Some Important Shiksha Vedangas (study)
by Mala Laha | 2021 | 31,647 words
This page relates ‘Character of Speech sound� of the study dealing with Shiksha Vedangas—a crucial component of Vedic literature focusing on phonetics and pronunciation in ancient texts. The researched texts include the Paniniya, Yajnavalkya and Naradi Shiksas, among others. The study also investigates historical phonological transformations between Sanskrit and Pali, exploring the evolution of sounds and pronunciation.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 1 - Character of Speech sound
According to ñⲹ Śṣ� there are two types of element of the syllable. One is vowel which is an essential element of the syllable and another is a consonant which cannot stand by itself without the help of a vowel.
For that reason the ñⲹ Śṣ� points out, consonants are like pearls in a necklace, but the thread which support them is the vowel�
मणिवद् व्यञ्जनान्याहु� सूत्रवत् स्वर इष्यते�
व्यञ्जनान्यनुवर्तन्त� यत्र तिष्ठत� सस्वरः�maṇivad vyañjanānyāhu� sūtravat svara iṣyate|
vyañjanānyanuvartante yatra tiṣṭhati sasvaraḥ||(ñⲹ Śṣ�, 30)
īⲹ Śṣ� also supports this view[1]. This Śṣ� compares the vowel to a powerful monarch and the consonant to a weak King, the letter submitting to the force of the former�
दुर्बलस्� यथ� राष्ट्रं हरते बलवान् नृपः�
दुर्बल� व्यञ्जनं तद्वद् हरते बलवान् स्वरः॥durbalasya yathā rāṣṭra� harate balavān nṛpaḥ|
durbala� ⲹñᲹԲ� tadvad harate balavān svaraḥ||(Śṣāsaṃgraha, p. 436)
Consonant, According to ʲٲñᲹ have no accent quality. Accent is the quality of the vowel; yet by proximity to the vowel, the consonant acquires its own accent, just as a piece of white cloth between two red pieces of cloth acquires their colour, or just as a pot acquires luminous power by the light of the lamp. The accentuation of a vowel can be perceived without the presence of consonants, but says ʲٲñᲹ that without a vowel, a consonant cannot even be pronounced. The Sanskrit word for the vowel �svara�, has been derived by ʲٲñᲹ as ��, which literally means “self-ruling� (ⲹ� Ჹٱ)[2].
Footnotes and references:
[1]: