Previous

Next

Ask a Question

Summary of Question:	Gurbani Pronunciation ?
Category:	Gurbani
Date Posted:	Tuesday, 8/30/2005 2:52 PM MDT

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

I have a question about the pronunciation of a certain word in Gurmukhi. Sadly, I cannot place Gurmukhi script on the internet, but I'll try my best. In our recent times, I notice that whenever someone recites Gurbani, they always say kirpa instead of kripa. There's a big difference, not only in their spellings, but in their meanings as well. (I'm not sure precisely what each means, but there's a difference) In Gurbani there's both kirpa (Sihari, Kaka, rara, papa, kuna) and kripa (Sihari, kaka, pehri rara, papa, kuna) Why are they said the same? Also, whenever I say kripa, people say I'm wrong and give me funny looks. Am I wrong? Last, how did it get to be pronounced the way of kirpa instead of kripa. I'd really appreaciate a reply, so then I could be sure of the correct way to recite Guru Ji's bani. Thank you.

Guru Fateh

*********
reply
**********
Sat nam. Some pronounciations of commonly used words develop in contradiction to how they are spelled in Siri Guru. It is a 'common' pronounciation. I see/hear this often when I listen online to the daily hukum from Sri Darbar Sahib and see words pronounced with, for example, added nasalization (n sound). The reader knows to add this. As I am not punjabi, I do not know to pronounce what I don't see in Gurmukhi. (No, we are not talking about 'changing gurbani' here, since that would involve changing the written version of SGGS.)
So, a rule of thumb for reading gurbani is this: pronounce what is actually written. Recite/pronounce the word(s) you see in the Siri Guru.
guru ang sang,
-DKK