== WHICH STYLE IS CORRECT ==
Namaskar,
The world over, people have different ways of pronouncing the same word.
Yet Baba gives great emphasis on which way is actually correct,
especially with respect to Sanskrit words - though certainly He has
commented on the proper pronunciation of words in French, English,
Hindi, Japanese, and so many other languages.
Within India, there are crucial differences in the way many Sanskrit
words are pronounced. This gap is greatest with respect to languages of
North India vs languages of South India.
The word r'si is one such word that is often contested. And in one
discourse, Baba clearly tells which style of pronunciation is correct -
the style of North India or that of South India. The answer to this
debate is presented in this letter.
Baba's unique style of discourse and the inherent beauty of the Sanskrit
language are all discussed. Please read the below - get the answer to
the debate - and share your thoughts.
BABA'S UNIQUE DELIVERY
We have all experienced how Baba's way of delivering discourses is
completely unique. Here I am not referring to the manner in which His
discourses often get published, but rather the way in which He gave it
originally.
In each discourse, Baba presents a totally new philosophy for humanity.
Yet to do that He had to use established constructs, in particular
language. He could not both present a new language and a new philosophy.
That would make things too difficult for us.
So He has used languages that were already established, including
Sanskrit. With that came outdated and misunderstandings about certain
words. Because our understanding, presentation, and usage of language is
not perfect.
Thus in nearly every discourse, Baba begins by clarifying what He means
by the words - often Sanskrit ones - which He is going to discuss. In
this way He would teach us the proper grammatical usage of a particular
word, its pronunciation, as well as the correct definition.
In was in this manner that Baba could then propound His revolutionary,
neo-humanistic philosophy. Without that it would have been impossible.
Thus His teachings on philology are critical to the proper understanding
of His divine discourses and sublime ideology.
In addition, so many of His discourses like, "The Acoustic Roots of the
Indo-Aryan Alphabet", as well as His books like "Varna Vijiana", "Varna
Vicitra" and the "Shabda Cayanika" series, place tremendous emphasis on
the importance of language.
Further proof that spelling and pronunciation are important is that He
has mandated that the Roman Sam'skrta alphabet be placed in the preface
of each and every AM book.
Thus, everyone on the path of AM - all who sincerely wish to understand
AM teachings - must pay heed to Baba's guidelines on language, grammar,
and pronunciation.
Yet, even many Indian Dadas indulge in wrong pronunciation of certain
Sankrist words like r'si, and certainly outside of AM, the fake yoga
movement has begun butchering the Sam'skrta language.
Care should be taken as Baba gives great emphasis on its proper
pronunciation.
THE PRONUNCIATION ISSUE: R'SI
Now let us come to the debate at hand. What is the proper pronunciation
of the word r'si. In North India it is pronounced one way and in South
India it is pronounced a second way. Which one is correct.
In North India, Devanagari script is used to write Sanskrit, and most
often the word is correctly written as r'si, yet when translated into
English it is often written as rishi, and although it is written
correctly in Devanagari script, North Indians generally pronounce r'si
as the way in which they write it in English, rishi or really ris'i.
They pronounce the r as in the English words "rim" or "riddle", and that
is not correct.
In South India, the Tamil script is often used to write Sanskrit, and
when South Indians speak the word r'si they often say it as rus'i. In
that case, the South Indians pronounce the r as in the English word,
"rule", and that is not correct.
According to Baba, neither the North Indian style is correct nor the
South Indian style. Both are wrong. The irony is that both think that
they are correct and the other is wrong. But, according to Baba, neither
are correct.
BABA'S AUDIO FILE ON AM-GLOBAL BLOG
For the proper pronunciation of the word r'si, please listen to the
newly posted sound file on the AM-GLOBAL blog.
In that file, Baba points out the defects of both the North and South
Indian pronunciation styles, and gives the proper way. Anyone can listen
and get the correct answer.
There is also an English translation of the sound file for everyone's
ease and convenience. Although Baba's sound file is in Hindi, He does
employ a number of English words so non-Hindi speakers can get the sense
by listening to the sound file.
And most importantly, on that sound file, Baba gives the correct
pronunciation of r'si. And that is of interest to all - so everyone
should listen.
SIGNIFICANCE OF SOUND
The pronunciation of a word is of course related with its sound. And in
discourses like, "The Acoustic Roots of the Indo-Aryan Alphabet", Baba
talks of the great import of sound - both with regards to language and
the development of the human mind.
Here Baba speaks in particular about how sound comes to be expressed by
human beings.
Baba says, "Every vibration in this universe has colour and sound. Every
vibration also represents a particular idea, and hence each idea has a
vibrational sound and vibrational colour....To externalize an idea one
has to apply physical energy (philosophically, this energy is called
indra). We can call this stage the first expression of the sound
tanma'tra...The vocal cord lies in the area of the vishuddha cakra. It
is the organ responsible for transforming abstract idea into vocal
expression...Even after an idea gets metamorphosed into language, if
there is the slightest defect in the uvula, vocal expression will be
disturbed." (APH-8)
Note: "The uvula is the conic projection from the posterior edge of the
middle of the soft palate,The uvula plays a key role in the articulation
of the sound of the human voice to form the sounds of speech." (Wikipedia)
Furthermore, in that discourse, Baba gives proof how sounds are linked
to different human vrttis, or propensities of mind. And there are so
many other significant revelations Baba makes in that discourse about
words, pronunciation and mind. It is a long discourse filled with
interesting points. We should all review this discourse regularly.
Suffice to say then that the sound or correct pronunciation of a word is
very important. This obviously also applies to the pronunciation of the
mantras used in our sadhana practice.
So we should all learn the proper pronunciation of the word r'si as well
as all the Sam'skrta words. By learning where to place the tongue and
how to angle it, one can speak Sam'skrit correctly. No one should get
discouraged and give up the hope that they can do it. Irregardless of
where one was born, everyone can learn the correct style of
pronunciation of Sam'skrta.
BEAUTY OF SANSKRIT
In our Ananda Marga, Sanskrit is used to propound our neo-humanistic
philosophy. Plus we use Sanskrit for all our names. Baba has also given
the idea that Sam'skrta is composed of very sweet sounds so people enjoy
hearing the Sam'skrta language. It creates a pleasant vibration in the mind.
All Indians use Sanskrit irregardless of which religion they follow even
Indians who are Christian. And now - with the immense popularity of yoga
- we are witnessing how around the globe Sanskrit is getting more and
more popular. So we should refine our understanding of this beautiful
and ancient language as it has great bearing on our modern world.
Baba says, "India is one and indivisible...Let Sam'skrta be the national
language, as this will provide equal opportunity to all." (PNS-17)
Baba says "If Sam'skrta is used human unity will be encouraged and human
beings will move closer together... So you should encourage the study of
Sam'skrta." (PNS-17)
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace He has given us all the teachings needed to create a
healthy human society. Nothing has been forgotten or overlooked - not
even the style of pronunciation of certain words.
Till now we often think we know the right way or pronunciation - but
often we are off the mark. Such is the case with both North and South
Indians with respect to the word, r'si.
Now, by Baba's grace we can all learn the proper pronunciation and use
of r'si, as well as the entire Sanskrit language. This will help unite
our human family.
Namaskar,
Sudhakar
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PROPER THINKING
Baba says, "Sadhakas should always maintain the spirit of prapatti
(surrender) and they will never develop any sort of pride in their
minds...'Whatever qualities I possess is all due to the His grace.
Parama Purusa is the Lord of everything; He is the machineman and I am
simply a machine'." (31/05/87, AN-DMC)
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