consonant is used in forming syllables and there are many

such combinations in Sanskrit. It was common practice to introduce the

consonants to the children learning the language, not in their generic form but in

the form where they are used with the first vowel "a". The writing system in

32

Devanagari has a representation for the generic form of a consonant through the

use of a special mark written at the bottom of the consonant's familiar

representation. This mark is known as the "nether stroke" or the "halanth".

Let us look at the first consonant. क (ka)

The generic form of क is क . The nether stroke is attached below the letter क.

Now, the familiar form of a consonant in Sanskrit is the form when it is sounded

with the first vowel, ie: आ. Thus क + आ = क

Producing a consonant in its generic form requires that no vowel sound be added

to the generic consonant sound. The generic sound is quite similar to the sound

associated with a basic phoneme corresponding to a consonant in English. For

the consonant क the associated generic sound will be like the ending syllable of

words "lake", "bake", etc.

A pure consonant is linguistically defined to be one without any vowel attached

to it. Consonants can be meaningful in practice only when uttered along with a

vowel. Ancient linguistic scholars referred to vowels as "life giving" aksharas

while the consonants were likened to the body.

It is common practice to introduce the consonants to the student, in the form

where the first vowel आ forms the syllable with the generic sound of the

consonant. Thus the student learns that क is pronounced like the first sound of

"cup". In India, children are often taught the aksharas in this manner.

Consonants

33

Conjunct consonants

There are about a thousand conjunct consonants, most of which combine two or

three consonants. There are also some with four-consonant conjuncts and at least

one well-known conjunct with five consonants.

34

Tracing the Consonants

The letter is “ka” like the “k” in skate, for example kavi.


35

The letter is “kha”, the “kh” in bunkhouse, for example sukham.


36

The letter is “ga”, like the “g” in garland, for example Gañgā.


37

The letter is “gha” like the “gh” in loghouse, for example ghoşavat.


38

The letter is “n”(with stroke on n), like in sing, for example Gañgā.


39

The letter is “ca”, like the “c” in cello, for example cit.


40

The letter is “cha” like the “ch” in charm, but using more breath, for example

chāya.


41

The letter is “ja”, like the “j” in justice, for example jalam.


42

The letter is “jha” like the “j” in justice (using more breath), for example jhat.


43

The letter is ña, the “n” like in enjoyable, for example Patañjali.


44

Exercise


Devimahatmya manuscript on palm-leaf, in an early Bhujimol script, Bihar or

Nepal, 11th century

45

Consonants continued

The letter “t” like “t” in stable (tongue touching hard palate, see diagram page 10). Example: drsti. (Normally dots under r s t.)


46

The letter th (dot under t) like “t” in table, for example hath.


47

The letter is “d” (dot under d), like the “d” in dynamic (tongue touching hard palate, see page 10). Example pandit.


48

The letter “ḷ”, like the “l” in lake, for example agnim īle. If the “da” is found

between two vowels in the Veda, then “da” becomes “ḷa”.


49

The letter is “dha” (dot under d) like the “dh” in redhead (tongue touching hard palate), for example vyūdham.


50

The letter is “ḷh” like the “l” in lake, for example aşāḷha. If thje “dha” occurs

between two vowels in the Veda, then the “dha” become ḷha.


51

The letter is “ṇ” like the “n” in gentle (tongue touching hard palate), for

example Pāndu.


52

The letter “ta” as “t” like the “t” in stable (tongue at base of teeth), for example

tat.


53

The letter “th” like the “t” in table, (using more breath, tongue at base of teeth),

example Sthāpatya.


54

The letter “da” like “d” in dynamic (tongue at base of teeth), like devatā.


55

The letter “dha” like the “dh” in redhead (tongue at base of teeth), like dhātu.


56

The letter “na” like the “n” in gentle (tongue at base of teeth), for example

Namaste.


57

Exercise


Rigveda (padapatha) manuscript in Devanagari, early 19th century

58

More Consonants, Semi-Vowels, Sibilants

Consonants

k – regular k as in kayak. Example: kriyā

kh – like the t_h in teak_house Example: sukha

g – regular g as in God Example: guṇa

gh – like the g_h in big_house Example: ghat

ṅ – as in ring Example: piṅgala

c – regular ch as in chant Example: cakra

ch – like the ch_h in ranch_house Example: gacchati

j – regular j as in Jesus Example: jīva

jh – like the geh in hedgehog Example: jhalā

ñ – as in cañyon Example: Patañjali

ṭ – pronounce the letter t with the tongue rolled up. Example: kuṭastha

ṭh – same as above, followed by an aspirated h. Example: haṭha

ḍ – pronounce the letter d with tongue rolled up Example: kuṇḍalinī

ḍh – same as above, followed by an aspirated h (rare)

ṇ – pronounce the letter n with tongue rolled up. Example: prāṇa

t – regular t as in talk Example: sat

th – like the t_h in light_house Example: tathā

d – regular d as in disciple Example: deva

dh – like the d_h in red_house Example: samādhi

n – regular n as in nectar Example: nirvikalpa

p – regular p as in prayer Example: Paramahamsa

ph – like the ph in upheaval (not f sound) Example: phalam

b – regular b as in blessing Example: Bābā

bh – like the bh in rubharb Example: bhakti

m – regular m as in master Example: Mahāraj

Semi-vowels

y – as in yellow Example: yuga

r–- rolled r Example: rāja

l – regular l as in life Example: līlā

v – regular v as in vacuum, Example: vyāna

Sibilants

ś – sh sound pronounced at the back of the palate. Example: śrī

ṣ – as in sharp Example: Upaniṣad

s – regular s as in spirit Example: sādhana

59

The letter is pa like the “p” in spin, for example Patañjali.


60

The letter is ph like the “ph” in shepherd, for example phalam.


61

The letter is ba like the “b” in beautiful, for example buddhi.


62

The letter is bha like the “bh” in clubhouse, for example Bhagavad.


63

The letter “ma” is like “m” in mother, for example māyā.


64

The letter is “ya” like the “y” in yes, example Yagur.


65

The letter is “ra” like the “r” in red, example rajas.


66

The letter is “la” like “l” in law.


67

The letter is “va” like the “v” in victory (however closer to a “w”), example

vāk.


68

The letter is “śa” like the “sh” in shine, example śānti. This is pronounced at the

same point of contact as “ca”. See page 10.


69

The letter is “ṣa” like the “c” in efficient, for example puruṣa. This is

pronounced at the same point of contact as ṭa (see page 10).


70

The letter is “sa” like the “s” in sweet, for example Sītā.


71

The letter is “ha” like the “h” in hero, for example Hanumān.


72

The letter is “aṃ” (with dot under m). The “ṃ” (with dot under ṃ) is called

“anusvāra”. It causes the last portion of the vowel before it to be nasal (like

“bonjour” in French). Anusvara (Sanskrit: अनसु्वारः anusvāra) is the diacritic

used to mark a type of nasalization used in a number of Indic languages.

Depending on the location of the anusvara in the word and the language within

which it is used, its exact pronunciation can vary greatly.

Definition of anusvāra.

1. A Sanskrit postvocalic nasal sound or group of sounds occurring in the

interior of a morpheme only before , , s, or h and at the end of a

morpheme only before an initial consonant of a following morpheme.

2. A sign used in writing Sanskrit to represent the anusvara sound or sounds

and in some manuscripts and editions certain other postvocalic nasal

sounds.

How it is written How it is pronounced

saṃjaya sañjaya

śaṃkara śaṅkara

saṃskṛta sanskṛta

saṃbuddha sambuddha

Maybe you are wandering why the letter is used at all? Indeed, some Sanskrit

texts do not. Saṃjaya, for example, can appear as sañjaya. But the anusvāra is

useful because it marks the places where the letter m changes pronunciation. All

of the words above are formed with the term sam, and the m of this term

changes in front of the consonants that follow it. There is no necessity to

remember this fact now; we will see it later on.

73


74

The letter “aḥ” is called visgarga. It is an unvoiced breathing, usually at the end

of a word, for example yogasthaḥ.

Summary of the two words anusvāra and visarga

The visarga and anusvāra are not quite like consonants, but they are not quite

like vowels either. For this reason, they are usually placed with the vowels as

shown:

a ā, i ī, u ū, ṛ ṝ, e ai, o au, aṃ, aḥ

ka kha ga gha ṅa

ca cha ja jha ña

ṭa ṭha ḍa ḍha ṇa

ta tha da dha na

pa pha ba bha ma

ya ra la va

śa ṣa sa ha

75


76

The letter stands for “h” and “h” (with under the h).

The “h” is called “jihvāmūlīya”. It is sometimes used in place of a visarga

before ka or kha.

The “h” (with under the h) is called “upadhmānīya”. It is sometimes used in

place of a visarga before pa or pha.

These Vedic letters are written the same way, but called “jihvāmūlīya” when

placed before ka or kha, and upadhmānīya when placed before pa or pha.


77

Exercise


78

Vowels after Consonants

79

The letter is “gā” like the “go” in got, for example Gārgī.


80

The letter is “gi” like the “gee” in geese (kept shorter), for example girā. In most

Sanskrit literature, the curved line on top usually does not touch the horizontal

bar. When written by hand, the curved line should touch the horizontal bar at the

point where it meets the vertical line.


81

The letter is “gī” like the “gee” in geese, for example Gītā.


82

The letter is “gu” like the “goo” in goose, for example guru.


83

The letter is “gū” like the “goo” in goose, only kept longer, for example gūrti.


84

The letter is “gŗ” like the “gri” in grip, for example gŗhya.


85

The letter is “gṝ” like the “gree” in green, for example gṝ.


86

The letter is “ge” like the “ga” in gate, example geya.


87

The letter is “gai” like the word “guy”, for example gai.


88

The letter is “go” like the English word “go”, for example gopī.


89

The letter is “gau” like the “gow” in gown, for example Gaurī.


90

The letter “ru” is like the “roo” in root, for example guru.


91

The letter is “rū” like the “ru” in rule, for example rūpam.


92

The letter “hr” (with dot under the “r”), for example hrdayam (dot under the r).


93

Pronounce the following letters

c cā ci cī

Now write the letters several times, filling each row.

94

Pronounce the following letters

pe pai po pau

Now write the letters several times, filling each row.

95

Pronounce the combined word:

This may also be written as “rik”.

Now write the word several times, filling each row.

96

Pronounce the combined word:


97

Pronounce these words:

Jaya Guru Deva

The word “Jai” is derived from the Sanskrit Jaya.

Now write the words several times, filling each row.

98

Pronounce the word:

In this word only, the last syllable ends with consonant.


99

Pronounce the word:


100

Exercise


Find in previous pages the pronunciation of these letters.

Trace the following letters, they are purposely not indicated with an arrow.

rā

ni

ho

ji

tu

au

101

khā

tā

sī

nr

(with dot under r)

bhū

au

khā

tā

sī

nr

(dot under r)

bhū

102

gī

hā

ti

r

(dot under r)

şi

te

Practice pronouncing and write these words:

103

rājan karunā

madhu meru

vāk prthivī

Mantras can aid in your quest for Truth, which is Enlightenment.

They are ancient, powerful, and holy. Chant them with reverence,

humility, and devotion.

104

Conjunct Consonants

As a reminder (see page 33), there are about a thousand conjunct consonants,

most of which combine two or three consonants. There are also some with four-

consonant conjuncts and at least one well-known conjunct with five consonants.

Here's a selection of commonly-used conjuncts:

105

Pronounce the following letter combinations:

106

The answers from page 105:

tya stha

vya gna

ccha pta

şya lpa

jya nya

nta kla

107

Answers from page 106 :

nyā Nyāya

Smr (dot under r) Smrti (dot under r)

jyo jyoti

ste namaste

ňja Pataňjali

gni Agni

sthā Sthāpatya

108

Pronounce the following letters and words:

109

Answers from page 108:

110


111


112


113


114


115


116

Pronounce the following words:

117


118

Pronounce the following words:

119


120

Repetition

Test yourself: (think well)

124

Devanagari (Sanskrit writing) digits are written as follows:

० 0 १ 1 २ 2 ३ 3 ४ 4

५ 5 ६ 6 ७ 7 ८ 8 ९ 9

This suffices for now, the count from 1 to O

Read and transliterate from the Bhagavad Gītā:

126

Verify your work:

129

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130

Le Petit Lexique Hindoue:


Contents

Foreword 2

Sanskrit Transliteration and Pronunciation Guide 7

A recommended study book on the Sanskrit Grammar (among many

others)

8

The Sanskrit Alphabet and general information 9

The Vowels 14

Pronouncing and tracing vowels 17

Exercise 23

Sanskrit Pronunciation guide summary before going any further 23

More vowels to trace 24

Exercise 31

The Consonants 31

Tracing the Consonants 34

Exercise 44

Consonants continued 45

Exercise 57

More Consinants, Semi-Vowels, Sibilants 58

Writing letters continued 59

Definition of anusvāra. 72

Writing letters continued 73

Summary of the two words anusvāra and visarga 74

“jihvāmūlīya” and “upadhmānīya” 76

Exercise 77

Vowels after Consonants, and ‘r’ Symbols 78

Writing letters continued without arrow guidance 79

Pronouncing letters and write them 93

Pronouncing combined words and write them 95

Exercise, and tracing letters 100

Conjunct Consonants 104

Pronouncing letter combinations and answers 105

Repetition (test yourself) 120

Devanagari (Sanskrit writing) digits are written as follows: 124


131

Read and transliterate from the Bhagavad Gita 6: 10-23 124

Verify you work 126

E-books on Internet 129

Contents 130

This is a non-profit publication (private initiative for Satsang members )

Gita Satsang Ghent

© 2012 Philippe L. De Coster, Ghent, Belgium

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