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The science of Sound:
A Sanskrit approach
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Vedas on the science of sound
The Vedic language is the language
of sound. It is not called Sanskrit in the Vedas, or in the Vedangas. The
Vedas tell how the words are formed, pronounced and interpreted. The Vedas
prescribe the length in time, of each akshara, long and short, the extra
long and the half syllable. However, these instructions are seen distributed
in different places within the Vedas and it is generally not easy for an
ordinary person to assimilate the details. The details of interest are
found in the Rig Veda (specifically in the Aranyakas) as well as in the
Sikshavalli of the Taitriya Upanishad.
The importance of proper pronounciation
The Vedic language, now known as Sanskrit,
is very rigorous, not only in the grammar of the language but also in the
pronounciation and intonation of the words and the sentences. There is
a difference in meaning when in a compound of two nouns, the accent is
on the first or the second.
The classic example cited is the Yajna
performed by "Thvashta" in which he asks that the demon to kill Indra,
arise from the fire. In actuality, the demon is killed by Indra. What actually
happened was that Thvashta, while saying " Indra Shatrur vardhasva" put
the accent on the wrong syllables and the meaning got reversed!
Sound, as detailed in the Vyakarana, the Vedanga
Panini begins his Vyakarana sutras with the
words "atha sabdanusasanam" which may be translated as "now, the directions
for sound". Nowhere does he mention that he is describing the rules of
grammar for the language called Sanskrit. Nor does he acknowledge the existence
of other so called languages except as distortions. He very clearly says
that he will be describing only the rules of formation of these words which
are meaningful because, for every meaningful sound, there wil be many distorted
sounds.

Intonation, an important part of the language
In Sanskrit and some other Asian
languages like Japanese, intonation within a word and within a sentene
plays a very significant role in its meaning. This feature is not observed
in many other languages. Though the words within a sentence in Sanskrit,
may be placed at will in general, unlike in many western languages, the
intonation has to be perfect. A question may be asked without a specific
word for questioning such as why, how etc., just by mere intonation. Let
us consider an example. In lesson1 we saw an expression "kusalam va'. Here
"va" is stressed or emphasized. There is no other word in the expression
to imply that a quesion is being put.
The Eternal aspect of sound
"Sabda" or sound in Sanskrit has been ascribed
an eternal stature called "nityatvam". The Dharma Shastras as well as the
upanishads ascert that it is from sound that the universe was created (In
fact, certain other religions of the world also believe in this).
The Vedanta, one of the Darshanas, also
ascerts that by reversing the process (i.e., from the meaningful combinations
of sound to the physics of sound) realization of the absolute principle
called "parabrahman" becomes possible.
Note
Most of the above mentioned facts can be gathered
from a study of the Mahabhashyas of Patanjali on the Vyakarana sutras of
Panini.
On the Darshanas, particularly Vedanta,
the Brahmasutra Bhashyas and the Upanishad Bhashyas of Adi Sankara will
provide the necessary information.
Sarvadarshana Sangraha of Vidyaranya gives
a compilation of all the Darshana Shastras in brief .
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Contents
(Lesson-2)
Introduction
Expressions
with personal pronouns
Use
of (to be) in two ways
Number
and Gender
Glossary
Exercises-1
Exercises-2
Exercises-3
Sanskrit
Numerals
Summary
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