Brahma Sabdam.

[Guest guest]

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 ]