Sanskrit Recitation Course

 

~ Verse 5 ~

The Guru is the same as the Self,
the same as Consciousness itself.
This is the truth. This is the absolute truth.
Those who seek wisdom should make
every effort to find their Guru.

Devanagari

Guru buddhyaat
goo – roo  bood - dhyaat

Note: The consonant combination "dh" means there is a slight aspiration, as though you have extra air following the pronunciation of each consonant. When it's doubled-up as it is here, first pronounce the 'd' then the 'dh'; then start smashing them together. In Sanskrit, there would be a subtle distinction of pronunciation between saying 'budhyat' or 'buddhyat'. It's as though there's a really small pause on the first d to give it a moment on its own, then you roll into the next 'dh'. It's subtle though - don't get stressed about it... smile

Buddhi means intellect, the discrimination function of the mind.

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mano naanyat
mu - no  naan - yut
Note: take the 'at' of the end of the prior word and add it to 'man'. What do you have? Atman, meaning the Self, the Soul.
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satyam satyam
sut - yum  sut - yum
Note: satyam means Truth. Repeating here it emphasizes the strength of this statement.
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na samshayaha
nu sum - shu - yu - (hu)

Note: In Sanskrit there is a letter often seen at the end of words that looks like a colon :
It is called visargha, and tells us to repeat the last vowel as though there were a faint echo to it. So here, our last vowel in samshaya was an 'a', which is pronounced like a dull 'u' sound. So we kind of bounce on that once again, ever-so gently and delicately. Samshaya looks like this in Devanagari

संशयः

Samshaya means doubt, and na means not. So together this expression means 'without a doubt'. We also see it in verses 14, 73, 76, 82.

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Now repeat the first line all together...
Guru buddhyaat mano naanyat, satyam satyam na samshayaha
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Tallaa bhaartham
tu - laa  bhaar - tham

Note: bhaartham has two aspirated consonants:

the consonant combination "bh" means there is a slight aspiration, as though you have extra air following the pronunciation of each consonant – bh is pronounced like 'abhor'

In English, when we see a 'th', we always want to pronounce it like 'this' or 'that'. These are sounds that don't exist in Sanskrit. When you see the 'th', just give it extra air after the 't', like our word anthill.

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prayat nastu
pru - yut  nus - too
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kartavyo hi
kur - tuv - yo  hee
Note: kartavyo literally means '[effort] should be made', but it kind of sounds like the English word cartagrapher – a mapmaker, and amps are used for looking / seeking. The point of keywords is to help you remember the English meaning so that, as you recite the Sanskrit you can simultaneously contemplate the meaning. And if a little word association like this can help you do so... go for it.
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manishibhihi
mu - ni - shee - bhee - (hi)

Note: this word has both the short and the long 'i' - watch for the difference: the first is short, the second long, the third is long, and the fourth... is not an 'i' ... it is the visarga again - so we just bounce on the last vowel, giving a faint echo to the 'eee' sound. Here's how this word looks in Devanagari

मनीषिभिः

Manis is from manas, meaning mind, implying wisdom, one who thinks.

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Now repeat the second line all together...
Tallaa bhaartham prayat nastu, kartavyo hi manishibhihi
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Now repeat the entire verse all together:

Guru buddhyaat mano naanyat, satyam satyam na samshayaha; Tallaa bhaartham prayat nastu, kartavyo hi manishibhihi.
And with the keywords:
Guru buddhyaat mano naanyat, satyam satyam na samshayaha; Tallaa bhaartham prayat nastu, kartavyo hi manishibhihi.
The Guru is the same as the Self, the same as Consciousness itself. This is the truth. This is the absolute truth. Those who seek wisdom should make every effort to find their Guru.
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