One more try re: AnusvAra in Vedic Recitation

[Madhav Deshpande]

Since the recitational practices of one Vedic tradition have a tendency of
influencing the recitation of texts which originally do not belong to that
tradition, one finds this *gu~/ga.m/ etc. pronunciation of the Anusvaara
in unexpected places.  While reciting the line sa.mhitaa sandhi.h in the
Ga.napati-Atharva-Ziir.sa, I was taught to recite it as sagu~hitaa
sandhi.h.  Normally the pronunciation of the anusvaara in this environment
in the general Marathi area is sa~vhitaa.  Actually my wife asked me the
other day why I was reciting this line as sagu~hitaa sandhi.h.  To come to
think of it, it is possible that the people who taught me may have been
influenced by the Taittiriiya pronunciation, though my own family is a
Rgvedi family.  A popular text like the Ga.napati-Atharva-Ziir.sa is
recited by people of all Vedic affiliations and its pronunciation would
likely be affected by all sorts of variant ways.  As I was growing up in
Pune, I had the opportunity to join my father several times for the
Zraava.nii ("renewal of the sacred thread") rite, and this particular rite
was attended by Brahmins from various different affiliations, the Zaakala
Rgvedins and Aapastamba/Hira.nyakezin Taittiriiyas.  Everyone would
perform the common parts together, but the main officiating priest would
issue separate instructions where these schools differed from each other.
This confluence of various traditions in the performance of rites would be
a prime occasion where there would be mutual influences in pronunciation
and other areas.  Best,
                                Madhav Deshpande

On Mon, 14 Feb 2000, Michael Witzel wrote:

> Recitation of anusvaara (or often, anunnaasika, as per Vedic school) before
> y ,r, l, v, z, S, s, h varies greatly over all parts of the subcontinent
> according to school and region.
>
> Details on anunasika pronunciation (often ghu~, but also  ga, or g*,  where
> * = schwa) in:
>
> * Anunasika in medieval Veda tradition. (Materials on Vedic Sakhas 3) IIJ
> 25, 1983, 190.
> <<Including representation in manuscripts, and recitation, with some
> materials from Nepal to Madras>>
>
> * for several Vedic  texts, see (with an endless array of misprints, better
> ask the author for a fresh copy):
>
> On some unknown systems of marking the Vedic accents. Vishvabandhu
> Commemoration Volume = Vishveshvaranand  Indological Journal  12,  1974,
> 472-508
>
> cf. also:  this paper for Gujarat, Maharastra :
>
> * Materialien zu den vedischen Schulen: I. Ueber die Caraka-Schule. Studien
> zur Indologie und Iranistik, StII, 8/9, 1982, 171-240
>
> for Kashmir see:
>
> * Kashmiri Manuscripts and Pronunciation. In: Ikari, Y. (ed.) A study of
> the Nilamata - Aspects of Hinduism in Ancient Kashmir -.  Kyoto: Institute
> for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University  1994, 1-53
>
> for Orissa see:
>
> *   Die muendliche Tradition der Paippaladins von Orissa. Festgabe fuer K.
> Hoffmann, I. = Muenchener Studien zur Sprachwissenschaft, MSS, 44, 1985,
> 259-287
>
> and cf.:
>
> *  Die Atharvaveda-Tradition und die Paippalada-Samhita. ZDMG,
> Supplementband VI, (XXII. Deutscher Orientalistentag, Tuebingen,  March
> 1983),  Stuttgart 1985, 256-271
>
>
> Hope that helps. MW
>
>
>
> ==============================================================
> Michael Witzel
> Department of Sanskrit & Indian Studies, Harvard University
> 2 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138
>
> ph. 617-496 2990 (also messages)
> home page:     www.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/mwpage.htm
>
> Elect. Journ. of Vedic Studies:         www1.shore.net/~india/ejvs
>