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Brahma Sabdam.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • July 31, 2002 


In a previous post, I had indicated three sources which deal with how to pronounce the word "brahma", that I am aware of. I managed to dig out one of these sources, and am giving below my best effort at summarizing this source. I am still trying to locate the article by SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi, and am not sure whether I am going to be successful. So through this mail I am requesting anyone who might have access to the collection of the monthly periodicals that he used to publish (some 20 years back?), and see if this article which deals specifically with the pronunciation of the word "brahmA" can be located. I would like to ensure that the issue is clearly understood - the question is not how the word is written, but how it is pronounced. It is clear that the word is written as brahmA, and the root from which the word is derived is brah - vast, powerful, etc. The question is "Is it pronounced differently from how it is written?" 

Here is SrI Samkarendra sarasvati SamkarAcArya svAmi's explanation in support of the pronunciation as bramhA (found in daivattin kural, Part 2, page 488): 

"samskRt language is completely phonetic (the words are pronounced exactly as they are written) except for two exceptions:

  1. When the letter pa follows a visarga, the pa gets the sound of pha or fa.  Example: rAmah plus paNDitah is pronounced as "rAma phaNDitah".

  2. Even though the words subrahmaNyan, vahni, brahmA are writen with the h first, they are pronounced as subramhaNyan, bramhA, and vanhi".  

In the book, the relevant grammatical rules that support these changes are not given.  

Those who comment on either position, please try to give appropriate support from grammar or other support if possible.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 
[ Small correction: the formal name of the previous Kanchi Sankaracharya
  is Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati, not Samkarendra. -- Moderator ]


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