deriv SD cv (94) ashtadhyayi.com hei.de L 94 ETT STT a 8.3.23 ALPH OLDHOMEPAGE NEWHOMEPAGE

mo 'nusvAraH मो ऽनुस्वारः ONPANINI 83023

Replace padafinal m म् with /M before all consonants.

The /anusvAra, always written as /M, is a hum sound. It is slightly different from a regular m म् sound.

Does that mean that I have been mispronouncing azvampazyAmi अश्वम्पश्यामि until now, and that I should say azva अश्व + hum + pazyAmi पश्यामि instead?

Not at all. In fact, saying azvampazyAmi अश्वम्पश्यामि is BETTER than saying azva अश्व + hum + pazyAmi पश्यामि. We'll see why in a moment.

The word **azvam अश्वम् has a padafinal n न्. So when it is before any consonant, for instance a p प्, this rule compulsorily changes the m म् into hum. But when this hum is before a p प्, another rule changes it back into m म् —

**azvam अश्वम् + **pazyAmi पश्यामि
→ azva अश्व + hum + pazyAmi पश्यामि compulsorily by this rule
→ azvampazyAmi अश्वम्पश्यामि by anusvArasy...

This anusvArasy... rule was optional in the age of /pANini, but in current usage it is compulsory in practice. You should avoid saying hum+p प् in all situations, and when you see M ं + p प् written, you must read it aloud as mp म्प्.

What happens if the m म् is before a consonant but not padafinal?

In that case, nazcApadAnt... > might apply.