Page 11 - Bhagavadgita Flipbook

Of these, yama-s are found only in Vedic chanting, and their
pronunciation has to be learnt directly from the Guru by those who are
learning Veda-s. Some tips regarding pronunciation of letters in the
remaining 3 groups are given below.

I. Aspects related to Svara-s (Vowels)

Aspect 1. Hrasva – Dīrgha (Short - Long)

Hrasva svara-s (अ, इ, उ, ऋ, ऌ) are to be pronounced with a duration of

i
1 mātrā , and Dīrgha svara-s (आ, ई, ऊ, ॠ, ए, ओ, ऐ, औ) are to be
ii
pronounced with a duration of 2 mātrā-s .

i
Several ways of measuring the duration of mātrā are provided in ancient texts. In
general parlance, it is the time required for 1 involuntary blink of the eye, a snap of
the finger or a tap.
ii
Pluta-s (extra-long svara-s) are used only in specific contexts and are usually not
found in śloka-s, hence they are not mentioned here.
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