Transliteration and Pronunciation Guide

Sanskrit is a beautifully ornate, expressive, and systematic language that has been used to effectively convey the profound spiritual, philosophical, and cultural principles of Hinduism. However, for those who are unfamiliar with the language or its Devanāgarī script, the pronunciation of its verses can be challenging.

To help readers overcome this challenge and accurately pronounce the Sanskrit verses of the Bhagavad-Gītā, we have included a transliteration of each verse. The transliteration scheme used allows for a functional representation of the original script, making it especially useful for non-native speakers to correctly pronounce Sanskrit words and phrases. The system used for creating the diacritics is based on the principles of the Latin script and is designed to be as intuitive and easy to use. Each of its diacritic marks, including various dots and bars, correspond to unique sounds of the Sanskrit language.

The following is an overview of these sounds and phonemes and how they map onto the transliteration scheme used in this text, along with tips for correctly pronouncing its unique letters.

Vowels

Long vowels have a dash above them (ā, ī, ū, rū) and take approximately twice the time it takes to pronounce their short counterparts (a, i, u, ru).

Consonants

Irregular Consonants

Consonants in the Sanskrit alphabet are categorized in the following way:

1. Guttural Consonants: k, kh, g, gh, n

   These sounds are produced from the throat.

2. Palatal Consonants: ch, chh, j, jh, n

   These sounds are produced by touching the body of the tongue to the front section of the palate.

3. Retroflex Consonants: ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, ṇ

   These sounds are produced by curling the tongue to the space between the alveolar ridge and the palate.

4. Dental Consonants: t, th, d, dh, n

   These sounds are produced by touching the tongue to the teeth.

5. Labial Consonants: p, f, b, bh, m

   These sounds are produced by the lips.

6. Semi-Vowels: y, r, l, v

   The first is palatal, the second retroflex, the third dental, and the fourth labial.

7. Sibilants: sh, sh, s

   The first is palatal, the second retroflex, and the third dental.

8. Aspirate: h

   This is actually a guttural aspirated sound.

Please note the following:

• श् (sh) and ष् (sh) produce sounds similar to the English ‘sh’ in ‘shoe’. The difference between the two is where the tongue is positioned in the mouth.

• t and retroflex letters (ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, ṇ) have no exact equivalent in English.

• f and all consonants followed by an ‘h’ are aspirated: kh, gh, ch, jh, ṭh, ḍh, th, dh, and bh.

• The फ् (f) is pronounced like the ‘p’ in ‘partial’, not like the ‘ph’ in ‘pharaoh’.

• When pronouncing ‘ः’ at the end of a stanza, the previous vowel is echoed after pronouncing ‘h’. For example, ‘shāntiḥ’ is pronounced “shāntihi.” However, if the vowel that occurs before ‘ः’ is either ऐ or औ, then the ‘ः’ is pronounced as ‘hi’ and ‘hu’, respectively.

Examples of Transliterations

The Sanskrit word: ‘योग’, is bifurcated into the following parts:

The Sanskrit word: ‘आत्मन्’, is bifurcated into the following parts:

The Sanskrit word: ‘पुरुषोत्तम’, is bifurcated into the following parts:

A consonant written twice, such as dd or tt, is pronounced as a single sound and is held twice as long as a single consonant.

The Sanskrit word: ‘अक्षरब्रह्मन्’ is bifurcated into the following parts:

Transliteration of Sanskrit Terms Appearing in the Translation

A unique system is implemented for Sanskrit terms that appear in the English translation to facilitate a more natural reading. Certain adjustments to the above-mentioned transliteration scheme are made to mimic how these terms are pronounced in Gujarati. For example, since the vowel ‘a’ at the end or within certain words is often not fully pronounced in Gujarati, it is omitted in the transliterations appearing in the translation. Examples include: (1) the Sanskrit term ‘Akshara’, which appears only as ‘Akshar’, and (2) the Sanskrit term ‘Avatārayoga’, which appears as ‘Avatār-yoga’ in the English translation. Other examples of adjustments that are made include (1) the replacement of the suffix ‘an’ with ‘ā’ for specific Sanskrit terms like ‘ātman’, which appears as simply ‘ātmā’, (2) the removal of ‘an’, which alters ‘Aksharadhāman’ into ‘Akshardhām’, and (3) the removal of diacritic dots, rendering ‘dakshiṇā’ into ‘dakshinā’.

Additionally, non-English terms that appear in the English translation are italicized. Although some of these terms are included within English dictionaries, they remain italicized to avoid confusion that may result from inaccurately confining their meanings to only those provided within these dictionaries. For instance, the word ‘karma’ is commonly used and well-known. The dictionary defines ‘karma’ as “the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.” Other meanings, such as “a deed” or “an action” itself, which are the more commonly intended meaning in specific contexts, are not mentioned within these dictionaries. To subtly draw attention to the distinction, these terms also appear in italics even though they appear in English dictionaries.

Also, where plural or possessive forms are required, the transliterated term is conjugated as if it is an English noun by adjoining ‘-s’ or ‘-’s’, or other suffixes. For example, the plural and possessive forms of ‘ātmā’ are written as: ‘ātmās’ and ‘ātmā’s’.

Whether you are a student of Sanskrit or simply interested in exploring how to recite the verses of the Gītā, we hope these tables, explanations, and examples will provide an invaluable resource for pronouncing the transliterations and Sanskrit (Devanāgarī) text.