Mandala approach to rational alphabetic script (MATRAS)

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Mandala approach to rational alphabetic script (MATRAS)

Following is the mandala of Shri Vidya (Supreme Knowledge) commonly known as ShriYantra:

Mandala or Yantra is a symbolic depiction of the manifest and non-manifest realities in the universe. People in India and elsewhere have been practicing different techniques of meditations for thousands of years on the Shri Yantra (Shri Vidya Mandala ). It is also considered to be the abode of the Divine Mother or the Goddess of Supreme Knowledge (Shri Vidya). Shri Yantra’s beauty, complex design and geometry has always amazed and puzzled the artists and scientists.

Shri Yantra also contains the mysteries of the origin and evolution of language and knowledge. It is the abode of the Supreme Intelligence and incorporates the code of phonetic alphabet.

2 The inner part of Shri Yantra has four triangles with apexes upwards and five triangles with apexes downwards. These four triangles with apexes upwards and the five triangles with apexes downwards are shown below separately:

Intersection of lines of the nine triangles depicted above are called Chakras (circles) although they appear as hexagons as follows:

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These hexagons constitute the base of 42 blue triangles called Shiva or consciousness areas. There is one more blue triangle inside the smallest hexagon. Other 46 areas are called Shakti or energy areas and are colored pink. When hexagons are converted into circles, the total number of blue and pink areas remains 89 (43 blue and 46 pink) as follows.

The inner part of Shri Yantra may also be depicted as a mandala or Yantra as follows:

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We may consider this mandala as a flower of writing symbols or script. Learning to read and write the writing symbols would be to arrange the petals of the flower in a tray (tray=yellow; blue petals=43; pink petals=46; rows of petals=9 including the central circle’s petals). Each petal is assigned a writing symbol and the 9 rows are arranged in 9 steps or 9 lessons for teaching the script. We will call the circular petals as chakras and the full form of flower in a tray like frame as Alphabet Yantra.

Empty Alphabet Yantra or flower without writing symbols has been shown above. The empty tray on which writing symbols in the form of petals of the flower are to be arranged, is as follows:

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The 9 lessons (paat'ha) or steps for learning Romanaagarii or SARAL Roman script are as follows:

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Step-1

(Basic vowels)

Writing symbols:

a aa i ii

There is no vowel base in Romanaagarii

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson

consciousness-energy cakra (inner 5 petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-1

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Step-2

(Basic consonants)

Writing symbols:

k c t’ t p y s n

Phonemes: ka ca t’a ta pa ya sa na

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson as’t’aar energy cakra

(8 blue petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-2

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Step-3

Writing symbols:

u uu e ee o oo m' h'

All vowels: a aa i ii u uu e ee o oo m' h'

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson as’t’aar energy cakra

(8 pink petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-3

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Step-4

Writing symbols:

g j d’ d b m r l v h

Phonemes: ga ja d’a da ba ma ra la va ha

baaraha khar’ii: ka kaa ki kii ku kuu ke kee ko koo kam' kah'

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson antardashaar consciousness cakra (10 inner blue petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-4

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Step-5

(Counting)

Writing symbols:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

In words: shuunya eka do tiin caara paam'ca chah' saat aat’ha noo

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson antardashaar energy cakr

(10 inner pink petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-5

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Step-6

(Aspirated consonants)

Writing symbols:

kh gh ch jh t’h d’h th dh ph bh

Phonemes:

kha gha cha jha t’ha d’ha tha dha pha bha

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson bahirdashaar consciousness cakra (10 outer blue petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-6

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Step-7

(Text punctuation and arithmetic symbols)

Writing symbols:

. , ; ? ! + - * / =

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson

bahirdashaar energy cakra (10 outer pink petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-7

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Step-8

(Other consonants)

Writing symbols:

sh s’ n’ m’ ñ r’ r’h ’ k’ k’h g’ z f v’

Phonemes: sha s’a n’a m’a ña r’a r’ha

’a k’a k’ha g’a za fa v’a

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson caturdashaar consciousness cakra

(14 blue petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-8

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Step-9

Writing symbols:

( ) / \ < > : * @ & ' " # %

Chakra of Alphabet Yantra for this lesson

caturdashaar energy cakra (14 pink petals of the flower)

Alphabet Yantra or flower after Step-9

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Other SARAL scripts can also be learnt in 9 lessons. These lessons for Hindi, Gujarati, Panjabi, Marathi, Urdu and Ingles scripts and the final shape of the Alphabet Yantra or flower for them will be as follows:

Alphabet Yantra or flower for SARAL Hindi:

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Alphabet Yantra or flower for SARAL Gujarati:

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Alphabet Yantra or flower for SARAL Panjabi:

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Alphabet Yantra or flower for SARAL Urdu:

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Alphabet Yantra or flower for SARAL Ingles: