Pronunciation and Phonetics

Learning proper pronunciation can be done without much knowledge of phonetics, actually. A basic knowledge, however, helps to make pronunciation clearer and thus facilitates the process of learning how to speak a foreign language properly.

eAmbalam introduces a phonetic chart which is based on Dhevanagari script. The sounds of vowels and consonants and other speech sounds in Sanskrit and the languages which have completely or mostly borrowed from it can be covered with the help of the chart. A few other sounds common to some languages in this group and outside are also put in. Unique sounds of some languages are specified too.

Diacritical marks are used to aid perfect pronunciation. World over, these marks have been created and propagated by scholars to make understanding of the differences in speech sounds in different languages better. Team eAmbalam also has created a phonetic chart which helps even first timers to pronounce words accurately.

Our Phonetic chart is unique, comprehensive, learner friendly and is divided into four columns wherein:
  • In the first column, the letter is written with the associated diacritical mark.
  • In the second column, an example is given in Dhevanagari language containing the letter.
  • In the third column, an example is given in English, which contains the sound closes to the letter or instructions in few cases, to facilitate better understanding.
  • In the fourth column, an audio button is placed with the help of which you can hear the actual pronunciation of the letter.
An open minded approach with the above introduction and guidelines will definitely enable the user to understand the speech sounds of any language and pronounce it like a native, which is eAmbalam’s aim in this exercise.

  VOWELS  
Syllable Usage in Sanskrit Usage in English
A or a Aḍavu Arise
Ā or ā Ānanda Vast
I or i Indhira Sing
Ī or ī Īśha Meal
U or u U ṣhā Good
Ū or ū Ū rdhhva Boost
R or r Riṣh i Try
Ṛ or ṛ Ni ṛ uti Grr!
Lr or lr   Pronounce L and R together.
E or e Eka Ate
AI or ai Aikya Sight
O or o Ojas Robe
AU or au Audh ā rya Now
A M or am Śhiva m Drum
A HA or aha R ā ma ha Aha!
Syllable Usage in Sanskrit Usage in English


CONSONANTS
Syllable Usage in Sanskrit Usage in English
KA or ka Kavi Car
KHA or kha Khalu Mark -Him
GA or ga Gamana Gut
GHA or gha Ghata Ugh!
Ṅ A or ṅa Tura ṅ ga Ring
CHA or ca Chakra Chart
CHHA or cha Chhandas Branch
JA or ja Jagath Jug
JHA or jha Jhallari Fudge
NYA or nya Gnyana Knew
Ṭ A or ṭ Ṭ anka Top
ṬHA or ṭha Pāṭha Pothole
ḌA or da Ḍ amaruka Dog
Ḍ HA or ḍ ha Mūḍ ha Madhouse
Ṇ A or ṇ a Ga ṇ a Wander
THA or tha Thanu Health
THHA or thha Athha Theater
DHA or dha Dha śha This
DHHA or dhha Dhhana m Dha with an additional H sound
NA or na Namask ā raha Nut
PA or pa   Path ā ka Past
PHA or pha Phala m P with a H sound
BA or ba Bandhhu Ball
BHA or bha Bhadra Abhor
MA or ma Manas Money
YA or ya Yama Yummy
RA or ra Rajas Rub
LA or la Lath ā Lust
VA or WA, va /wa A śh va or A śhwa Water/Valour
ŚHA or śha Śhakthi Shutter
ṢHA or ṣ ha Ṣh a ṇ mukha Shunt
SA or sa Sarasvatī Sun
HA or ha Hari Hum
Ḷ A or ḷ a Ar āḷ a Bold
KṢHA or k ṣ ha Ak ṣh i Try to pronounce Ka, Sa & Ha – all at one time.
Extra Vowels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada & Malayalam Scripts    
É or é Éṇi Angel
Ō or ō Ō m Ō M
ZHA Exclusive to Tamil & Malayalam Fold the tip of your tongue backwards and try to pronounce it with the aid of the audio button.
Syllable Usage in Sanskrit Usage in English

Lyrics and Meanings (Sloka)

Śhloka is a term derived from Sanskrit. Śhloka is a verse, phrase, proverb or hymn of praise dedicated to the God.

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Lyrics and Meanings (Sloka)

Śhloka is a term derived from Sanskrit. Śhloka is a verse, phrase, proverb or hymn of praise dedicated to the God. Śhlokas are usually composed in a specific meter. Śhloka is a verse of two lines, each of sixteen syllables. Usually the Śhloka selected is from our ancient Purāṇas or epics - Ithihāsa - and is set to a particular rāga and thāḷa.

The dancer would give expression to the bhāva that is underlying in the Śhloka, bringing out the deeper meaning laden in it. They may even construct swaras for the Śhloka and dance to them or they would perform a Thīrmānam for them. If there is no scope for Sanchāri Bhāva in the Śhloka, then the artiste would perform to the swaras in the rāga and execute thīrmānas or nruttha, accordingly, bringing out the qualities of the manifestation of God in whose praise the Śhloka is set.

The Śhloka is always centered on this mood of serenity, and is associated with devotion. It is the state in which a man transcends from his state of mind and is transported closest to the Divine, to the Supreme and the Ultimate. Though the Śhloka selected is mostly written in Sanskrit, the artistes usually select verses from the language of the particular region, or of their choice.

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Vandhe Mātharam

 

Composer: Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also called Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay)
Language: Sanskrit

Meanings - Word by word: Team Ambalam

Meanings - Overall: Sri Aurobindo - http://www.bhavans.info/heritage/vandemataram.asp

Alignment, Diacriticals & consequent spelling changes, Language & grammar editing, if any and necessary, of existing meaning: Team Ambalam

 

 

Vandhe mātharam

 

Sujalām suphalām malayaja śhīthalam,
Sasyaśhyāmalam mātharam!

Śhubhra jyothsna-pulakitha yāminīm,
phullakusumitha-dhrumadhala śhobhinīm
suhasinīm sumadhhura bhāṣhinīm,
sukhadhām varadhām mātharam!

Thrimśhakoṭikāntha-kalākala-ninādha karāle
dhvithrimśhakoṭi bhujair dhhrutha-khara karāvale
abalā kena ma eta bale!
Bahubaladharinīm, namāmi thārinin,
ripudhalavāriṇīm mātharam!

Thumi vidhyā, thumi dhharma,
thumi hridhi, thumi marma,
thvam hi prāṇah śharire!
Bahuthe thumi mā śhakthi,
hridhaye thume ma bhakthi,
thomari prathimā gari mandhire mandhire !

Thvam he dhurgā daśhapraharaṇa dhhāriṇi,
kamala, kamala-dhala-vihāriṇi,
vāṇi vidhyādhāyini namāmi thvam
namāmi kamalām amalām athulām,
sujalām suphalām mātharam,
vandhe mātharam!

Śhyāmalām, saralām, susmithām, bhūṣhitham,
dharinīm, bharanīm mātharam.

Meaning:

Vandhe mātharam

 

Vandhe - I bow to;

mātharam – mother

 

I bow to thee, O Mother!

Sujalām suphalām malayaja śhīthalam,
Sasyaśhyāmalam mātharam!

 

Sujalām – with abundant water;

Suphalām- full of fruits;

malayaja - the winds of the south;
śhīthalam - cool with;

Sasyaśhyāmalam- dark with the crops;

mātharam!-  The mother !

Richly-watered, richly-fruited, cool with the winds of the south,
dark with the crops of the harvests, the mother !


Śhubhra jyothsna-pulakitha yāminīm,
phullakusumitha-dhrumadhala śhobhinīm
suhasinīm sumadhhura bhāṣhinīm,
sukhadhām varadhām mātharam!

 

Śhubhra jyothsna- the bright moonlight;

pulakitha – rejoicing;

yāminīm – night;
phullakusumitha – flowers in bloom;

dhrumadhala - trees

śhobhinīm - shining
suhasinīm – smiling

sumadhhura bhāṣhinīm- speaking sweetly
sukhadhām – giver of joy

varadhām – giver of boons

mātharam! – the mother!


Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
the mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss!


Thrimśhakoṭikanṭha-kalākala-ninādha karāle
dhvithrimśhakoṭi bhujair dhhrutha-khara karāvale
abalā kena ma eta bale!
Bahubaladharinīm, namāmi thārinin,
ripudhalavāriṇīm mātharam!


Thrimśhakoṭi -

kanṭha-kalākala- noise of the throat;

ninādha – sounds;

karāle – fierce;
dhvithrimśhakoṭi-

 bhujair dhhrutha-held by the shoulders;

khara - swords

karāvale – in the hand
abalā -weak

kena –by whom?

ma eta–that you are

 bale! -said
Bahubaladharinīm – one who has a lot of strengths;

 namāmi – I bow to

thārinin – one who saves;
ripudhala- army of enemies;

vāriṇīm – one who drives away;

 mātharam!- the mother;


Terrible with the clamorous shout of seventy million throats,
and the sharpness of swords raised in twice seventy million hands,
who sayeth to thee, mother, that thou art weak?
Holder of multitudinous strength, I bow to her who saves,
to her who drives from her the armies of her foemen, the mother!

Thumi vidhyā, thumi dhharma,
thumi hridhi, thumi marma,
thvam hi prāṇah śharire!
Bahuthe thumi mā śhakthi,
hridhaye thume ma bhakthi,
thomari prathimā gari mandhire mandhire !

Thumi vidhyā – you are the knowledge;

 thumi dharma – you are the virtue;
thumi hridhi – you are the heart;

 thumi marma – you are the secret one inside;
thvam hi – you indeed are;

prāṇah – the life in; śharire!- the body!
Bahuthe – in the shoulder(arms);

thumi mā śhakthi – you are the goddess of strength;
hridhaye – in the heart;

thume ma bhakthi – you are the goddess of devotion
thomari – your; prathimā – image;

 gari – to place in;

 mandhire mandhire !- in the temples;


Thou art knowledge, thou art conduct,
thou art heart, thou art soul,
for thou art the life in our body.
In the arm thou art might, o mother,
in the heart, o mother, thou art love and faith,
it is thy image we raise in every temple.


Thvam he dhurgā daśhapraharaṇa dhhāriṇi,
kamala, kamala-dhala-vihāriṇi,
vāṇi vidhyādhāyini namāmi thvam
namāmi kamalām amalām athulām,
sujalām suphalām mātharam,
vandhe mātharam!

 

Thvam he dhurgā – You are goddess Durga

daśhapraharaṇa dhhāriṇi – holding the ten weapons of destruction
kamala – the lotus;

kamala-dhala-vihāriṇi – one who sports in the lotus petals;
vāṇi  - speech;

vidhyādhāyini – giver of knowledge;

namāmi thvam – I bow to you;
namāmi – I bow to;

kamalām – the goddess of wealth;

amalām – pure;

athulām – incomparable;
Sujalām – with abundant water;

Suphalām- full of fruits;

mātharam!-  The mother !

Vandhe mātharam – Hail to the mother!


For thou art Durga holding her ten weapons of war,
kamala at play in the lotuses
and speech, the goddess, giver of all lore, to thee i bow!
I bow to thee, goddess of wealth, pure and peerless,
richly-watered, richly-fruited, the mother!


Śhyāmalām, saralām, susmithām, bhūṣhitham,
dharinīm, bharanīm mātharam
.


 Śhyāmalām – the dark one;

 Saralām – the simple one;

Susmithām – the smiling one;

 bhūṣhitham – the bejewelled one;
dharinīm – the one who is adorned;

bharanīm – One who is prosperous;

mātharam – the mother!
 
I bow to thee, other, dark-hued, candid,
Sweetly smiling, jewelled and adorned,
the holder of wealth, the lady of plenty, the mother

 

1 Vandhe Mātharam click here












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