The Vowel Sandhis

nùÒPÉǺÉÎxvÉ&* + or +É + + or +É ⇒ +É Eg: Ê´ÉtÉ + +É™ôªÉ& ⇒ Ê´ÉtÉ™ôªÉ& < or <Ç + < or <Ç ⇒ <Ç +ÊvÉ + <ǶÉ& ⇒ +vÉÒ¶É& = or >ð + = or >ð ⇒ >ð ¦ÉÉxÉÖ + =nùªÉ& ⇒ ¦ÉÉxÉÚnùªÉ& @ñ or Añ + @ñ or Añ ⇒ Añ Ê{ÉiÉÞ + @ñhɨÉ ⇒ Ê{ÉiÉßhɨÉÂ

MÉÖhɺÉÎxvÉ&* + or +É + < or <Ç ⇒ B Eg: ={É + <xpù& ⇒ ={Éäxpù& + or +É + = or >ð ⇒ +Éä ºÉÚªÉÇ + =nùªÉ& ⇒ ºÉÚªÉÉænùªÉ& + or +É + @ñ or Añ ⇒ +®Âú OÉÒ¹¨É + @ñiÉÖ& ⇒ OÉÒ¹¨ÉiÉÖÇ& + or +É + ›ô ⇒ +™Âô iÉ´É + ›ô´ÉhÉÇ& ⇒ iɴɱ´ÉhÉÇ&

´ÉÞÊrùºÉÎxvÉ&* + or +É + B ⇒ Bä Eg: EÞò¹hÉ + BEòi´É¨É ⇒ EÞò¹hÉèEòi´É¨É + or +É + +Éä ⇒ +Éè ¦É´É + +Éè¹ÉvɨÉ ⇒ ¦É´ÉÉè¹ÉvɨÉ + or +É + Bä ⇒ Bä ¦ÉÉäMÉ + Bä·ÉªÉÇ É ⇒ ¦ÉÉäMÉè·ÉªÉÇ É + or +É + +Éè ⇒ +Éè iÉ´É + +ÉèzÉiªÉ¨É ⇒ iÉ´ÉÉèzÉiªÉ¨ÉÂ

ªÉhÉ ºÉÎxvÉ&* < or <Ç + any dissimilar

vowel ⇒ ªÉ + that vowel

Eg: +ÊiÉ + =zÉiɨÉ ⇒ +iªÉÖzÉiɨÉÂ

= or >ð + any dissimilar vowel

⇒ ´É + that vowel ¨ÉvÉÖ + BiÉiÉ ⇒ ¨Év´ÉäiÉiÉÂ

@ñ or Añ + any dissimilar vowel

⇒ ®Âú + that vowel Ê{ÉiÉÞ + +ÉYÉÉ ⇒ Ê{ÉjÉÉYÉÉ

›ô + any dissimilar vowel

⇒ ™Âô + that vowel ›ô + +ÉEÞòÊiÉ

& ⇒ ™ôÉEÞòÊiÉ&

Please note: Here < or <Ç is replaced by ªÉ and

= or >ð is replaced by ´ÉÂ and

@ñ or Añ is replaced by ®Âú and

›ô is replaced by ™Âô. The vowel that follows remains unchanged.

The Vowel Sandhis

+ªÉɴɺÉÎxvÉ&* B + any vowel ⇒ +ªÉ + that vowel

Eg: xÉä + +ÊiÉ ⇒ xɪÉÊiÉ +Éä + any vowel ⇒ +´É + that vowel ¦ÉÉä + +ÊiÉ ⇒ ¦É´ÉÊiÉ Bä + any vowel ⇒ +ɪÉ + that vowel xÉè + +Eò& ⇒ xÉɪÉEò& +Éè + any vowel ⇒ +É´É + that vowel {ÉÉè + +Eò& ⇒ {ÉÉ´ÉEò&

Please note: Here too the vowel that follows remains unchanged.

Exception 1:

When B or +Éä that is at the end of a word is followed by short +, the + is dropped and the dropped + is

represented by the following symbol ‘%,’ called avagraha.

Eg: ¨ÉÖxɪÉä + +zɨÉ ⇒ ¨ÉÖxɪÉä%zɨÉ ʶɴÉÉä + +½þ¨É ⇒ ʶɴÉÉä%½þ¨ÉÂ

Exception 2:

When B, Bä, +Éä or +Éè are at the end of a word and are followed by any vowel, this sandhi (+ªÉÉ´É-ºÉÎxvÉ) occurs as per rule. But there is a further optional modification possible. The ªÉ or ´É at the end of the word

now is optionally dropped.

Eg:

½þ®äú + <½þ → ½þ®úªÉ <½þ → ½þ®ú <½þ or ½þ®úʪɽþ* ʴɹhÉÉä + <½þ → ʴɹhÉ´É <½þ → ʴɹhÉ <½þ or ʴɹhÉʴɽþ* +º¨Éè + =rù®úþ → +º¨ÉɪÉ =rù®ú → +º¨ÉÉ =rù® or +º¨ÉɪÉÖrù®ú*

+ºÉÉè + +ÉÊnùiªÉ& → +ºÉÉ´É +ÉÊnùiªÉ& → +ºÉÉ +ÉÊnùiªÉ& or +ºÉÉ´ÉÉÊnùiªÉ&*

Visarga-sandhi

ºÉ or ®Âú at the end of a word becomes a visarga. It is pronounced as an aspirated sound. It is always preceded by a

vowel.

1. + + & + + → +& changes to +Éä and the following + is dropped. (Viz. exception 1 to +ªÉɴɺÉÎxvÉ).

Eg:

ʶɴÉ& + +½þ¨É → ʶɴÉÉä +½¨ÉÂþ → ʶɴÉÉä%½¨ÉÂþ*

2. + + & + Any Vowel (AV) except + → the visarga is dropped.

Eg:

®úɨÉ& + <SUôÊiÉ → ®úÉ¨É <SUôÊiÉ*

3. + + & + Soft Consonant (SC) → the visarga changes to +Éä. Eg:

xɨÉ& + xÉÉ®úɪÉhÉÉªÉ → xɨÉÉä xÉÉ®úɪÉhÉɪÉ*

4. +É + & + AV or SC → the visarga is dropped.

Eg:

xÉ®úÉ& + +]õÎxiÉ → xÉ®úÉ +]õÎxiÉ* xÉ®úÉ& + MÉSUôÎxiÉ → xÉ®úÉ MÉSUôÎxiÉ*

5. AV except + or +É + & + AV or SC → the visarga is replaced by ®Âú Eg:

MÉhÉ{ÉÊiÉ& + +´ÉiÉÖ → MÉhÉ{ÉÊiÉ®ú ÉiÉÖ* MÉÖ¯û& + ¥ÉÀÉ → MÉÖ û¥ÉÇÀÉ*

6a. AV + & + EÂò or JÉÂ → the visarga is replaced optionally by an ardha-visarga pronounced as ‘kkh’

called ÊVÉâþɨÉÚ™ôÒªÉ& Eg:

®úɨÉ& + Eò®úÉäÊiÉ → ®úɨÉ& Eò®úÉäÊiÉ or ®úÉ¨É Eò®úÉäÊiÉ* ®úɨÉ& + JÉxÉÊiÉ → ®úɨÉ& JÉxÉÊiÉ or ®úÉ¨É JÉxÉÊiÉ* 6b. AV + & + {É or ¡Âò → the visarga is replaced optionally by an ardha-visarga pronounced as ‘ff’

called ={Év¨ÉÉxÉÒªÉ& Eg:

®úɨÉ& + {ÉSÉÊiÉ → ®úɨÉ& {ÉSÉÊiÉ or ®úÉ¨É {ÉSÉÊiÉ* ´ÉÞIÉ& + ¡ò™ôÊiÉ → ´ÉÞIÉ& ¡ò™ôÊiÉ or ´ÉÞIÉ ¡ò™ôÊiÉ*

7. AV + & + hard consonants, SÉÂ, UÂô, ]Âõ, Âö, iÉÂ, lÉÂ, ¶ÉÂ, ¹ÉÂ, or

ºÉ (i.e., any hard consonant other than EÂò, JÉÂ, {É and ¡Âò)

→ the visarga is replaced by ºÉ and

that ºÉ undergoes further

changes as described below.

Visarga-sandhi

7a. AV + & + SÉ or U → the ºÉ is replaced by ¶É Eg: ®úɨÉ& + SÉ → ®úɨÉPÉ 7b. AV + & + ]õ or `Âö → the ºÉ is replaced by ¹É ®úɨÉ& + ]õÒEòiÉä → ®úɨɟõÒEòiÉä 7c. AV + & + iÉ or lÉ → the ºÉ is replaced by ºÉ xɨÉ& + iÉä → xɨɺiÉä

7d. AV + & + ¶É → the ºÉ is replaced by ¶É or is replaced by visarga

Eg:

xɨÉ& + ʶɴÉÉªÉ → xɨÉζ¶É´ÉɪÉ

or xɨÉ& ʶɴÉɪÉ

7e. AV + & + ¹É → the ºÉ is replaced by ¹É or is replaced by visarga

xɨÉ& + ¹Éh¨ÉÖJÉÉªÉ → xɨɹ¹Éh¨ÉÖJÉÉªÉ or

xɨÉ& ¹Éh¨ÉÖJÉÉªÉ 7f. AV + & + ºÉ → the ºÉ is replaced by ºÉÂ

or is replaced by visarga xɨÉ& + ºÉnùÉʶɴÉÉªÉ → xɨɺºÉnùÉʶɴÉɪÉ

or

xɨÉ& ºÉnùÉʶɴÉɪÉ

7g. AV + & + IÉÂ

→ the ºÉ is replaced by

visarga only Eg:

iÉ{ÉÉäʦÉ& + IÉÒhÉ{ÉÉ{ÉÉxÉɨÉ → iÉ{ÉÉäʦÉ&

IÉÒhÉ{ÉÉ{ÉÉxÉɨÉÂ

8. The ®Âú that is followed by ®Âú is dropped and the preceding +, <, or = is lenghthened.

Eg:

½þÊ®ú& + ®ú¨ªÉ& → ½þÊ®ú®Âú ®ú¨ªÉ& → ½þ®úÒ ®¨ªÉ&* {ÉÖxÉ®Âú + ®ú ÉiÉä → {ÉÖxÉÉ ®¨ÉiÉä*