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Today's Topics:
1. Re: sanskrit Digest, Vol 42, Issue 1 (Jay Vaidya)
2. Question on fonts ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:58:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jay Vaidya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Sanskrit] sanskrit Digest, Vol 42, Issue 1
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
The major works of pANini are:
ashhTaadhyaayii
dhAtupaaTha
gaNapaaTha
pANini also either wrote or modified the shivasuutras,
or he may have adopted them without editing.
The pANiniiya shikshaa is either written by pAnini or
his early disciples.
The phiT-suutra and li.ngaanushaasana are also useful
appendices while reading the pANini texts
Of these the shivasuutra and paaNiniiya shikshaa deal
with the classification of letters.
Regarding devanaagarii script: As far as I know
writing is not mentioned, and script is not a part of
paaNini's grammar. The devanaagarii script is nearly,
but not completely, adequate to reproduce all the
sounds produced by pANini's study of phonetics. Oral
tradition is adequate to maintain the grammar's
structure and teaching. (Though writing makes it
convenient to store the texts in the library.)
In the pANini grammar tradition, individual letters
have no meaning, and their inclusion or exclusion is
based on pragmatic (or "scientific") criteria. These
are open for scientific debate. However, extremely
convincing arguments have already been presented - so
no one these days has much to debate regarding
inclusion or exclusion of letters in sa.nskita.
Certainly, there are many amusing mythical stories
about the sa.nskR^ita alphabet (but not its "meaning")
For example, I think the poet nandikeshvara wrote the
following verse (in 11-12 centry AD: consider that
paaNini lived at least around 500 BC or much more
ancient times):
nR^itt-aavasaane naTaraaja-raajo
nanaada Dhakkaa.m navapa.ncha-vaaram |
uddhartu-kaamaH sanak-aadi-siddhaan
etad vimarshe shivasuutrajaalam ||
"I think: to bless sanaka and other seers, the
dancer-king-god shiva played this shiva-suutra-set by
sounding the drumlet 14 times."
Clearly, the poet says that this is a literary image.
haradatta mishra of the 10th century AD, also mentions
the story that pANini learned the alphabet from the
god mahesvara. None of these writers say that there is
any meaning to the letters. Of course not - that is
contrary to the teachings of pANini's grammar.
Another funny story VAGUELY regarding the meaning of
letters is regarding the letter "u". In the
ashhTaadhyaayii, pANini uses the letter "u" to
demonstrate the three different lengths of vowels:
short, long, very long. Why "u"? Why not "i", or "a"?
Grammarians explain that pANini wished to remind his
students of the sound of the rooster.
The English sound-word "cocka-doodle-doo" for the
rooster is not so in sa.nskR^ita, but it is
"ku-kuu-kuuu" - illustrating the short, long and very
long vowel sounds. But again, this clever teaching
device has nothing to do with the "meaning" of
letters.
If there is a book that tells amusing myths about the
"meaning" of letters, I hope you find it and share the
myths with us.
Regards,
Dhananjay
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> ----- Forwarded message from Nitin Dhanta
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -----
> > Subject: Searching Book on Panini Sanskrit Grammer
> > ...
> > I am looking for a particular book of Panini in
> which
> > he has given meaning of each Devnagri alphabets.
> If
> > this kind of title is available with you kinldy
> let me
> > know the hyperlink of the same or let me know the
> > exact name of that particular book.
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:12:10 EDT
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Sanskrit] Question on fonts
To: [email protected]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I am using some Sanskrit words in my dissertation in psychology. I wanted
to use transliteration symbols, but the dissertation publisher accepts
limited fonts, and none of the symbols for Sanskrit are among the ones they
support. There seem to be several systems of transliteration -- does anyone
has a
sense of the most commonly used academically? Any advice?
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