[INDOLOGY] nāda = anusvāra

[Harry Spier]

Dear all,
Is it possible that in the  bījamantra description: gakāraḥ pūrvarūpam |
akāro madhyamarūpam | anusvāraś cāntyarūpam | bindur uttararūpam | nādaḥ
sandhānam |
the phrase anusvāraś cāntyarūpam bindur uttararūpam  nādaḥ sandhānam |
means:
The anusvāra whose form is last in place is in the form of the bindu above
joined to nāda .

I.e. instead of saying that the bījamantra ends with anusvāra followed by
bindu above joined to nāda, could it be saying that the form of the anusvāra
at the end of the bījamantra is the bindu above joined to nāda. Where nāda
is in the form of an inverted crescent.

Why do I ask that. If you look at the end of page 114 and the beginning of
page 115 of Woodroffe's Garland of Letters he writes: Nada and Bindu exist
in all Bija mantras which are generally written with the Bindu above and
the Nada below, for this is the form of the written Candrabindu. In however
some of the old pictorial representations of Omkara the real position of
Nada is shown as being over Bindu as an inverted crescent.

Thus the hymns description of the bījamantra would agree with its written
representation.

Thanks,
Harry Spier



On Sun, Mar 29, 2026 at 5:05 PM Madhav Deshpande <mmdesh at umich.edu> wrote:

> Yes Harry. But I am myself not entirely clear about these three things
> coming in that order. While Bindu may refer to the written sign, what does
> the expression nādaḥ saṃhitā?
>
> Madhav
>
> 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 11:44 AM Harry Spier <vasishtha.spier at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> 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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