Re:Special sound in Sanskrit mantras- an inquiry

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I am curious about the special sound of the bold faced letters in

parenthesis that follows in the first line of the mantra

OM gaNaanaa.n tvaa gaNapati(gam) havaamahe

kaviM kaviinaamupamashravastamam.h |

jyeshhTharaajaM brahmaNaaM brahmaNaspata

aa naH shrR^iNvannuutibhiH siidasaadanam.h ||

after Ganapati. I have seen it represented by a special symbol in

Devanagari/Sanskrit text and have heard some pandits pronounce it as Gvam in

the

North. I see no equivalent of this in the Itanslator. Can someone help me with

the

correct pronunciation and what letter or combination of letters in the

english alphabet can best represent it?

Thanks.

Umesh

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

OM Shri gurubhyo Namah.

 

Dear Shri Umesh:

 

There are pronunciation and textual differences in various texts

between the North and the South. It is the meaning of the text that is

of paramount importance. In my opinion, the correct way would be to

follow the tradition as it has been practiced in the past, and as it

has been taught to you. If you have learnt it from cassettes or CDs,

please pick on tradition and follow all of your recitations in that

tradition. I follow the South Indian tradition in pronunciation and

following the four-swara scheme for recitation.

 

Thanks and Regards.

KR

 

Moderator Note:[This is one of the reasons why one needs to learn these things

from a Guru]