saMskR^itam shixAmaH - ## (Let us learn Sanskrit)##

AUM saha nAvavatu |

saha nau bhunaktu |
saha vIryaM karavAvahai |
tejasvi nAvadhItamastu mA vidviShAvahaiH |
AUM shanti shAnti shAntiH ||
##
AUM saha nAvavatu
saha nau bhunaktu
saha vIryaM karavAvahai
tejasvi nAvadhItamastu mA vidviShAvahaiH
AUM shanti shAnti shAntiH
##
AUM | saha | nau | avavatu | saha | nau | bhunaktu | saha | vIryaM | karau | Ava
hai | tejasvi | nau | adhItamastu | mA | vidviShAvahaiH | AUM | shanti | shAnti
| shAntiH |
AUM avatu ##- May (he) protect## saha nau ##- us together## bhunaktu ##- May (he
) nourish## saha nau ##-us together## karau Avahai ##- May we call both hands (t
o use)## vIryam ##- great energy## tejasvi ## - illuminance## nau ##- both## adh
I##- Intellect## tam ##- higher degree## astu ##be it so## mA vidviShA ##no anim
osity## AvahaiH ##come | AUM | shanti shAnti shAntiH - Peace peace peace
May he (the supreme God) protect us together ; May he nourish us both ; May we w
ork together with vigourously ; May our intellect reach higher illuminance ; May
animosity never come our way ; May we rest in peace, peace and in peace ever
## prasthAvana - ##(Introduction)##
asato mA sadgamaya
tamaso mA jyotirgamaya
mR^ityormA amR^itaM gamaya
bhAShAsu mukhyA madhurA divyA gIrvANa bhArati |
tasyAM hi kAvyaM madhuraM tasmAdapi subhAshitam||##
Of the languages ...## gIrvANa bhArati ##/## saMskR^itam ##is the most important
, nectarine and divine. in particualar the## kAvyam ##(poetry) amongst them is n
ectarine and more so the## subhAshitAni ##( subhAshitAs)## saMskR^itam ##is refe
rred to as the## deva bhAsha ## - The language of Gods. Sanskrit has been an age
old language and is extremely rich in literature be it Grammar, Drama, Mathemat
ics, Astrology, Sex, Yoga, Astronomy. Sanskrit is indeed a very mellifluos langu
age. The joy of Sanskrit lies in the capability to dissect a word cluster into i
ts constituent words, to recognize tha parts of speech, identify the grammatical
idiosynchracies and then to decipher the meaning out of all that.
As the compound goes - sMyk! (Well) k&tm! (crafted) #it (thus) s<Sk&tm! (Sanskri
t) - The language is well crafted or refined (grammatically) and hence the name
Sanskrit
triShaSTishcatuH chatuShaShTivA^r varNAH shambhumate matAie H ..
## According to the Panini's school of thought, there exits either 63 or 64 alp
habets. With 59 alphabets and the 4 ( ##yamavarNAH##) that appear in th Vedas, t
here are a total of 63 alphabets. If## La ## is also considered it becomes 64. O
f these 5 alphabets are not displayed in the## varNamAla ##. So for practical us
age th total number of alphabets can be considered as 59. The ## varNamAla ##can
be classified into## svarAH ##(Vowels) ##ayogavaahaaH ##() and##vya~njanAni ##(
Consonants)##
saMskR^ita varNAnAM vibhAgaH ## - The classification of letters in## saMskR^itam
UkAlo.ach hrasvadIrghaplutaH## ( 1-2-27,## aShTadhyaayI ##)##
vR^ittiH ##-## u U U3 iti ucchaaraNa kaala sadR^isha kAlo ach kramAt hraswa dIrg
ha pluta saMGYaH syAt ||
##(Based on)## kAlaH - ## the time inteval## sadR^isha ##- similar to the ## | u
cchaaraNa kaala ##- the pronounciation interval## | iti ##- thus (of)##| u U U3
##- the syllables## u ##,## U ##and ## U3 | kramAt##-, Accordingly## ach ##- the
vowels (ar classified into)## hraswa dIrgha pluta | saMGYaH syAt ##- It is to
be understood
The vowels are classified into## hraswa ##(short),## dIrgha ##(long) and## pluta
##(proliterated)
samyuktaaxaraH ##(Compound/Conjunct Consonant)
When two consonants coalsce without an intermediate vowel (on the former consona
nt) they combine to form a## samyuktaaxaraH ## (Conjnt Cosonant)