Bhagavad Gétä Chanting Guidelines (Chpt 17)

Transcription

1 Bhagavad Gétä Chanting Guidelines (Chpt 17) DEFINITION OF TERMS USED 1. ðaek> (çlokaù) : A stanza or verse 2. pad> (pädaù): A quarter of a verse 3. ivsgr> (visargaù): A symbol in writing, representing a distinct hard aspiration and marked by two perpendicular dots (: ) in devnagri (devanägaré) script as found in the ending of the words like k«:[> (Kåñëaù) and ram> (Rämaù) 4. Aspiration: It means to pronounce with a puff or breath. 5. vgr> (vargaù:): A class or series of consonants in the alphabet. Example, k vgr (ka varga) is kœ o! g! "! 'œ (k kh g gh ì) 6. ALpàa[> (alpapräëaù): A non-aspirated consonant is called ALpàa[> alpapräëaù. For example, kœ k is non-aspirate 7. mhaàa[> (mahäpräëaù:): An aspirate consonant is called mhaàa[> (mahäpräëaù). For example, o! (kh) is aspirated 8. AnuSvar> (anusväraù:): This is nasalization and is represented by a dot above a letter as in )l< (phalaà) GUIDELINES FOR CORRECT PRONUNCIATION: 1. The distinction between ALpàa[> (alpapräëaù) and mhaàa[> (mahäpräëaù) must be scrupulously maintained. Care should also be taken for maintaining clarity of pronunciation of the letters.

2 For example, mhaàa[> (mahäpräëaù) in the word inóa (niñöhä) (Chpt 17, V 1) should not be pronounced as ALpàa[> (alpapräëaù) in:qa (nistä); and the mhaàa[> (mahäpräëaù) in the word zaôivixmuts&jy (çästravidhimutsåjya) (Chpt 17, V1) should not be pronounced as ALpàa[> (alpapräëaù) zaôividmuts&jy (çästravidimusåjya). The following letters are to be chanted with clear distinction from each other: k (ka) versus o (kha), g (ga) versus " (gha), t (ta) versus w (tha), d (da) versus x (dha) Example: "aere (ghore), gita (gétä), inóa (niñöhä), buiï (buddhi) 2. Sibilants: All s (sa), ; (ña) z (ça) sounds to be clearly pronounced. 3. Avagrahas are not to be chanted (letter s in Saàskåta shlokas and.a in English transliteration) 4. Nasal sounds n (na), [ (ëa) to be clearly and distinctly chanted. Example: muf ahe[atmn> (müòhagräheëätmanaù), pun> (punaù) 5. A ðaek> (çlokaù) or a verse is divided into four pada> (pädäù, quarters) while reciting. Take for example the ðaek> (çlokaù) verse no. 7 in Chapter XVII AaharSTvip svrsy içivxae Évit iày>, y}stpstwa dan< te;a< Éedimm< z&[u. 7. ähärastvapi sarvasya trividho bhavati priyaù yajïastapastathä dänaà teñäà bhedamimaà çåëu 7 This verse is divided while chanting into four pada> (pädäù, quarters) Quarter 1: AaharSTvip svrsy ähärastvapi sarvasya Quarter 2: içivxae Évit iày>, trividho bhavati priyaù Quarter 3: y}stpstwa dan< yajïastapastathä dänaà Quarter 4: te;a< Éedimm< z&[u. teñäà bhedamimaà çåëu The division into four quarters is only to enable easy chanting.

3 6. The aspiration of the ivsgr> (visargaù) followed by kœ (k), o! (kh), p! (p), )œ (ph), should be distinctly audible. a. A ivsgr> (visargaù:) should be pronounced fully only when applicable- (typically at the end of a pad> (pädaù) i.e. at the 8 th syllable or at the end of a line). Example: àvtrnte ivxanae a> (pravartante vidhänoktäù), dani³yaí ivivxa> (dänakriyäçca vividhäù) b. ivsgr> (visargaù) should be chanted only partially in the middle of the line. Example: scdbd> pawr yujyte (sacchabdaù pärtha yujyate) (V 26) mn>àsad> (manaùprasädaù) (Chpt 17, V 16) ivihta> pura (vihitäù purä) (Chpt 17, V 23) 7. AnuSvar> (anusväraù) followed by any consonant may be pronounced in tune with the 5 th nasal letter of the vgr> (vargaù) to which the consonant belongs. For example: Verse Number 5 dméah<kars<yu a> Word dambhähaàkärasaàyuktäù 28 tpstýn! k«tn! c yt!, tapastaptan krütaàca yat Should be pronounced as dméah»ars<yu a> dambhähaìkärasaàyuktäù tpstý< k«tâ yt!, tapastaptaà kåtaïca yat 8. \ å should not be pronounced as ir (ri) or é (ru). Example: k«:[> (kåñëaù) should not be pronounced as i³:[> (kriñëaù) or ³ :[> (kruñëaù) (V 1). k«t< (kåtaà) should not be pronounced as i³t< (kritaà) or ³ªt< (krütaà) (V 28)

4 9. sinx ivcded> (Sandhi vicchedaù) is to be done only at the end of the first pada> (pädäù, quarters); not anywhere else. 10. Halant should be chanted properly. 11. di"r (dérgha- long sounds) ÿsv (hrasva- short sounds): A (a) # (i) % (u) \ (å) - these are the ÿsv (hrasva, short) sounds, to be pronounced short. Aa (ä); $ (é); ^ (ü); (ai); Aae (o); AaE (au); A< (aà); A> (aù) are di"r (dérgha, long) sounds, to be pronounced long. A di"r (dérgha) or prolonged sound should be generally chanted twice as long as the hrasva or short sound. Example: datvyimit yîan< diyte=nupkair[e, (dätavyamiti yaddänaà déyate'nupakäriëe ) (bolded prolonged sounds) dätavyamiti yaddänaà déyate'nupakäriëe (bolded short sounds) 12. Colophon: ` ttsidit (Om tatsaditi) or ` ttst!. #it ïimdœ (Om tatsat. iti çrémad )

5 Bhagavad Gétä Judging Guidelines Judges scoring Rules Please note: Chanting will be judged based on the coaching in the Chinmaya Mission. 1. Completeness of Chanting: (Total points = Number of verses x 5). (14 x 5 = 70) a. The verses are to be chanted in correct order and fully. b. Five points for each fully and completely chanted verse. c. Prompting: One prompt will be allowed with no deduction of a point. No second prompting. d. Missed verse: 5 points to be deducted for each missed verse: for example, - Any verse missed partially or completely; - Inserting the missed verse anywhere out of sequence - Mixing lines of different verses. e. The introduction (atha saptaòaño) and the ending (i.e. çrimadbhagavadgétäsu) do not count toward completeness and must not affect the scoring. f. However, the student must chant (Çré Bhagaväna uväca or Arjuna uväca) as appropriate before chanting the shloka to receive five allotted points for that shloka. g. If the participant corrects his/her own mistake and proceeds to chant, no points are deducted in this category. However, note that this may affect the subjective score for Confidence and/or Ease of chanting categories. 2. Clarity of Chanting : Total of 10 points a. Diction: crisp b. Tone: Continuous and smooth c. Flow: in Anuñöhupa chandaù (i.e. break after the 8 th syllable). For example: praçaste karmaëi tathä..break.. sacchabdaù pärtha yujyate 3. Confidence and Ease of Chanting: Total of 10 points a. Poise: Composure, absence of distracting habits b. Presentation: Verses chanted in correct order, without interruptions, fumbling or need for prompting. 4. Pronunciations: Minus one point for each incorrect pronunciation. A participant repeating the same mistake shall be penalized only once.