Sri Desikan's garuda Dandakam

[Guest guest]

Sri Desikan's garuda Dandakam

 

 

Respected Bhaagavathas,

Humble prostrations. We are glad to see the

srimukhams from many of the members of the group.

Adiyen has been reading Sri Garuda dandakam for quite

some time. It is seen from the introduction written

by Sri Ramadesikacharyaswami in the chapter relating

to the above Garuda dandakam in the book 'Desika

stotraani' that the the dandakam consists of four

paras and each para consists of 36 Ganaas and each

Ganaa consists of three aksharas like ga, ru, da or

ma, ki, la and so on, These ganaas are classified

into ma gana and ra gana or laghu and guru (I think).

It is stated that the first two ganaas in each para

are laghu and the rest are guru.

I have got doubts on the follwoing points.

1. How are the aksharas classified into ma gana and ra

gana or laghu and guru? What is the definition?

2. How is a long compound word to be split up? How

is a conjunct consonant to be treated?

e.g., 1) kantithakunntavaikanntta

2) suparNa

I would be thankful if any of the memers of the

group clarifies.

I think Sri Sadagopan swami would be able to bless me

with his srimukham with a few illustrations.

 

Dasoham,

 

T.S.Rajagopalan

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Rajagopalan,

 

Adiyen would like to clarify your doubts to the best of my

knowledge. The query is very interesting.

 

In sanskrit vritta grammar, there are half letters (ardhaaksharam), short

letters (hrasva aksharam) long letters (deergha aksharam). Half letters

have half maatra duration for pronunciation. Short letters have one

maatra duration and the long letters have two maatra duration as per

common knowledge. Short letters are called laghu and long letters are

called guru. Even a short letter or long letter suffixed with a half

letter, example follows shortly, is termed as guru.

 

This sloka gives the property of each gana in vritta.

 

aadi madhya avasaaneshu ya ra taa yaanti laaghavam

bha ja saa gauravam yaanti manow tu gurulaaghavow.

 

Each gana has a set of three aksharas. In ya gana first letter is laghu.

In ra gana middle letter is laghu. In ta gana end letter is laghu. The

other letters in these are guru.

In bha gana again, first letter is guru and remaining two are laghus. In

ja gana middle letter is guru and is flanked by laghus. The sa gana has

the last letter as guru.

In ma gana all the three letters are guru. In na gana all the three

letters are laghu.

 

Now let us see the examples.

 

ga ru da each is laghu and so words like garuda ma khi la , ja ya ga,

ru da su , etc are all na gana. (Laghu laghu laghu)

 

Now next set of three letters

 

vE da nee; dA dhi rU; these have long letters flanking a short letter.

They are classified as ra gana. (guru laghu guru).

 

Coming to compound words:

Eg; suparna. this is split as su par and na. su is short and so laghu. na

is short and so laghu. par is a short letter pa borrowing the half letter

r from the letter rna. This is a one and a half letter. This is long

and considered guru. Hence suparna is laghu guru laghu. This is ja gana.

We do not get this combination in this dandakam I think.

 

Now the first charana is broken up as

 

ga ru da ; ma khi la ; vE da nI ; DA dhi rU ; Dham dvi shat ; pI Da nOt;

 

kan Thi tA ; kun Tha vai ; kun Tha pI ; ThI kri tas ; kan dha mI ; and so

 

on. We see that the first two triads of letters are LLL. They are "na"

gaNa. The remaining a triads are GLG ie, they are "ra" gaNa.

 

Similarly in second charana,

 

ja ya ga ; ru Da su ; par Na dar ; vI ka rA ; hA ra dE ; vA dhi pA ; hA ra

hA ; rin di vow ; kas pa tik ; ship ta dam ; bhO Li dhA ; rA ki NA ; and

so on.

 

Note that here kri as in krishna or krita is laghu since it is consonant k

with a vowel ri. In nakrAkrAntE however , in krA consonant k is followed by

consonant ra. Please also note that a half letter followed by a short

letter is still short and laghu whereas a short letter followed by a half

letter becomes long and guru. Vowels like vow vai are guru.

 

So I think in each charana, two na ganas are followed by 34 ra ganas.

I hope adiyen has clarified the doubt. Please feel free to contact for

further clarifications in this regard. I am sorry to bore with such a

long mail.

 

Adiyen dasan

Ramanuja

 

On Wed, 1 May 2002, Rajagopalan Iyengar wrote:

 

> Sri Desikan's garuda Dandakam

>

>

> Respected Bhaagavathas,

>         Humble prostrations.  We are glad to see the

> srimukhams from many of   the members of the group. 

> Adiyen has been reading Sri Garuda dandakam  for quite

> some time.  It is seen  from the introduction written

> by   Sri Ramadesikacharyaswami in the chapter relating

> to the above Garuda dandakam in the book 'Desika

> stotraani'  that the the dandakam consists of four

> paras and  each para consists of 36 Ganaas and each

> Ganaa consists of three aksharas like ga, ru, da or

> ma, ki, la and so on,  These ganaas are classified

> into ma gana and ra gana or laghu and guru (I think).

> It is stated that the first two ganaas  in each para

> are laghu and the rest  are guru.

>            I have got doubts on the follwoing points.

> 1. How are the aksharas classified into ma gana and ra

> gana or laghu and guru? What is the definition?

> 2.  How is a long compound word to be split up?  How

> is a conjunct consonant to be treated?

> e.g., 1) kantithakunntavaikanntta

>         2) suparNa

>     I would be thankful if any of the memers of the

> group clarifies. 

> I think Sri Sadagopan swami would be able to bless me

> with his srimukham with a few illustrations.

>

> Dasoham,

>

> T.S.Rajagopalan