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Viṣhṇu Sūktam (MP3)

File di apprendimento

Puruṣha Sūktam (MP3 & TUTO)

Tutorial & File di apprendimento

Gāyatrī pada-krama-jaṭā-ghana pāṭhāḥa

(PDF, MP3, ZIP & TUTO)

Tutorial & File di apprendimento

Nīḻā Sūktam e il suo significato parola per parola

di Maunish Vyas

Altri inni

Gaṇapati Prārthanā (krama pāṭhaḥa)

(PDF RCCS+Dēvanāgarī)

File di apprendimento

Europe 2015 with Śhrī Maunish Vyas     

We have been extremely happy and greatly honoured to welcome Śhrī Maunish Vyas, the author of the Rudra Tattva book, for a series of vedic events which have taken place in France, Switzerland and Italy during December.

Coming from Mumbai, this Veda Teacher and Speaker highly involved throughout India, had studied Vedas for eighteen years before being instructed by a first-class Vedic Scholar. He notably conducted a full fledged Veda workshop at the SSSIHL Campus in Praśhānti Nilayam, in which 200 college students including professors from Praśhānti and Brindāvan participated.

Śhrī Maunish Vyas underlines the universality of the Vedas, erroneously considered as “Hindu” only. During these various rudra ēkādaśhinī, he lead us in the chanting and delivered some talks on Veda and śhrī rudram, followed by enlightening Questions-Answers sessions.

Choisy-le-Roi (France) – 20 December 2015

The fifth rudra ēkādaśhinī took place in the new Shirdi Temple, in Choisy-le-Roi, near Paris, and was attended by 150 persons or so. More than 30 chanters, male and female from various nationalities, chanted eleven times the śhrī rudram, while an abhiṣhēka was performed by the priests and bramhans. Besides the inspiring and most awaited presence of Śhrī Maunish Vyas, we were blessed with the participation of a Sai student from Puttaparthi, who had chanted Vedas on the mike for several years in the Sai Kulwant Hall of Praśhānti Nilayam. The programme started and ended with the samāna sūktam (the last sūktam from the Ṛgveda, dedicated to Universal Unity). Just before the chanting, one minute of silence was observed in memory of all the victims of the tragedy that happened in Paris on 13 November.

To see a brief video, please click here

In his talk, Śhrī Maunish Vyas expressed his great satisfaction concerning the quality of chanting, and he encouraged all those wishing to listen or chant the Vedas, specifying that listening itself constitutes the first step and already confers a number of benefits. He underlined the fact that the beginner should first learn one or several small sūktams, in order to become familiar with the vedic chanting, before embarking on the śhrī rudram.

Concerning the purifying aspect of the vedic chants, Śhrī Maunish Vyas mentioned the great power of the mantras from the śhrī rudram, specially in our turbulent time, the Kaliyuga, declaring that they can remove or reduce negativity (attacks, natural disasters, etc.)

He also explained how the śhrī rudram sharpens our discrimination and shows us what we should accept (cha mē – mine) and refuse (na-maḥa – not mine). He notably gave the youth as an example, for whom such discrimination is essential.

Everybody greatly appreciated this vedic day with Śhrī Maunish Vyas, and we would like to thank every person who contributed to the success of this event.

Locarno – Minusio (Switzerland) – 13 December 2015

Two marvellous and very awaited days with Śhrī Maunish Vyas in Locarno, in a private house! Nearly 70 persons attended this important vedic event.

Specially for the occasion, a maṇḍapa had been made in the veranda of the house, rigorously following the vedic rules of construction, and which hosted the fire of the rudra yajña on Sunday, during the rudra ēkādaśhinī.

Besides Śhrī Maunish Vyas, joined us Marine, coming from England, who supported us in the chanting of the śhrī rudram, and the bramhan Śhrī Karthik Ragavan, coming from Geneva, who conducted the introductory vedic rituals (Śhrī Rudra Kalaśha Sthāpana, Śhiva Pūjā, Laghu Gaṇēśha Yajña and Rudram Laghunyāsam) and the sacrificial fire ritual, rudra yajña, which accompanied the chanting of the rudra ēkādaśhinī.

The first day, after the introductory rituals and the chanting guided by Śhrī Maunish Vyas of gaṇapati prārthanā, gaṇapati atharva śhīrṣham, puruṣha sūktam, śhrī sūktam and durgā sūktam, took place a lakṣhārchana. In the afternoon, after a brief bhajans session, Śhrī Maunish Vyas gave an important talk about the Vedas and the śhrī rudram, which prepared us for the rudra ēkādaśhinī on the next day. Śhrī Maunish Vyas presented in details the various vedic sounds and their exact pronunciation. Then, he addressed basic issues linked to the approach of the Vedas by Western people.

The second day was totally dedicated to the rudra ēkādaśhinī, along with the rudra yajña (121 oblations were offered to the sacrificial fire, one for each anuvākaḥa). Then, after some bhajans, Śhrī Maunish Vyas taught us the samāna sūktam, the last sūktam from Ṛgveda, dedicated to Universal Unity. He revealed us that Swāmi added the samastalōkāḥ mantra to the samāna sūktam.

Everyone could appreciate the great generosity, availability and competence of Śhrī Maunish Vyas and Śhrī Karthik Ragavan.

Castelletto Ticino (Italie) – 8 December 2015

The program was dedicated to the rudra ēkādaśhinī in the morning and a conference by Śhrī Maunish Vyas in the afternoon with a “Questions & Answers” session involving the attendance. Almost fifty persons from any corner of the Sai constellation gathered.

In the afternoon, after an energetic bhajans session, an ex-student of the Praśhānti Nilayam campus spoke about Swāmi’s strong determination to have the Veda, and particularly the Rudram, learned in His schools; he narrated several episodes about Swāmi’s direct involvement in the matter.

Śhrī Maunish Vyas gave a generic talk on the Veda and the Rudram. Then, much time was dedicated to questions, to which he gave precise and exhaustive answers. Here are some of the topics:

– The Vedic Hymns help in purifying mind and heart, and this makes the practice of our devotion more efficient and profitable. Their meaning depends on how you consider them: if you think that they exist or not, and what they express or represent. If they have a value for you, then the hymns have a value as well.

– Concerning the chanting and the time it will take to attain the exact pronunciation, Śhrī Maunish Vyas answered: “As you are not paṇḍits who earn their living with such recitations, do not worry about perfect pronunciation; it will get better with time.”

– In the Veda we find written that God, that means spirituality, is beyond the Veda and beyond words, but the Veda can help you or lead you up to a certain point. Then only you can go beyond.

Geneva (Switzerland) – 6 December 2015

Geneva graciously welcomed the rudra ēkādaśhinī which was planned in Paris on 6 December and which did not take place due to the state of emergency imposed after the terrorist attacks of 13 November.

About sixty persons gathered for this chanting of the śhrī rudram, and at the same time an abhiṣhēka was performed by bramhans.

After the lunch and a brief but beautiful bhajans session, Śhrī Maunish Vyas made a very interactive and detailed presentation of the different vedic sounds. Thus, people discovered this great variety of sounds and the correct way to pronounce them.

Then, he answered many questions from the audience. Has been notably tackled how it is important to respect the brief pauses between two vowels, and to pronounce correctly the sounds and the words, so that one can obtain the correct meaning and effect of the mantra. Śhrī Maunish Vyas gave an example of a brief pause which, when it is omitted, turns “created worlds” into “uncreated worlds”.

He also gave some practical elements concerning the chanting: during a rudra ēkādaśhinī, the chanting lasts 3 hours, which implies a natural evolution of the pitch and the rhythm over the chanting. He specified that the personal chanting should be at a moderate speed, not too fast, not too slow, and at a comfortable pitch for the chanter himself.

It was a beautiful day, indeed, and many children participated both in the Vedam chanting and in the bhajans. Many thanks to the Geneva Team for their warm welcome, and for their perfect management of the event in a short time frame!

Other Events

Three very enlightening satsaṅgs with Śhrī Maunish Vyas took place in private houses : two in East of France on Thursday 3 and 17 December, and one in Parma, Italy, on Thursday 10 December.

In France, were addressed subjects like people motivation to learn and chant the Vedas, the relevance of Vedic chanting to help seriously ill persons, the issue raised in some professional activities when one wants to stick to the Vedic injunctions, or the spiritual upliftment effect of Vedam chanting even though one does not understand the meaning of the mantras.

In Italy, the topic chosen by the organizers was « garbha saṁskāra », a part of the āyurvēda which deals with the positive programming of children right from the conception and guides parents all throughout the pregnancy.

Early Season Rudra ēkādaśhinī    

Each new season (around the European solstices and equinoxes), different groups gather locally in order to chant Sri Rudram eleven times in the form of a rudra ēkādaśhinī. This chanting is organised simultaneously in various places in the world (Paris, East of France, Italian-speaking Switzerland, Gabon, Quebec, Canada, Spain, England, Italy, Mexico, Germany, USA). For further details on these places or to inform us about your wish to participate or form a new chanting group, please contact us.

Dates of the season rudra ēkādaśhinīs in 2018:

           18-03-2018   ;   17-06-2018   ;   23-09-2018   ;   23-12-2018

Programme:

   12:45: installation and internalization

   13:00: chanting

                                gaṇapati prārthanā

                                samāna sūktam

                                rudra ēkādaśhinī

                                samāna sūktam

                                samasta lōkāḥa mantra

   16:30: short meditation

Please note that during the first ten cycles of namaka, the last stanza of namaka anuvāka 1 (Om namastē, astu bhagavan viśhvēśhvarāya…) and the additional Rudra mantras which follow tryambakañ yajāmahē… (yō rudrō, agnau yō,…) should not be chanted.

“[…] chanting and conducting oneself as per Rudra-mantras
will lead to World Peace and Harmony.”
(Rudra Tattva – Maunish Vyas)

Annual rudra ēkādaśhinī reports:

   France 2011-2014   ;   Europe 2015 with Śhrī Maunish Vyas

Deepening     

Sandhi-rules
In this article, some basic sandhi-rules concerning ‘ṁ’ and ‘ḥ’ are given. We just discover this vast subject with some questions/answers, some basic rule about ‘ṁ’ and ‘ḥ’, and some explanations about the three ‘gm’-sounds. Read the article

At the Heart of Prayers
Here are presented some prayers with their word-by-word meaning and global meaning. All śhlōkas written in dēvanāgarī script are written in the classical format. The samhitā pāṭha first followed by the pada pāṭha (every single word written with its individual svaras). This is to enable serious students to recognize every word by itself. The vikṛtī pāṭhas like jaṭā, ghana, etc. are NOT possible without the correct pada pāṭha. The English script verses are in Roman Coloured Coding Script (RCCS) format with the udātta (upward note) and anudātta (lower note) svaras properly marked. Access the list of prayers

 Pronunciation Guide     

In this document, you will find:

– two charts with examples to help with pronunciation,

– some advice for the beginners,

– a list of specific sounds.

Please refer to the section Sounds > Main sounds from the menu ‘Learning Method’in order to listen to these sounds as well as some examples.

Charts

The charts below provide some elements of pronunciation for each letter used in the learning documents of Vedic prayers.

k:	come
kh:	khaki
g:	good
gh:	aghast
ṅ:	monkey (fig. 1)		fig. 1
ch:	chum
chh:	Church-hill (with a special stress)
j:	jump
jh:	j + aspirated ‘h’
ñ:	sinje (fig. 2)		fig. 2
ṭ:	similar to the series below, but with contact between the tongue and the upper part of the palate (fig. 3)
ṭh:
ḍ:
ḍh:
ṇ:			fig. 3
t:	en route	the tongue touches the upper and the lower teeth (fig. 4)
th:	t + aspirated ‘h’
d:	deed
dh:	d + aspirated ‘h’
n:	net		fig. 4
p:	pin
ph:	p + aspirated ‘h’
b:	big
bh:	b + aspirated ‘h’
m:	mum		fig. 5
y:	yes
r:	is rolled, as in the Italian word cantare
l:	class
v:	van
h:	hot (aspirated ‘h’)
śh:	sugar (fig. 2, without contact tongue/palate)
ṣh:	sharp (fig. 3, without contact tongue/palate)
s:	sing

For the beginners

As a first step, in order to make the learning easier, the pronunciation of certain letters may be simplified:

– ‘ṛ’ may be pronounced as a very brief and rolled ‘r’ (or a sound somewhere between ‘ri’ and ‘ru’);

– ‘śh’ and ‘ṣh’ may be pronounced as ‘sh’, as in dish;

– ‘ṇ’ may be pronounced as a classical/dental ‘n’;

– ‘ḍ’ and ‘ḍh’ may be pronounced as a classical/dental ‘d’ (and ‘dh’);

– ‘ṭ’ and ‘ṭh’ may be pronounced as a classical/dental ‘t’ (and ‘th’).

The second step is to acquire the proper pronunciation for each sound, so that the Vedas are chanted as accurately as possible, which is essential.

Note : - the importance of the aspirated ‘h’ (kh, gh, ṭh, ḍh, th, dh, ph, bh, chh, jh);

- the difference between ‘a’ (uttered without any effort from any part of the mouth) and ‘ā’ (uttered with widely open mouth) should be very clearly audible, especially when both these letters occur in the same word.

Specific sounds

– ‘gm’ is a nasalized sound uttered with closed mouth, right from the uttering of ‘g’;

– in ‘ge’, the ‘e’ (small sized) is uttered very briefly;

– [fp] indicates a ‘fffffp’ sound;

– [hk] indicates a ‘hhhhk’ sound;

– ‘ḥ’ is a brief aspirated ‘h’; the following vowel is uttered as an echo (half-powered);

– ‘jñ’ is uttered by positioning the tongue for a ‘j’, and immediately creating the sound ‘ñ’;

– ‘ṁ’ followed by ‘l’ is uttered as a nasalized ‘l’;

– ‘ṁ’ followed by ‘v’ is uttered as a nasalized ‘w’, with slightly opened lips.

↑ Up

Workshops in UK    

For details about the dates, venues and programmes

of workshops in UK, please contact us.

Chanting     

Listen to the chanting of Rudram:

          – normal speed: entire prayer

          – low speed: entire prayer

          – low speed, sorted by anuvāka:

Download the text of Rudram – RCCS format.

A pocket-sized chanting booklet (Sri Rudram – RCCS chanting booklet) is available and can be sent from Europe. For more information, please contact us.

Listen to learning files:

                    . Namaka anuvāka 1 - strophes 1-3 - sentences

                    . Namaka anuvāka 1 - strophes 4-6 - sentences

                    . Namaka anuvāka 1 - strophes 1-6

The entire list of the available learning and chanting files is accessible at the ‘Learning Files’ section.

Europe 2015 with Śhrī Maunish Vyas     

We have been extremely happy and greatly honoured to welcome Śhrī Maunish Vyas, the author of the Rudra Tattva book, for a series of vedic events which have taken place in France, Switzerland and Italy during December.

Coming from Mumbai, this Veda Teacher and Speaker highly involved throughout India, had studied Vedas for eighteen years before being instructed by a first-class Vedic Scholar. He notably conducted a full fledged Veda workshop at the SSSIHL Campus in Praśhānti Nilayam, in which 200 college students including professors from Praśhānti and Brindāvan participated.

Śhrī Maunish Vyas underlines the universality of the Vedas, erroneously considered as “Hindu” only. During these various rudra ēkādaśhinī, he lead us in the chanting and delivered some talks on Veda and śhrī rudram, followed by enlightening Questions-Answers sessions.

Choisy-le-Roi (France) – 20 December 2015

The fifth rudra ēkādaśhinī took place in the new Shirdi Temple, in Choisy-le-Roi, near Paris, and was attended by 150 persons or so. More than 30 chanters, male and female from various nationalities, chanted eleven times the śhrī rudram, while an abhiṣhēka was performed by the priests and bramhans. Besides the inspiring and most awaited presence of Śhrī Maunish Vyas, we were blessed with the participation of a Sai student from Puttaparthi, who had chanted Vedas on the mike for several years in the Sai Kulwant Hall of Praśhānti Nilayam. The programme started and ended with the samāna sūktam (the last sūktam from the Ṛgveda, dedicated to Universal Unity). Just before the chanting, one minute of silence was observed in memory of all the victims of the tragedy that happened in Paris on 13 November.

To see a brief video, please click here

In his talk, Śhrī Maunish Vyas expressed his great satisfaction concerning the quality of chanting, and he encouraged all those wishing to listen or chant the Vedas, specifying that listening itself constitutes the first step and already confers a number of benefits. He underlined the fact that the beginner should first learn one or several small sūktams, in order to become familiar with the vedic chanting, before embarking on the śhrī rudram.

Concerning the purifying aspect of the vedic chants, Śhrī Maunish Vyas mentioned the great power of the mantras from the śhrī rudram, specially in our turbulent time, the Kaliyuga, declaring that they can remove or reduce negativity (attacks, natural disasters, etc.)

He also explained how the śhrī rudram sharpens our discrimination and shows us what we should accept (cha mē – mine) and refuse (na-maḥa – not mine). He notably gave the youth as an example, for whom such discrimination is essential.

Everybody greatly appreciated this vedic day with Śhrī Maunish Vyas, and we would like to thank every person who contributed to the success of this event.

Locarno – Minusio (Switzerland) – 13 December 2015

Two marvellous and very awaited days with Śhrī Maunish Vyas in Locarno, in a private house! Nearly 70 persons attended this important vedic event.

Specially for the occasion, a maṇḍapa had been made in the veranda of the house, rigorously following the vedic rules of construction, and which hosted the fire of the rudra yajña on Sunday, during the rudra ēkādaśhinī.

Besides Śhrī Maunish Vyas, joined us Marine, coming from England, who supported us in the chanting of the śhrī rudram, and the bramhan Śhrī Karthik Ragavan, coming from Geneva, who conducted the introductory vedic rituals (Śhrī Rudra Kalaśha Sthāpana, Śhiva Pūjā, Laghu Gaṇēśha Yajña and Rudram Laghunyāsam) and the sacrificial fire ritual, rudra yajña, which accompanied the chanting of the rudra ēkādaśhinī.

The first day, after the introductory rituals and the chanting guided by Śhrī Maunish Vyas of gaṇapati prārthanā, gaṇapati atharva śhīrṣham, puruṣha sūktam, śhrī sūktam and durgā sūktam, took place a lakṣhārchana. In the afternoon, after a brief bhajans session, Śhrī Maunish Vyas gave an important talk about the Vedas and the śhrī rudram, which prepared us for the rudra ēkādaśhinī on the next day. Śhrī Maunish Vyas presented in details the various vedic sounds and their exact pronunciation. Then, he addressed basic issues linked to the approach of the Vedas by Western people.

The second day was totally dedicated to the rudra ēkādaśhinī, along with the rudra yajña (121 oblations were offered to the sacrificial fire, one for each anuvākaḥa). Then, after some bhajans, Śhrī Maunish Vyas taught us the samāna sūktam, the last sūktam from Ṛgveda, dedicated to Universal Unity. He revealed us that Swāmi added the samastalōkāḥ mantra to the samāna sūktam.

Everyone could appreciate the great generosity, availability and competence of Śhrī Maunish Vyas and Śhrī Karthik Ragavan.

Castelletto Ticino (Italie) – 8 December 2015

The program was dedicated to the rudra ēkādaśhinī in the morning and a conference by Śhrī Maunish Vyas in the afternoon with a “Questions & Answers” session involving the attendance. Almost fifty persons from any corner of the Sai constellation gathered.

In the afternoon, after an energetic bhajans session, an ex-student of the Praśhānti Nilayam campus spoke about Swāmi’s strong determination to have the Veda, and particularly the Rudram, learned in His schools; he narrated several episodes about Swāmi’s direct involvement in the matter.

Śhrī Maunish Vyas gave a generic talk on the Veda and the Rudram. Then, much time was dedicated to questions, to which he gave precise and exhaustive answers. Here are some of the topics:

– The Vedic Hymns help in purifying mind and heart, and this makes the practice of our devotion more efficient and profitable. Their meaning depends on how you consider them: if you think that they exist or not, and what they express or represent. If they have a value for you, then the hymns have a value as well.

– Concerning the chanting and the time it will take to attain the exact pronunciation, Śhrī Maunish Vyas answered: “As you are not paṇḍits who earn their living with such recitations, do not worry about perfect pronunciation; it will get better with time.”

– In the Veda we find written that God, that means spirituality, is beyond the Veda and beyond words, but the Veda can help you or lead you up to a certain point. Then only you can go beyond.

Geneva (Switzerland) – 6 December 2015

Geneva graciously welcomed the rudra ēkādaśhinī which was planned in Paris on 6 December and which did not take place due to the state of emergency imposed after the terrorist attacks of 13 November.

About sixty persons gathered for this chanting of the śhrī rudram, and at the same time an abhiṣhēka was performed by bramhans.

After the lunch and a brief but beautiful bhajans session, Śhrī Maunish Vyas made a very interactive and detailed presentation of the different vedic sounds. Thus, people discovered this great variety of sounds and the correct way to pronounce them.

Then, he answered many questions from the audience. Has been notably tackled how it is important to respect the brief pauses between two vowels, and to pronounce correctly the sounds and the words, so that one can obtain the correct meaning and effect of the mantra. Śhrī Maunish Vyas gave an example of a brief pause which, when it is omitted, turns “created worlds” into “uncreated worlds”.

He also gave some practical elements concerning the chanting: during a rudra ēkādaśhinī, the chanting lasts 3 hours, which implies a natural evolution of the pitch and the rhythm over the chanting. He specified that the personal chanting should be at a moderate speed, not too fast, not too slow, and at a comfortable pitch for the chanter himself.

It was a beautiful day, indeed, and many children participated both in the Vedam chanting and in the bhajans. Many thanks to the Geneva Team for their warm welcome, and for their perfect management of the event in a short time frame!

Other Events

Three very enlightening satsaṅgs with Śhrī Maunish Vyas took place in private houses : two in East of France on Thursday 3 and 17 December, and one in Parma, Italy, on Thursday 10 December.

In France, were addressed subjects like people motivation to learn and chant the Vedas, the relevance of Vedic chanting to help seriously ill persons, the issue raised in some professional activities when one wants to stick to the Vedic injunctions, or the spiritual upliftment effect of Vedam chanting even though one does not understand the meaning of the mantras.

In Italy, the topic chosen by the organizers was « garbha saṁskāra », a part of the āyurvēda which deals with the positive programming of children right from the conception and guides parents all throughout the pregnancy.

Early Season Rudra ēkādaśhinī    

Each new season (around the European solstices and equinoxes), different groups gather locally in order to chant Sri Rudram eleven times in the form of a rudra ēkādaśhinī. This chanting is organised simultaneously in various places in the world (France, Switzerland, Italy, England, Spain, Germany, Quebec, Canada, USA, Mexico, Bolivia, Gabon). For further details on these places or to inform us about your wish to participate or form a new chanting group, please contact us.

Dates of the season rudra ēkādaśhinīs in 2020:

           22-03-2020   ;   21-06-2020   ;   20-09-2020   ;   20-12-2020

Programme:

   13:00: installation and internalization

   13:30: chanting

                             gaṇapati prārthanā

                             samāna sūktam

                             rudra ēkādaśhinī

                             samāna sūktam

                             samasta lōkāḥa mantra

   17:00: short meditation

Please note that during the first ten cycles of namaka, the last stanza of namaka anuvāka 1 (Om namastē, astu bhagavan viśhvēśhvarāya…) and the additional Rudra mantras which follow tryambakañ yajāmahē… (yō rudrō, agnau yō,…) should not be chanted.

“[…] chanting and conducting oneself as per Rudra-mantras
will lead to World Peace and Harmony.”
(Rudra Tattva – Maunish Vyas)

Annual rudra ēkādaśhinī reports:

   France 2011-2014   ;   Europe 2015 with Śhrī Maunish Vyas

Sounds

Main Sounds

“The Vedas come from certain fundamental sounds, and their variations. The slightest modification of the sound changes the meaning of what is said. No written language is able to represent all of the Vedic Sounds. It is impossible to write many of the words. The Vedas are God’s breath and can be transmitted from person to person only by voice.”

Conversation with Sai,

Chap. 8, by J. hislop

____________________

Mahāṛṣhi Pāṇinī states in his Pāṇinīya śhīkṣhā (Treatise on Grammar) how carefully and attentively the Vedic sounds are to be chanted: “Just as a tigress carries her children, her teeth biting without hurting, yet, without fear of them falling down. In like manner, express and utter the sounds.”

In this document, you will find:

  – a presentation of the positions of the tongue,

  – a presentation of the vowels,

  – a presentation of the consonants,

  – a presentation of the other sounds,

  – a recap chart,

  – an audio file for each example.

Positions of the tongue

– Below are the 4 main positions of the tongue, represented with a contact between the tongue and the organ of speech (throat, palate, teeth).

– This contact may be full or slight and brief. The tongue may also approach at a large or short distance towards the concerned area to allow an air flow.

– Labial sounds are created with the lips joined or slightly opened or opened in a small circle and so on.

– Nasal sounds, which may also belong to one of the above families, imply an air flow in the nose.

16 vowels

Guttural (without contact):   a   ā   ā3

e.g.:   bhagavān,   rudrāya   audio

Please note the difference between ‘a’ (as in ‘up’, without effort from any part of the mouth) and ‘ā’ (as in ‘farther’, uttered with the mouth widely opened).  

Palatal (without contact):   i   ī   ī3   ē   ai

e.g.:   kavim,   vājinīvatī,   dēvī,   utainam   audio

The sound ‘a’ + the sound ‘i’ give the sound ‘ē’.

The sound ‘ai’ is uttered as a brief ‘a’ followed by a long ‘ī’.  

Cerebral (without contact):   ṛ   ṝ

e.g.:   pṛthivī,   amṛta   audio

The tongue does not touch the top of the palate.

Dental (without contact):   ḷ

e.g.:   kḷptam   audio

The tongue does not touch the teeth.

Labial (without contact):   u   ū   ū3   ō   au

e.g.:   guru,   sūktam,   namō,   asau   audio

The sound ‘a’ + the sound ‘u’ give the sound ‘ō’.

The sound ‘au’ is uttered as a brief ‘a’ followed by a long ‘ū’.

25 consonants, organized in 5 co-phonic columns of 5 each

In order to utter them, the following vowel used in the recordings is ‘a’.

Guttural:   k   kh   g   gh   ṅ

e.g.:  kavīnām,  mukhā,  giri,  ghōṣha,  śhaṅkara   audio

Palatal:   ch   chh   j   jh   ñ

e.g.:  vachasā,  chhanda,  rājam,  jhañjhanam,  pañcha   audio

Cerebral:   ṭ   ṭh   ḍ   ḍh   ṇ

e.g.:   kōṭi,   kāṇṭhāya,   mṛḍayati,   mīḍhuṣhē,   gaṇapati   audio

Dental:   t   th   d   dh   n

e.g.:   tīrthyāya,   ratha,   dēvī,   dhanvanē,   nātha   audio

Labial:   p   ph   b   bh   m

e.g.:   paśhupati,   phalam,   bindu,   bhava,   maṅgalam   audio

4 semi-consonants also called semi-vowels

e.g.:   sarasvatyai,   namō vrātapatayē   audio

‘v’ is mostly uttered as a ‘w’. In case that ‘v’ is followed by another consonant, then the ‘v’ is harder, with a contact between upper teeth and lower lip. 

3 sibilants & 1 aspirated consonant

e.g.:   śhiva,   puruṣha,   sītā,   saha,   hrasva,   hṛdaya   audio

The tongue is very close to the contact point (palate, teeth, throat) in order to create the “whistling”.

Other sounds

1 jihvāmūlīya, noted [hk] (guttural sound)

e.g.:   nama[hk] kakubhāya,   du[hk]kha   audio

The back of the tongue quickly approaches towards the throat till contact. The sound stops in a ‘k’, creating a ‘hhhk’ sound.

1 upadhmānīya, noted [fp] (dental-labial sound)

e.g.:   sī[fp] puruṣham,   na[fp] prachōdayāt   audio

The upper teeth and lip approach towards the lower lip till contact. The sound stops in a ‘p’, creating a ‘fffp’ sound.

1 anusvāra, noted ṁ (nasal sound)

e.g.:   saṁvatsarō vā,   vaiśhnavīṁ lōka   audio

Before ‘v’, it becomes a nasal ‘v’ with slightly opened lips. Before ‘l’, it becomes a nasal ‘l’.  

1 visarjanīya, noted ḥ (guttural sound)

e.g.:   namaḥa,   dhanuḥu,   śhāntiḥi,   kṣhamācharāḥa   audio

The sound ḥ is followed by a vowel uttered as an echo (half powered) of the vowel preceding the ḥ.

1 other cerebral consonant (only in ṛgvēda): ḻ

e.g.:   iḻaspadē   audio

3 gm-kāras noted gm, ge and g’ge

e.g.:    sarvagm,   paśhūgestāgeśhchakrē,   priyag’geśhraddhē   audio

They occur only in the taittirīya Vedic branch. The ‘gm’ is uttered with joined lips. The ‘e’ is very short.

1 svarabhakti

e.g.:   sammarśhinaḥa,   sahasraśhīrṣhā,   barhiṣhi   audio

If the ‘r’ sound is followed by ‘śh+vowel’, ‘ṣh+vowel’, ‘s+vowel’ or ‘h+vowel’, it is uttered as the vowel ‘ṛ’, with a very slight contact tongue-palate. This sound occurs in other śhākhās (Vedic branches) also, but is best preserved by taittirīya chanters.

The sound ‘jñ’

e.g.:   jñāna,   yajñēna   audio

The sound ‘jñ’ is uttered by positioning the tongue for a ‘j’, and immediately creating the sound ‘ñ’. Hence, before uttering the ‘ñ’, the tongue is in the palatal position with a large contact with the palate.

Recap Chart

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Pronunciation Guide

“When all words emanating from you are sweet, your breath becomes Ṛg Vēda. When you restrict what you listen to and prefer only sweet speech, all that you hear becomes Sāma Gāna. When you do only sweet deeds, all that you do is Yajur Hōma. Then, you will be performing every day the Vēdapuruṣha Yajña, the yajña which propitiates the Vedic Spirit.”

– Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Discourse on 2 October 1981

____________________

In this document, you will find:

– two charts with examples to help with pronunciation,

– some advice for the beginners,

– a list of specific sounds.

Charts

The charts below provide some elements of pronunciation for each letter used in the learning documents of Vedic prayers.

k:	come
kh:	khaki
g:	good
gh:	aghast
ṅ:	monkey (fig. 1)
ch:	chum
chh:	Church-hill (with a special stress)
j:	jump
jh:	j + aspirated ‘h’
ñ:	onion
ṭ:	similar to the series below, but with contact between the tongue and the upper part of the palate
ṭh:
ḍ:
ḍh:
ṇ:
t:	tea	the tongue touches  the upper and the lower teeth
th:	ant-hill
d:	deed
dh:	d + aspirated ‘h’
n:	net
p:	pin
ph:	p + aspirated ‘h’
b:	big
bh:	b + aspirated ‘h’
m:	mum
y:	yes
r:	is rolled, as in the Italian word cantare
l:	class
v:	van
h:	hot (aspirated ‘h’)
śh:	sugar (without contact tongue/palate)
ṣh:	sharp (without contact tongue/palate)
s:	sing

For the beginners

As a first step, in order to make the learning easier, the pronunciation of certain letters may be simplified:

– ‘ṛ’ may be pronounced as a very brief and rolled ‘r’ (or a sound somewhere between ‘ri’ and ‘ru’);

– ‘śh’ and ‘ṣh’ may be pronounced as ‘sh’, as in dish;

– ‘ṇ’ may be pronounced as a classical/dental ‘n’;

– ‘ḍ’ and ‘ḍh’ may be pronounced as a classical/dental ‘d’ (and ‘dh’);

– ‘ṭ’ and ‘ṭh’ may be pronounced as a classical/dental ‘t’ (and ‘th’).

The second step is to acquire the proper pronunciation for each sound, so that the Vedas are chanted as accurately as possible, which is essential.

Note : - the importance of the aspirated ‘h’ (kh, gh, ṭh, ḍh, th, dh, ph, bh, chh, jh);

- the difference between ‘a’ (uttered without any effort from any part of the mouth) and ‘ā’ (uttered with widely open mouth) should be very clearly audible, especially when both these letters occur in the same word.

Specific sounds

– ‘gm’ is a nasalized sound uttered with closed mouth, right from the uttering of ‘g’;

– in ‘ge’, the ‘e’ (small sized) is uttered very briefly;

– [fp] indicates a ‘fffffp’ sound;

– [hk] indicates a ‘hhhhk’ sound;

– ‘ḥ’ is a brief aspirated ‘h’; the following vowel is uttered as an echo (half-powered);

– ‘jñ’ is uttered by positioning the tongue for a ‘j’, and immediately creating the sound ‘ñ’;

– ‘ṁ’ followed by ‘l’ is uttered as a nasalized ‘l’;

– ‘ṁ’ followed by ‘v’ is uttered as a nasalized ‘w’, with slightly opened lips.

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