Unusual method of marking Vedic accent

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Dear list members,

In the shrIrudra kramapAThaH edition (in devanagari) from Giri Trading

Agency (Bombay and Madras) the svarita accent is marked in a manner I've

never seen before. The edition clearly identifies the kramapAthaH as being

of the Rudram from the Taittiriya Samhita.

 

The svarita accent in this edition is marked by two different symbols: a

semi-circle above the syllable in some cases and a single vertical line

above the syllable in others.

A) Svarita over a long vowel before a conjunct consonent or over a long

vowel before consonent + daNDa is marked by a single vertical line above the

syllable.

B) All other svaritas are marked by a semi-circle (like chandra of

chandrabindu but without the dot)above the syllable.

(Sannatara is marked in the usual manner by a horizontal line under the

syllable.)

 

Where I have seen svarita accents differentiated in Taittiriya chanting

books of the Rudram (I haven't seen any except this one for the kramapatha)

it is by a single vertical line above the syllable for case B above chanted

as a single high note and two vertical lines above the syllable for case A

above chanted as mid-note followed by high note.

 

Can any list members tell me:

1) Is this method of marking svarita (semi-circle above the syllable) a

regional or school variation or just a peculiarity of this printed edition?

Does it even indicate a variation in method of recitation or would the

svarita marked by semi-circle above it be chanted as a single high note and

the svarita marked by a single vertical line above it be chanted as mid-note

followed by high note.

 

In a "very quick" look thru the section on Vedic Accent in Vishva Bandhu's

Vedic Concordance and thru "On Some Unknown Systems of Marking The Vedic

Accents" by M. Witzel, I couldn't see any mention of a semi-circle above the

syllable ever being used for svarita.

 

 

Many thanks,

 

Harry Spier

371 Brickman Rd.

Hurleyville, New York

USA 12747

 

 

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