[INDOLOGY] nāda = anusvāra

[Harry Spier]

Hi Madhav,
We spoke about this very topic and this very hymn in Aug. 2010. ( how time
flies :-) )

You asked:

I recite the Gaṇeśaa Atharvaśīrṣa everyday since my childhood, but I had
not previously thought about some of the lines in it:  gakāraḥ pūrvarūpam
/ akāro madhyamarūpam / anusvāraś cāntyarūpam / bindur uttararūpam /
nādaḥ sandhānam / saṃhitā sandhiḥ /.
While the anusvāra is considered to be antya, the bindu is considered to
be uttara.  Is there any (tāntric?) explanation to split the anusvāra and
the bindu.  I always thought that bindu is simply a graphic representation
for the anusvāra, as is seen in some grammars of Skt:
upariṣṭād bindur anusvāraḥ.  How would one distinguish antya from uttara
in these lines?  Any suggestions?
----------------------------------------------------------


I said:

I wonder if the reference to anusvāra, bindu and nāda refers to the
candrabindu representation of the anusvāra sound where the anusvAra sound
is divided into three components called nāda, bindu and kalātītā, where the
candra represents nAda, and kalAtitA is an unheard sound.  Perhaps in this
case nāda and bindu refer to the heard portion of anusvāra (candrabindu)
and what it calls anusvāra is the unheard portion which it considers as the
"true" anusvāra.

----------------------------------------

You replied:

 The previous passage in the Gaṇeśa Atharvaśīrṣa does seem to refer to a
mixture of written and oral representation:  (oral) gaṇādim pūrvam uccārya,
varṇādiṃ tad anantaram / anusvāraḥ parataraḥ / (written) ardhendulasitam (=
candrakalā) / tāreṇa ruddham (tāra = star = bindu) / etat tava manusvarūpam
/
---------------------------

Harry Spier


On Sun, Mar 29, 2026 at 9:42 AM Madhav Deshpande via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> In the Gaṇapati-Atharvaśīrṣa, we see the following description of the
> bījamantra "gaṃ" -
> गकार: पूर्वरूपम्। अकारो मध्यमरूपम्।अनुस्वारश्चान्त्यरूपम्।
> बिन्दुरुत्तररूपम्। नाद: सन्धानम्।
> I have not fully understood the differences between अनुस्वार, बिन्दु, and
> नाद. I would appreciate any clarity from our friends.
>
> Madhav M. Deshpande
> Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics
> University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
> Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies
> Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
>
> [Residence: Campbell, California, USA]
>
>
> On Sun, Mar 29, 2026 at 6:33 AM Arlo Griffiths via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
>> Dear colleagues,
>>
>> A question on behalf of a student who is not on this list.
>>
>> The Old Javanese text that he is editing contains an Āryā stanza listing
>> several synonyms for anusvāra:
>>
>> vindu lavan madana kunaṅ,
>> kunaṅ-kunaṅ len tāra lavan vintaṅ,
>> tilaka titik kani surahan,
>> nahan ta parināmaniṅ nāda.
>>
>> As for vindu “circular point” and madana “bee;” kunan-kunaṅ “firefly,”
>> tāra “star,” and vintaṅ “star;” tilaka “sign,” titik “point mark,” kani
>> “wound” [and] surahan “?.” Thus the synonyms of nāda “nasal.”
>>
>> The term nāda here, obviously borrowed from Sanskrit, seemed surprising
>> at first, until I read in MW, under nāda:
>>
>> (in the Yoga) the nasal sound represented by a semicircle and used as an
>> abbreviation in mystical words, BhP. [ID=105477]
>>
>> I haven't been able to find any other reference to furnish to my student.
>> Can anyone help?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Arlo Griffiths
>>
>>
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>
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