Lesson 8. A 8.A.1 Special Symbols The following symbols are not strictly part of the alphabet, but constitute special symbols such as punctuation: I This punctuation mark is used at the end of a half- verse or sentence. II This marks the end of a verse or paragraph. ■S" The elision of an 3T at the beginning of a word due to the rules of sandhi, is indicated with this symbol called avagraha: it is not sounded. For example, H -STT for fl 3TTT is pronounced cIN; in transliteration it is represented by an apostrophe or prime mark, i.e. te'pi. This symbol, called candrabindu (lit. 'moon-dot'), placed above a vowel indicates that the vowel itself is nasalized; for example, 3T is 3T sounded through both nose and mouth together. Contrast this with 3T, where the anusvara, which is just the bindu ('dot') above the vowel, is a nasal sound following after the vowel. The antahstha y 1 and v may also be nasalized. ^ This symbol indicates a compulsory anusvara (i.e. before an usman or repha) in the Vedas, and is traditionally pronounced as a soft gna (^■T). You may also find it written as 'T. 3o The mystical symbol Om pronounced 311 ^<H and called the pranava sabda. An abbreviation is indicated by this sign, the rest of the word being provided from the context. ~ This symbol is rare; it is pronounced like a half visarga, and is called jihvamullya when before k or kh, and upadhmahfya when before p or ph. (See section 3. A. 2.) 8. A. 2 Savarna Those sounds which are pronounced in the same mouth position and with the same effort within the mouth itself (i.e. the measure of contact or openness — see section 3. A. 4) are called savarna ('same group'). This means that the ka-varga sounds (k, kh, g, gh, and n — see section 2. A. 2) are savarna, likewise ca-varga through to pa-varga each form a savarna group of five sounds. For grammatical purposes, ^f and (£ are also declared to be savarna, even though their mouth positions differ.
