Today's Goal
By the end of today, you will be able to read simple Devanagari syllables and real Sanskrit words like कृष्ण (Kṛṣṇa), अर्जुन (Arjuna), and गीता (Gītā).
The Inherent 'a' — Sanskrit's Default Vowel
Every consonant in Devanagari has a built-in 'a' sound. When you see क, it's not just 'k' — it's 'ka'. This is the most important rule in Devanagari. You only write a separate vowel sign when the vowel is NOT 'a'.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| क | ka | NOT just 'k' — the 'a' is built in |
| न म | na ma | Two syllables: na + ma |
Vowel Marks (मात्रा) — Changing the Built-in Vowel
To change the default 'a' to another vowel, you add a mātrā (vowel mark) to the consonant. Each vowel has its own mark shape. Here they are attached to क (ka) as an example.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| का | kā | long ā — a vertical stroke after the consonant |
| कि | ki | short i — a hook BEFORE the consonant (written left) |
| की | kī | long ī — a hook after the consonant |
| कु | ku | short u — a hook below the consonant |
| कू | kū | long ū — a tail below the consonant |
| कृ | kṛ | vowel ṛ — a small hook below |
| के | ke | e — a diagonal stroke above |
| कै | kai | ai — two strokes above |
| को | ko | o — stroke above AND after |
| कौ | kau | au — two strokes above AND one after |
Reading Real Gita Words
Now let's put it together. Break each word into consonant + vowel mark syllables.
| Devanagari | IAST | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| गीता | Gītā | ग (ga) + ी (ī) = गी; त (ta) + ा (ā) = ता → Gītā (song) |
| कृष्ण | Kṛṣṇa | क (ka) + ृ (ṛ) = कृ; ष्ण = ṣṇa → Kṛṣṇa (the dark one) |
| अर्जुन | Arjuna | अ (a); र् (r) + ज (ja) = र्जु; न (na) → Arjuna (the bright one) |
| कुरु | Kuru | क (ka) + ु (u) = कु; र (ra) + ु (u) = रु → Kuru (the dynasty) |
| पाण्डव | Pāṇḍava | प (pa) + ा (ā) = पा; ण्ड (ṇḍa); व (va) → sons of Pāṇḍu |
Gītā Connection
The very title भगवद्गीता (Bhagavad Gītā) uses mātrā marks everywhere. भ (bha), ग (ga), व (va), द् (d with no vowel), गी (gī with long ī mātrā), ता (tā with long ā mātrā). You can now decode the title letter by letter! It means 'The Song of the Lord.'
Practice
Read these syllables aloud and write their IAST.
- का → kā
- कि → ki
- कू → kū
- गी → gī
- दे → de
- तो → to
- नौ → nau
- मा → mā
- पु → pu
- री → rī
Sound out these Gita words syllable by syllable and write the full IAST.
- योग → yoga
- कर्म → karma
- गुरु → guru
- देव → deva
- माया → māyā
- सेना → senā
What vowel mark (mātrā) is used in the highlighted syllable?
- गी in गीता (long ī)
- कृ in कृष्ण (vowel ṛ)
- पा in पाण्डव (long ā)
- कु in कुरु (short u)
- दे in देव (e)
Recap
You learned the mātrā system — how vowels attach to consonants as marks rather than standalone letters. The inherent 'a' is built into every consonant. You can now read real Devanagari words from the Gita like गीता, कृष्ण, and अर्जुन.
Coming Tomorrow
Tomorrow tackles conjunct consonants — what happens when two consonants meet without a vowel between them. This is the key to reading words like क्षेत्र (kṣetra) and ज्ञान (jñāna).