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Some Important Shiksha Vedangas (study)

by Mala Laha | 2021 | 31,647 words

This page relates ‘concept of Svarabhakti (vowel part)� 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.

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Part 7 - The concept of Svarabhakti (vowel part)

Svarabhakti� means a vowel part or appearance of a consonant as vowel. It is the character of a vowel borne by a consonant. Many times a semi-vowel, which consists of one letter, has to be divided, especially for purposes of metre. It is divided as also for accentuation into two letters or rather as it has to be turned into two letters by inserting a vowel before it or after it. 

A clear definition is given by the author of ñⲹ Śṣ�.

रलाभ्यां पर ऊष्माण� यत्र स्यु� स्वरितोदयाः।
स्वरभक्तिरसौ ज्ञेया पूर्वमाक्रम्� पठ्यते�

ralābhyā� para ūṣmāṇo yatra syu� svaritodayāḥ|
svarabhaktirasau jñeyā pūrvamākramya paṭhyate||

(Śṣāsaṃgraha, p. 17)

In this subject there are five examples that are given by the ñⲹ Śṣ�[1].As regards the pronunciation of �󲹰پ�, some of the Śṣās give us interesting data. According to Keśavī Śṣ�[2], the “󲹰پ� vowel should be pronounced like �e�, thus “dśá� was to be pronounced �岹śá�; and ‼áśԲ� = �áśԲ�; The pronunciation of �Svarabhakti� as “e�, or as � vowel approaching the quality of “e�, actually occurred in some of the ancient Indian dialects which is perhaps confirmed by parallel phenomena in other IndoEuropean language, where it has emerged after a liquid but before a consonant. However, according to the Lomaśī Śṣ�, �󲹰پ� was to be pronounced[3] like “�. Both the ñⲹ and the Māṇḍukī Śṣ�[4] prohibit it as defective pronunciation of �󲹰پ�. To pronounce it like “� or “u� was said to be a defect and was to be avoided[5]. The correct pronunciation of �󲹰پ� according to these authorities was like “i�, so that �śéś”–was to be pronounced �śáś�.

According to the ṻ岹پśⲹ (6.13, 6.14) the �󲹰پ� which is described as being like the �ṛ� vowel, is inserted between a r� and a following consonant, when the former is preceded by a vowel. If the following consonant is a spirant and is itself followed by a vowel, then the �󲹰پ� is a longer one, as being half of this length. According to the ṻ岹پśⲹ, the �󲹰پ� belongs to the preceding syllable. In the word �ٳī� the �󲹰پ� vowel after “r� is heard with a high accent and it will be a part of the preceding syllable which has a high accent.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

kāriṇ� rahayoryoge kurviṇ� lahakārayoḥ| hāriṇ� raśayoryoge 󲹰 śḥ| ( Śṣāsaṃgraha, p.14)

[2]:

Śṣāsaṃgraha, pp. 141,142

[3]:

Śṣāsaṃgraha p. 460

[5]:

svarabhakti� prayuñjānastrīna doṣān parivarjayet| cāpyukāra� ca granthadoṣa� tathaiva ca|| (ñⲹ Śṣ�, 45)

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