A simple conversation
A) मह्यं मम यानं विपरीतं स्थापनं रोचते। mahyaM mama yAnaM viparItaM sthApanaM rocate( I like to reverse park my car)
B) किमर्थम्? kimartham (Why is that so?)
A) कदा बहिर्गमनम् इचामि तदा सरलतरं भवति।
kadA bahirgamanam icAmi tadA saralataraM bhavati.
(When I want to go out it's easier)
B)अस्तु।उच्चितम् | astu| uccitam| Ok, that's right.
Conversational Sanskrit.
One often neglected aspect of Sanskrit is its conversational aspect.
It's very much conversational if one is patient enough to study it.
The problem is most people aren't patient enough to learn the grammar and vocabulary and link it too fast to religion and miss the beauty of the language.
To learn Sanskrit effectively as to speak it, firstly drop all thoughts of getting "spiritually high" by learning it.
Sanskrit is very much a usable day to day language and when we place it too high on a pedestal we neglect its functional aspect and it remains unused and totally untapped.
It's like how everyone hangs a picture of God on their walls but do not think about Him at all.
I wrote this simple conversation which anyone can relate too to show its functional aspect. It would just reveal to us how much its so user friendly if we only drop its "spiritual tag" and actually use it.
नमस्ते। namaste (Hello)
नमस्ते | namaste(Hello)
किं करोषि ? kiM karoSi? (what are you doing?)
अहम्? aham? (me?)
आम्, आम् त्वमेव। aam aam, tvameva(Yes! Yes! it's you I am referring to)
किमपि न करोमि। kimapi na karomi(not doing anything)
किमार्थम्? kimArtham? (why?)
विरामः।virAmaH (holiday)
अस्तु।कुत्र असि इदानीम्? astu. kutra asi idAnIm( ok, where are you now?)
गृहे एव। किमार्थम्? आगच्छसि वा? gRhe eva. kimArtham? Agacchasi vA?(at home only, why? are you coming?)
अधुना न शक्नोमि किन्तु सयङ्काले आगमिष्यामि। adhunA na shaknomi kintu sayankAle AgamiSyAmi.(not able to now but will come in the evening)
अस्तु।पुनर्मिलामः। astu.punarmilAmaH( ok, see you)
पुनर्मिलामः।punarmilAmah(see you)
So what? It's no big deal!
Let's take a look at this simple conversation to understand the usage of the phrase "So what? It's no big deal"
अद्य सः पठति| adya saH paThati ( Today he is reading)
तेन किम्? tena kim? (So what?)
अहम् अपि पठामि | aham api paThAmi ( I am also reading)
इदं महाकार्यं नास्ति | idaM mahAkAryaM nAsti (This is no big deal)
व्यञ्जन (Vyanjana) the story of Consonants and Curry.
In Sanskrit the word व्यञ्जन (Vyanjana) can mean:
1)Consonant
2)Curry.
It might sound strange but there is a basis for this.
Firstly what is a consonant?
A consonant is an alphabet that can only be sounded with the help of a vowel.
For eg क (ka) is a consonant.
क (ka) = क् (k) + अ(a)
क(ka) can only be articulated with the help of the vowel अ(a)
In Sanskrit a vowel is called स्वर:(svara) which is short for
स्वयं राजते इति स्वर: svayaM rAjate iti svaraH which means that " A vowel is that which is self established"
In other words the vowel does not need the aid of any alphabet to articulate itself as it is the basis of phonetics.
Now coming to a Consonant व्यञ्जन (Vyanjana), as it was written earlier that a consonant can not be articulated without the help of a vowel.
Therefore a Consonant is not a main alphabet.
It can't stand without a vowel.
Ok, now lets get to the story of the other व्यञ्जन (Vyanjana), Curry.
Here it gets interesting.
As we know that we have to eat curry with the main dish like rice or bread.
The curry therefore is a side dish and the main basis of the meal is either rice or bread.
Therefore in this context a curry is called व्यञ्जन (Vyanjana) because its not the main dish and can not be eaten on its own without rice or bread.
To recap : A Consonant व्यञ्जन (Vyanjana) can not be articulated without the main alphabets(The Vowels)
and a Curry व्यञ्जन (Vyanjana) can not be eaten without the main dish of either rice or bread.
Strange but true..both consonants and curries are just side dishes.
