Today's Goal
By the end of today, you will be able to recognize and pronounce all 13 Sanskrit vowels in Devanagari script, and understand why Sanskrit is called a 'perfectly phonetic' language.
Why Devanagari?
Devanagari literally means 'script of the divine city.' Unlike English, every letter represents exactly one sound — no silent letters, no ambiguity. What you see is what you say. The Gita was composed to be heard, and Devanagari preserves those sounds perfectly.
Short Vowels (ह्रस्व)
These are held for one beat. Think of them as quick, crisp sounds.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| अ | a | like 'u' in 'but' — the most common sound in Sanskrit |
| इ | i | like 'i' in 'sit' |
| उ | u | like 'u' in 'put' |
| ऋ | ṛ | a vowel 'r' — like 'ri' in 'Krishna' (कृष्ण) |
| ऌ | ḷ | a vowel 'l' — extremely rare, mostly theoretical |
Long Vowels (दीर्घ)
These are held for two beats — simply stretch the short vowel longer. In IAST, a macron (line above) marks them: ā, ī, ū.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| आ | ā | like 'a' in 'father' — as in आत्मा (ātmā, the Self) |
| ई | ī | like 'ee' in 'feet' — as in गीता (Gītā) |
| ऊ | ū | like 'oo' in 'food' — as in रूप (rūpa, form) |
| ॠ | ṝ | long vowel ṛ — extremely rare |
Diphthongs (संध्यक्षर)
Two vowel sounds blended into one. These are always long.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ए | e | like 'ay' in 'say' — as in एव (eva, indeed) |
| ऐ | ai | like 'ai' in 'aisle' — as in ऐश्वर्य (aiśvarya, sovereignty) |
| ओ | o | like 'o' in 'go' — as in ओम् (om) |
| औ | au | like 'ow' in 'how' — as in औषधि (auṣadhi, medicine) |
The Sacred Syllable OM (ॐ)
OM contains three sounds: अ (a) + उ (u) + म (m). It begins many Gita chapters and represents the ultimate reality (Brahman). You just learned the vowels that make it up!
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ॐ | om | The primordial sound — BG 7.8: 'I am the syllable OM' |
Gītā Connection
In BG 7.8, Krishna says: 'praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu' — 'I am the syllable OM in all the Vedas.' The vowel अ (a) is considered the origin of all sounds. Krishna says in BG 10.33: 'akṣarāṇām akāro'smi' — 'Among letters, I am the letter A.' You just learned the most sacred sounds in the tradition.
Practice
Look at each Devanagari vowel and say its IAST equivalent aloud. Cover the answers and test yourself.
- अ → ?
- आ → ?
- इ → ?
- ई → ?
- उ → ?
- ऊ → ?
- ऋ → ?
- ए → ?
- ऐ → ?
- ओ → ?
- औ → ?
Which vowel do you see in these Gita words? Identify the initial vowel.
- आत्मा (starts with आ = ā)
- उपनिषद् (starts with उ = u)
- ईश्वर (starts with ई = ī)
- ऋषि (starts with ऋ = ṛ)
- ओम् (starts with ओ = o)
Recap
You learned all 13 Sanskrit vowels — 5 short, 4 long, and 4 diphthongs. Sanskrit is perfectly phonetic: one letter = one sound, always. The sacred syllable OM combines three of these vowels.
Coming Tomorrow
Tomorrow you'll learn the 25 consonant stops — and discover why Sanskrit organizes sounds more systematically than any other language on Earth.