What varied birds poets be!

I’m a poet, others more so as well,
The difference still need be brought home.
Fine, Ra and La do closely dwell,
Yet, karabh called, would kalabh come?  
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Translation | 28.10.2025 | language, poets, words
Note: In Sanskrit pronunciations and spellings are closely aligned. Now, the pronunciation of the consonants ra and la arise from a close by places in the mouth. Yet, the difference, how so small, is still there. Karabha means the young of camel, and lalabha, that of elephant. There are poets and poets, different are their poetic ways. How so small be the difference, it is still there. Transliteration of Sanskrit is as under:    
Aham api pare api kavayah  
Tathaa api param antaram pari-jnyeyam |
Aikyam  ra-la yoh api yadi
Tat kim karabha aayate kalabhah ||Subhashhitam ||
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

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Pathak Avatar
October 24, 2025 at 11:58 PM
I have brought to Poetry Soup many poetic translations of Sanskrit verses. Now, Sanskrit is a phonetic language and precision in pronunciation is crucial. In Sanskrit, one pronounces as the word is spelt, and spelled just as pronounced. In ancient mantras, vibrations created by words are meaningful. But Roman Script cannot do full justice in reproducing the language precisely. English language has only five vowels and 26 alphabets in all. Sanskrit has many more--both vowels and consonants. And yet, PS would not allow any transliteration symbols, nor Devanagari script of the language. So much so that when I say Subhashhitam (a verse well said), I have to add one more ‘h’ to it so that even in a part word the forbidden word sh-t is avoided, a no, no for PS. The why is beyond me.
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