#devanagari script

Tibetan skull

“I got this skull in March 2011 from an antique shop in Vienna, Austria. Showed it to several experts and organizations, such as the Institute for Tibetan and Buddhistic Studies in Vienna, the Museum of Natural History Vienna, and the Völkerkunde Museum. The Tibetan letters and most of the symbols got deciphered, but no one ever heard of a skull like that. Except one Tibetan Khenpo (Monk-Professor), who said such skulls were carved a long time ago to take a curse off a family or to guide the soul of a mislead human being on the right path.”     ~  Klemens, 2011    

Developed in the 8th century, the Devanagari Script is used as the writing system for many languages of the Indian Subcontinent, including Hindi, Nepali, Marathi, Rajasthani and Sanskrit. Devanagari is an abugida, meaning that vowel notation appears around consonant letters which are joined together by a horizontal line.

Consonants

क = k ख = kh ग = g घ = gh ङ = ṅ (ŋ;’ng’ in song) च = ch छ = chh ज = j झ = jh ञ = ñ (ɲ;n+y sound e.g. Spanish ñ) ट = ṭ (ʈ;‘t’ sound with tongue curled towards roof of mouth) ठ = ṭh ड = ḍ (ɖ;same as above with ‘d’ sound) ढ = ḍh ण = ṇ (ɳ;same as above with ‘n’ sound) त = t  थ = th (t+h not ‘th’ in three) द = d ध = dh न = n प = p फ = ph ब = b भ = bh म = m य = y र = r ल = l व = v~w श = sh ष = ṣ (ʂ;same as above with ‘sh’ sound) स = s  ह = h

extra letters which are used in Arabic and Persian loanwords include क़-q , ख़-kh [x], ग़-gh [ɣ], ज़-z, झ़-zh [ʒ], and फ़-f

Vowels

Vowels appear in two forms; the initial form, which is mostly used at the beginning of words, and the diacritic form which is used after consonants - demonstrated below with क (k)

अ = [ə] (’a’ in ago) - क = kə (usually transliterated as ‘a’)

आ = ā - का = kā

इ = i - कि = ki

ई = ī - की = kī 

उ = u - कु = ku

ऊ = ū - कू = kū

ए = [e] (’a’ in play) - के = ke

ऐ = [ɛ] (’e’ in bed) - कै = kɛ (usually transliterated as ‘ai’)

ओ = o - को = ko

औ = [ɔː] (’ough’ in thought) - कौ = kɔː (usually transliterated as ‘au’)

ं (e.g अं) represents a nasal sound, usually before a consonant ँ (e.g अँ) represents a nasalised vowel ः (e.g. अः) represents a ‘h’ sound after a vowel  ् cancels out the inherent ‘ə’; क = kə but क् = k

Conjuncts

Conjucts are characters which are the combination of 2 (or more) consonant letters which aren’t separated by vowels e.g. त(t) + व(v) = त्व(tvə). They are a nightmare too complex and varying to explain but you can find a full chart of conjuncts here. Some common ones are below:

The Hindu University of America offers a four-year intensive program, Certificate Program in Bhagavad Gita through Sanskrit (BGTS), to teach the students to achieve proficiency in Bhagavad Geeta through the Sanskrit language. 

Program Overview: The program is designed to prepare beginning students, with no prior fluency or knowledge of Sanskrit, to access the Bhagavad Geeta directly without translation or mediation. The medium of teaching is fully in Sanskrit, and the faculty leads the students verse by verse while simultaneously unfolding both the meanings of the verses and the nuances of the language. 

Target Audience: This foundation curriculum is targeted at students of all ages ranging from High School onwards, with a passion to learn a new language and engage with the Bhagavad Geeta in its original language. No prior knowledge of Sanskrit is assumed, except for familiarity with the Devanagari script. 

Program Learning Objectives: The program aims to enable the students to gain proficiency in six dimensions of the Sanskrit language, including reading, listening, speaking, understanding the structure, patterns, and technology of the language, comprehending the verses of the Bhagavad Geeta, and writing comprehensible passages in Sanskrit. 

Testimonials: The Bhagavad Geeta has inspired millions of readers for thousands of years. The program provides testimonials from renowned personalities like Adi SankarAchArya, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, and others who have praised the Bhagavad Geeta in their own unique ways. 

Conclusion: The Certificate Program in Bhagavad Gita through Sanskrit (BGTS) at the Hindu University of America is an intensive and challenging program that provides a systematic and balanced study of the Sanskrit language through the Bhagavad Geeta and the Bhagavad Geeta through the Sanskrit language. It prepares the students to achieve proficiency in the Sanskrit language and gain access to the original intent and message of the Bhagavad Geeta.

Enroll Course 

CONTACT — 407–205–2118

Overview >> Hindu University Of America

EMAIL- [email protected]

INTRODUCING DEVANAGARII 

This course is targeted at all students who are beginners of Sanskrit, Hindi, or one of the other languages of India that use DevanAgari script. The focus is on learning the alphabets and combination letters in the two most popular and important languages of India, Sanskrit and Hindi. This course is the basic course for all the students who do not have any background knowledge of Devanagari script. 

Introducing DevanAgarii Course Description:  

There is a great joy associated with mastering a new language, regardless of what that language is. Every new word acquired gives rise to a new sense of accomplishment. For example, the joy of learning the Sanskrit language is multi-fold, because it provides direct access to the master-key of the living Hindu Civilization, to the texts and narratives of its rich traditions of dharma, yoga, jnana, art, music, dance, song, and the various cultural and spiritual traditions.  

This course will enable students to access the vast corpus of Sanskrit and Hindi Texts directly and is a foundational course for students of all ages and backgrounds from Middle School onwards.  

It is a stand-alone course offered by the Hindu University of America, having 15 hours of instruction in English over a 10-week period (one quarter at the HUA). It is targeted at all students who are real beginners of Sanskrit, Hindi, or one of the other languages of India that use DevanAgari script. The focus is on learning the alphabets and script. The focus is on learning the alphabets and script. The focus is on learning the alphabets and script. The focus is on learning the alphabets and d combination letters in the two most popular and important languages of India, Sanskrit and Hindi. 

There will be two homework assignments and no quarter-end-exam for this course. On completion, students will get 1.5 credits. More importantly, they will be ready to delve into a deeper study of either of these great languages that inform and enliven a civilization and culture, its wisdom and worldview, its philosophy and spirituality, through the other Certificate Programs offered by the HUA. 

Course Contents: 

Study and use of the DevanAgari script,  

Origin of the sounds, Pronunciations of Vowels and Consonants 

Combination letters as applicable to Hindi and Sanskrit. 

Learning Objectives: 

Understand the origin of various sounds in DevanAgarii. 

Pronounce and write the alphabets that are single letters, both vowels, and consonants. 

Pronounce and write combination letters. 

Get personal coaching in pronouncing a few basic words in Hindi and Sanskrit. 

At the completion of this course, students will have the option to take up further advanced studies in Sanskrit through:  

(a) the Certificate Program in Sanskrit Proficiency (CPSP), or 

(b) the Certificate Program in Shuddh (Pristine) Hindi (CPSH), or 

(c) Any other Certificate Program to be offered by the HUA in future in many Indic languages that use the DevanAgari script. 

CONTACT — 407–205–2118

Overview >> Hindu University Of America

EMAIL- [email protected]