deriv LSK ETT STT aSTA ALPH OLDHOMEPAGE NEWHOMEPAGE

@fundamental dogma of Sanskrit spelling

The general principle of Sanskrit spelling is —

If you may say it like that, then you may spell it like that, and
if you may spell it like that, then you may read it aloud like that.

In current practice, this general principle has two exceptions:

Read "Hs" letters aloud as s स्s स् sound, and spell the s स्s स् sound always as "Hs".

Read "Md" letters aloud as nd न्द् sound, and spell the nd न्द् sound sometimes as "Md" sometimes as "nd".

When exactly should I spell nd न्द् as nd न्द्?

The nd न्द् sound must be spelled

  1. as "Md" when the n न् sound replaces a padafinal m म्,
  2. and as "nd" elsewhere.

What do I do if I don't know if the n न् sound in parantapa परन्तप is derived from a padafinal m म् or not?

You have four options—

  1. read carefully these pages and find out which pANini rules form parantapa परन्तप
  2. ask a paNDit पण्डित् who knows /pANini rules well
  3. look it up in a good dictionary (but not in spokensanskrit)
  4. take the THWI option and spell "Mt" always, irregardless of padafinalness.

Whats THWI?

See thwi.