Some Important Shiksha Vedangas (study)

by Mala Laha | 2021 | 31,647 words

This page relates ‘Study of Varnas or Letters’ of the study dealing with Shiksha Vedangas—a crucial component of Vedic literature focusing on phonetics and pronunciation in ancient texts. The researched texts include the Paniniya, Yajnavalkya and Naradi Shiksas, among others. The study also investigates historical phonological transformations between Sanskrit and Pali, exploring the evolution of sounds and pronunciation.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Part 2 - Study of Varṇas or Letters

< Previous

Next >

The Śikṣā of Pāṇini mentions 63 or 64 letter—

त्रिषष्टिः चतुःषष्टिर्वा वर्णाः शम्भुमते मताः।

triṣaṣṭiḥ catuḥṣaṣṭirvā varṇāḥ śambhumate matāḥ|

(Pāṇinīya Śikṣā,3)

According to the Pāṇinīya Śikṣā the number of vowels is twenty one which is summarized in the table 3.

SHORT	LONG	PROTRACTED
a	ā	ā3
i	ī	ī3
u	ū	ū3
ṛ	ṝ	ṝ3
ḷ
	e	e3
	ai	ai3
	o	o3
	au	au3
05	08	08

Table: 3 -The number of vowels According to the Pāṇinīya Śikṣā

Consonants are traditionally classified according to the degree of closure. If closure in the mouth or throat is complete then the sound is called “sparśa” (Stops)

.The total number of stops is twenty-five according to Pāṇinīya Śikṣā–

स्वरा विंशतिरेकश्च स्पर्शानां पञ्चविंशतिः।

svarā viṃśatirekaśca sparśānāṃ pañcaviṃśatiḥ|

(Śikṣāprakāśa-3).

This Classification of Sparśavarṇa (Stops) is summarized in the help of a table.

Sparśavarṇa (Stops)		Total
kavarga (Velar)	k,kh,g,gh,ṅ	05
cavarga (Palatal)	c,ch,j,jh,ñ	05
ṭavarga (Cerebral)	ṭ,ṭh,ḍ,ḍh,ṇ	05
tavarga (Dental)	t,th,d,dh,n	05
pavarga (Labial)	p,ph,b,bh,m	05
Total No. of Stops		25

Table: 4–Classification of Sparśavarṇa (Stops)

At the same time, when closure in the mouth or throat is incomplete the produced consonants are called “antaḥstha” (Semi-Vowels). Semi-vowels are defined as independent vowel glides in which the speech organs start by forming a weakly articulated closed or fairly closed vowel and immediately move to another sound of equal or greater prominence; the initial vowel position is not held on for any appreciable time. The Semi-vowels are four in numbers as follows:-

i) “Y” is by its physical character a palatal utterance and it stands in the closest relationship with the vowel “i' (Short or long). It possessed the properties “saṃvṛtatva”, `nāda”, `ghoṣa” and “anunāsikatva” in addition. According to the pronunciation of Taittirīyaprātiśākhya, contact is made on the palate by the edges of the middle of the tongue—“tālaujihvāmadhyāntābhyāṃ yakāre” (2.40). The “edges” are mentioned as being the parts which form contact with the palate while the central part remaining open.

ii) “R” is the second letter of the yaṇ class or semi-vowels. It has got the properties “nādabhāgitva”, `ghoṣavatva”, `saṃvṛtatva” and `alpaprāṇatā”. It is uttered with the tip of the tongue turned up into the dome of the palate. Regarding its “sthāna” or place of production there is a difference of opinion. According to Pāṇinīya Śikṣā, the Semi-Vowel “r” is looked upon as a cerebral^[1]. On the other hand it is also called by “dantya” (dental) or “dantyamūlīya” (alveolar)^[2].

iii) “L” is the third letter of the “yaṇ” class (SemiVowels). It is generally treated as the Semi-Vowel associated with the dental class and most of the treatises prescribe a dental realization- “dantyā lṛtulasāḥ smṛtāḥ”(Pāṇinīya Śikṣā,17). It is uttered with liquid contact in the mouth, and it has got the properties “nādabhāgitva”, “dhoṣavatta”, “saṃvṛtatva” and “alpaprāṇatā”.

iv) “V” is the fourth and the last letter of the “yaṇ” class and place of its production is dentolabial^[3].

Sibilants (Ūṣmavarṇa)

The sibilants or uṣmans means those letter of sounds which are produced with uninitiated breath through an open position of mouth—

विवृतमूष्मणाम्

vivṛtamūṣmaṇām

(Aṣṭādhyāyī, I.1.10.)

According to Pāṇinīya Śikṣā, the sibilants are four in number. Such as ś,s,ṣ and h—

(i) “Ś” -It is the first of the four sibilant letters and it is related to the palatal pronunciation. It possessed the properties and śvāsānupradāna, aghoṣa and kaṇṭhavivṛti.

(ii) “S” is a sibilant letter of the cerebral class^[4] and it possesses in the cerebral position or with the tip of tongue reverted into the dome of the palate. In its audible quality, it is a “ś” sound rather than a“s” sound.

(iii) “ṣ” is the third letter of the sibilants having associated with the dental class of consonants^[5]. It possessed the properties śvāsa, aghoṣa and kaṇṭhavivṛti. It is describe as formed at the teeth by the tip of the tongue.

(iv) “h” is the last of the spirant consonant which is a glottal and voiced or the spirant of a patial contact. It possessed the properties kaṇṭya, nādānupradāna, ūṣma,ghoṣa. Generally the lungs are treated as the place of articulation for the voiced “h” and the voiceless “visarga”. This treatment, however, is optional, hence most of the treatises also allow these sounds to be classed as glottal–a term with is still commonly accepted today. This classification is accepted by the Pāṇini^[6] while the Ṛgvedaprātiśākhya^[7] and the Ṛktantra^[8] lay statements illustrating the alternative prescriptions.

Pāṇinīya Śikṣā is in favor of allowing the pulmonic alternative only in the case of “h” followed by nasals or semivowels—

हकारं पञ्चमैर्युक्तमन्तःस्थाभिश्च संयुतम्। औरस्यं तं विजानीयात् कण्ठ्यमाहुरसंयुतम्॥

hakāraṃ pañcamairyuktamantaḥsthābhiśca saṃyutam| aurasyaṃ taṃ vijānīyāt kaṇṭhyamāhurasaṃyutam||

(Pāṇinīya Śikṣā,16)

“Yama” is a transitional sound intervening between a non-nasal and the following nasal as a counterpart of the non-nasal^[9]. If it is a twin letter available in pronunciation before a nasal letter and similar to it, then the nasal consonant is preceded by any one of the four consonants of the five classes. The number of distinct yamas is given by the Pāṇinīya Śikṣā^[10].

The examples of the Yamas are explained in the Veda. Like —

palikknī (Ṛgveda,5/2/4),
mumuccamahe (Ṛgveda,1/29/5)
nicakkhnuḥ (Atharvaveda,5/31/8)
amtthnān (Ṛgveda,1/93/4)
aggnim (Ṛgveda,1/1/1)
parijjmānam (Ṛgveda,1/127/2)
daddhnā (Ṛgveda, 8/2/1)

“Anusvāra” is a nasal sound. It is written as a dot above the vowel or consonant preceding it. “Anusvāra” literally means “after sound” and is pronounced after a vowel as immersed in it. P𝑎 ṇini clearly speaks of the “anusvāra” as a sound into which “m” is changed before a consonant, while his expounder Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita speaks of it as a pure nasal sound arising from the nose^[11]. All the prātiśākhya except the `Ṛktantra” have recognized one “anusvāra” only. The pañjikā as well as the prakāśa commentaries on the Pāṇinīya Śikṣā recognize a reading according to which two “anusvāras” should be available.

“Visarga” means aspiration or leaning of the breath. Generally it is used at the completion of the utterance of a word when there is a pause. It is a glottal sound^[12] while the Ṛgvedaprātiśākhya and the Ṛktantra have described it as a chest sound^[13].

“Jihvāmūlīya” is the sound produced at the root of the tongue^[14]. This sound is referred to that phonetic element into which a visarga is changed when followed by “k” or “kh”. The “jihvāmūlīya” is a voiceless breath following the utterance of a vowel and preceding the utterance of the guttural letter “k” and “kh”.

“Upādmānīya” is a voiceless breath following the utterance of a vowel and preceding the utterance of the labial letter “p” and “ph”. It is looked upon as a letter, but depends upon the following consonant. It is the bilabial spirant and always produced by the sound of “visarga” before “p” and “ph”. `Duḥspṛṣṭa” according to the Pāṇinīya Śikṣā^[15] pluta “ḷ” is called “duḥspṛṣṭa” or touched with difficulty. This may be one of the reasons why some Prātiśākhya did not recognize pluta `ḷ”. But the Pāṇinīyaśikṣā being meant for all the Vedas had to take notice of it. Weber^[16] is inclined to understand “duḥspṛṣṭa” as a “nāsikya”. In this situation if we admit “duḥspṛṣṭa” as a letter, then the total number of letters according to Pāṇinīya Śikṣā is Sixty four. But if we did not admit “duḥspṛṣṭa” as a letter then the total number of letters will be sixty three.