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Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One. Bālāvatāra Prostration [Ka] Having always revered the Buddha, Who has reached the far shore of all expression, The Buddha, the crest jewel of the three worlds, Who has destroyed evil and unrighteousness; The Dhamma, giving the bliss of liberation, Whose community has dispelled affliction; And the Saṅgha, ever worthy of offerings. [Kha] I have attained growth, my mind adorned With excellent reverence, virtue, wisdom, and the like, Pure like the moon and the sun, established by the excellent Conqueror, Renowned in the sky of the Teaching; Relying on that, with utmost love, bowing with my head, Ever remembering this, at the lotus feet, the summit of virtues, Having dispelled the stain of evil, by its power. [Ga] The ancient Sinhala explanation of words, And all the esteemed methods of Magadhi expression, And various other kinds of Sanskrit treatises, And doctrines brought down through tradition, having heard them well. [Gha] In the excellent Bālāvatāra treatise on Magadhi grammar, With the discernment of many difficult words and meanings, For the benefit of the modern lineage of beginners, I will compose the excellent commentary on the Bālāvatāra. [Ṅa] May those beginners here, always endowed with excellent hearts, With eyes well-focused, Full of various methods, like wish-fulfilling trees, Wise, praised by the discerning, May they be able to cross the deep, difficult ocean Of the Buddha's words, having the strength to cross, And having obtained the means, and desiring to hear The abundant Sanskrit, along with the moon. [Ca] The difficulty of completing the treatise, As it truly is, The skilled and wise know, In the various other treatises and so on; The qualities and faults in the treatises, They alone always know. [Cha] Therefore, if here there should be Even a trace of fault such as negligence, Or if it should be contrary To the ancient teachers' traditions, [Ja] Having examined other treatises, And having repeatedly considered, May they accept only what is correct, Becoming those with inquiring minds. Prostration 1. Having revered the Buddha in three ways, The Buddha with lotus-like eyes, I will speak the Bālāvatāra, For the increase of beginners' wisdom. 1. Section on Sandhi Nomenclature 2. There are forty-one letters. There are forty-one letters beginning with 'a', helpful for the teachings. They are as follows: A, I, Ī, U, Ū, E, O, Ka, Kha, Ga, Gha, Ṅa, Ca, Cha, Ja, Jha, Ña, Ṭa, Ṭha, Ḍa, Ḍha, Ṇa, Ta, Tha, Da, Dha, Na, Pa, Pha, Ba, Bha, Ma, Ya, Ra, La, Va, Sa, Ha, Ḷa, Aṃ - thus. 3. There, vowel-ending vowels are eight. There, in the letters, eight vowels are named, ending in 'o'. 'There' continues. 4. Three short ones are short-measured. There, among the vowels, a, i, u, these three are short. 5. The others are long. There, among the vowels, other than the short ones are long. Before a conjunction, e, o are pronounced as short, a conjunction of subsequent consonants. Here, seyyo, oṭṭho, sotthi. 6. The rest are consonants. Except for vowels, the rest, from ka to the niggahīta, are consonants. 7. The groups are five-five in number. Of the consonants, from ka to ma, having five-five letters, are groups. 8. The first and second of the groups are voiceless. The rest, ending in ḷ, are voiced. The designations of voiced and voiceless are collected in "parasamaññā payoge". Thus also the designations of gender, pronoun, word, prefix, particle, secondary derivative, verb, accusative, etc. 9. Aṃ is the niggahīta. Aṃ, that dot which is heard after the letter a, is named the niggahīta. The dot is shaped like a crest-jewel, it is called the niggahīta. Because it is not used alone, the letter a is understood to be present. 10. A, the ka-group, ha are throat-born; i, the ca-group, ya are palate-born; u, the pa-group are lip-born; the ṭa-group, ra, ḷa are head-born; the ta-group, la, sa are teeth-born; e is throat-palate-born; o is throat-lip-born; va is teeth-lip-born. Designations Vowel Sandhi 11. In "loka aggo", "first, the vowel that is adjacent, separate it from the vowel", the first consonant should be separated from the vowel. Vowels elide vowels. When a vowel is subsequent, vowels undergo elision. "Having joined the following consonant", the vowel-less consonant should be led to the following letter, lokaggo. In "sare", the locative is pervasive, therefore, even with a break in letter-time, the action does not occur. As in "maṃ ahā si", and in the verse "pamādamanuyuñjantī", "janā appamāda". Thus in all sandhis. Afterwards, of the following vowel. He will say "lopaṃ", therefore by this, the elision of the preceding is known, by that very thing, the subsequence of what is indicated by the seventh case is also understood. 12. "Sare" is the heading. Here, in "pana ime", "pana imeti", "sarā lopaṃ" is just like that. Optionally, a dissimilar vowel. A vowel dissimilar to a vowel is optionally elided, paname, panime. 13. As in "bandhussa iva", not "upetīti" – Sometimes, a non-homorganic vowel when elided. When a vowel is elided, sometimes a non-homorganic vowel occurs to the following vowel, i.e., e and o are close in place to i, u. Bandhusseva. Nopeti. 14. As in "tatra ayaṃ", "yāni idha", "bahu upakāraṃ", "saddhā idha", "tathā upamaṃ" – Lengthening. When a vowel is elided, the following vowel sometimes becomes long in a place close to the original. Tatrāyaṃ, yānīdha, bahūpakāraṃ, saddhīdha, tathūpamaṃ. 15. As in "kiṃsu idha" – And the preceding. When a vowel is elided, the preceding also sometimes becomes long. Kiṃ sūdha. 16. As in "te ajja", "te ahaṃ" – Substitution of ya for the final e. When a vowel follows, sometimes ya is substituted for the final e, tyajja, "dīgha" means sometimes lengthening when a consonant follows, tyāhaṃ. Why "sometimes"? Nettha. 17. As in "so assa", "anu eti" – Substitution of va for final o and u. When a vowel follows, sometimes vo is substituted for the final o and u. Svassa, anveti. Why "sometimes"? Tayassu, sametāyasmā. 18. As in "idha ahaṃ" – And substitution of da for dha. When a vowel follows, sometimes da is substituted for dha. With lengthening – idāhaṃ. Why "sometimes"? Idheva. And by "ca", even with a consonant, idha bhikkhave. 19. As in "pati antuṃ", "vutti assa" – The i-sound becomes ya optionally. When a vowel follows, the i-sound optionally becomes ya. Having made the yakāra, because of "sabbo cantī", sometimes there is a ca-substitution, and because of "paradvebhāvo ṭhāne", the doubling of the following consonant from a vowel is close in place. Paccantaṃ, vutyassa. Why "optionally"? Paṭaggi. Here, "kvaci paṭi patisse" means paṭi for pati, the mention of "vaṇṇa" is for including short and long everywhere. 20. As in "yathā eva" – The initial e of eva becomes ri, and the preceding is shortened. The initial e of eva following a vowel optionally becomes ritta. And the preceding is Not near, short. As if. Just as. 21. Not of this, three-limbed, quickly will come, purpose purpose, from here future, therefore here, with the good indeed, six super-knowledges, separately indeed, also indeed here or truly indeed – Ya va ma da na ta ra ḷā are additions. When a vowel follows, ya etc. are additions, or, by the ca, go also. Not of this, three-limbed, quickly will come, purpose purpose, from here future, therefore here, with the good indeed, six super-knowledges, separately indeed, "short" when a consonant follows, sometimes short. Also indeed. What of vā? Six super-knowledges, separately indeed, also indeed. Here, "a vowel sometimes" means the nature of vowels remains, the same as the vowel, not a change, is the meaning. 22. Abhi uggato here – "Abbho for abhi" abbho for abhi. Abbhuggato. Vowel Combination Consonant Combination 23. Consonant is the heading. Sometimes indeed. So bhikkhu, kacci nu tvaṃ, jānema tantīha – And elision there, the ā-sound. When a consonant follows, sometimes there is elision of vowels, and in the place of the elided vowel, there is an addition of the a-sound, and by the ca, also o and u sounds. Sabhikkhu kaccino tvaṃ, jānemu taṃ. What of kvaci? Somuni. 24. Ughoso, ākhātantīha – two states, in the place, it indeed. Of the voiced and unvoiced in a group, the third and first. Of the voiced and unvoiced in a group, of the fourth and second, in their respective groups, the third and first occur in the place of the joined, ugghoso, short, akkhātaṃ. 25. Para sahassaṃ, atippakhotīha – "sometimes o when a consonant follows" the addition of the o-sound. Parosahassaṃ. And with gā, atippagokho. 26. Ava naddhā here – "o for ava" sometimes o for ava. Onaddhā. What of kvaci? Avasussatu. Consonant Combination. Niggahīta Combination 27. Niggahīta is the heading. Kiṃ kato, saṃ jāto, saṃ ṭhito, taṃ dhanaṃ, taṃ mittantiha – The end of the group, or in a group. When a group consonant follows, the bindu becomes the end of that group, or. Kiṅkato, sañjāto, saṇṭhito, tandhanaṃ, tammittaṃ. What of vā? Na taṃ kammaṃ. By the vā, also le and lo. Pulliṅgaṃ. 28. Vā is the heading. Thus it was, he said here: "Madā sare." After "ma" and "dā," when a vowel follows, "bindu" is optional. Thus it was, he said. "Vāti kiṃ." "Maṃ ajini." 29. That very thing, that indeed, he said here: "Eheñaṃ." After "e" and "he," when a vowel follows, "ño" is optional. In doubling: "taññeva," "tameva." "Tañhi," "taṃ hi." 30. Combination, he said here: "Saye ca." When "ya" follows, along with it, "bindu" is optional. In doubling: "saññogo," "saṃyogo." 31. The eye is impermanent, downward head, he said here: - addition, sometimes only. "Niggahītañca." When a vowel or consonant follows, sometimes there is an addition of "bindu." "Cakkhuṃaniccaṃ," "avaṃsiro." 32. The foremost of the wise, their ego, he said here: "Sometimes elision," when a vowel follows, there is elision of "bindu," "vidūnaggaṃ." Lengthening, "tāsāhaṃ." 33.