Lesson 4 Placating Visarga
विसर्ग , the two dots sometimes found at the end of a word, is not pleased with me. Here is what he has been thinking......
How come I don't get any mention at all in your last message?
Don't want him unhappy. We need him a great deal in the days to come and we can't afford to get him mad. So here goes...
Over the centuries विसर्ग too has become extremely adaptable. In an isolated word, he takes the sound of the swara just before him.
For example- रामः is pronounced रामह
हरिः is pronounced हरिहि
गुरुः is pronounced गुरुहु
मतिः is मतिहि
वानराः is वानराहा
मालाभिः is मालाभिहि।
And so on and so forth.
I think he is happy now.
The sound of the visarga when followed by a क् is more like an expulsion of breath
Here's how काकः काकः sounds
When the visarga is followed by a प् , the visarga is an expulsion of breath accompanied by an almost फ sound
Here's what पिकः पिकः sounds like
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Interesting fact? No... sad, sad fact. Many schools have dropped the ङ् and the ञ् from the वर्णमाला because they might "confuse" our kids. These so called do-gooders have spawned an entire generation of children who read शङ्कर as Shadkar instead of Shankar. Forget the Gods, the Rishis have not been spared either - I have heard that ऋ will soon be given a 'termination of services' notice. And keep this to yourselves - rumour has it that the विसर्ग too will be struck off the rolls. I loathe to think what विसर्ग will feel when he hears this bit of self-defeating news. |
OUR lessons WILL stick to the original वर्णमाला । I'd like to believe that she (वर्णमाला, i mean) feels safe and protected with us.
The विसर्ग in the ancient days was pronounced as an expulsion of breath, as a 'huh' and did not take the sound of the swara before it.
Its pronunciation however sometimes changes with what came after it. Will tell you more about this later!
So much by the way of intro. Now we enter the realm of language from the next lesson onwards
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Prev Lesson 3 -----The Anunasika -s justification for existing. (Anunasikas Justification for existing) Next Lesson 5---- Meet our exuberant Jagadisha! (Conversation starters - This- एषः एषा, That- सः सा ; भवान् भवती)