how is 'dayaananda' pronounced?

[Dean Michael Anderson]

I was talking to a
friend of mine who is an eminent Western Sanskrit grammarian and we could not
agree on the correct pronunciation of words like "dayaananda".

 

In my extensive
travels in India and conversations with pandits I have heard these words
pronounced like "dayaaNANda" with the accent on the second to last
syllable.

 

This was also how I
understood it from textbooks and university studies. For example, Goldman's
DevavaaNiipravezikaa (2009:9) says:

 

"The general
rule is that the penultimate syllable (next to last) receives mild stress if it
is as heavy (guru...). If the penultimate is light (laghu....),
the stress falls on the syllable that precedes it (antepenultimate) regardless
of its weight."

 

But I am, by no
means, a grammarian. My knowledge of Sanskrit is focused merely on
understanding the history and culture. 

 

My friend, however,
is a expert grammarian and he says it should be pronounced
"dayAAnanda" with the accent on the antepenultimate syllable. He
explains: 

 

“dayA has an udAtta accent on the final A.  nanda has an
udAtta on the first 'a'; 'Ananda' has an
udAtta on the final 'a'.  While a tatpuruza compound is high-pitched on
the final syllable, a bahuvrIhi compound, which this would be as a name, has
the original accent of the initial compound member (Astadhyayi: bahuvrIhau
prak.rtyA pUrvapadam).  Hence dayAnanda has a high-pitch on the 'A',
regardless of whether it is analyzed as he whose joy (nanda) or bliss (Ananda)
is compassion."

 

I’d be interested in
any guidance on this subject.

 

I could conjecture
about usage and speech environment differences, etc., or even just plain
mistakes, but I think I’ll just leave it to the experts here.

 

Best,

 

Dean Michael Anderson

East West Cultural
Institute