What 𑌽 means
It marks an initial vowel lost where Sanskrit words join. 𑌽 is silent: it points to an initial a or ā dropped through sandhi, the sound changes that happen when words meet.
In ancient Vedic phonetics, avagraha can also name a timed interval during recitation. The earliest written example cited by a manuscript study is on the Baroda copper plate of Dhruva II, a king of the Gujarat branch of the Rashtrakutas, dated 834-35 CE. In a Grantha Ṛgveda Padapāṭha—a word-by-word recitation text—avagraha marks compound boundaries; one manuscript sign combines it with the mark for a prolonged vowel.
Why does the missing vowel matter?
It helps readers recover the words after sandhi. The mark shows where fused Sanskrit words separate, so it works as a reading aid rather than a sound.
Practice varies: Grantha teaching material favors writing the mark explicitly, while Sanskrit manuscripts also omit it. When transcribing a particular text, follow that text's convention.
Scholarly and script-specific: it signals Sanskrit spelling conventions in Grantha text.
Do not pronounce it; it records an elision rather than a sound.
Part of the collection
Who writes 𑌽
Loading…
What it means when someone sends it to you
2 readingsMarks an initial a or ā omitted when neighboring words join.
Related characters
1
Combination ideas
1Questions people ask
1Can I omit avagraha in Sanskrit?
Sometimes. Teaching and manuscript practice varies; omission can leave the word boundary less explicit. When transcribing a particular source, follow its convention.
More like this
10
How to type or find 𑌽
- Also called
- avagraha · Grantha avagraha
- Search it as
- Sanskrit avagraha · Devanagari avagraha · sandhi · apostrophe · Sanskrit punctuation · double avagraha · missing vowel
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𑌽\1133DCodes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.