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==== Places of Articulation of Samskrit Varnas ====

==== Places of Articulation of Samskrit Varnas ====

In the following table, the short and long vowels are represented by the short vowel; i.e. अ (a) stands for आ (ā) as well, and similarly in the case of other vowels wherever applicable.

In the following table, the short and long vowels are represented by the short vowel; i.e. अ (a) stands for आ (ā) as well, and similarly in the case of other vowels wherever applicable.

{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable" - style="background: #ffad66;"

!Letters

!Letters

!Place of Articulation

!Place of Articulation

==प्रातिशाख्यानां शिक्षास्वरूपता ॥ Pratishakhyas related to Shiksha==

==प्रातिशाख्यानां शिक्षास्वरूपता ॥ Pratishakhyas related to Shiksha==

Pratisakhyas are the oldest Siksa textbooks intimately connected to shakas of the four Vedas. Nevertheless, their contribution in protecting the vedic form, is as invaluable as that of Vyakarana and Siksha texts. Their textual content differs from Vyakarana and Shiksha granthas in that they deal exclusively with the peculiarities of that particular veda shaka in the areas of svaras, sandhis and other pronunciation aspects and are thus as old as the Vedas themselves.<ref name=":3" /> Later Siksa texts are systematic, and often titled with suffix "Siksa", such as the Naradiya-Siksa, Vyasa-Siksa, Pari-Siksa and Sarvasammata-Siksa.

Pratisakhyas are the oldest Siksa textbooks intimately connected to shakas of the four Vedas. Although the specific in subject matter their contribution in protecting the vedic form, is as invaluable as that of Vyakarana and Siksha texts. Their textual content differs from Vyakarana and Shiksha granthas in that they deal exclusively with the peculiarities of that particular veda shaka in the areas of svaras, sandhis and other pronunciation aspects and are thus as old as the Vedas themselves.<ref name=":3" /> Later Siksa texts are systematic, and often titled with suffix "Siksa", such as the Naradiya-Siksa, Vyasa-Siksa, Pari-Siksa and Sarvasammata-Siksa.

The Pratishakhyas, which evolved from the more ancient Vedic Texts padapathas, deal with the manner in which the Vedas are to be enunciated. There are separate Pratishakhyas for each Veda. They complement the books called Shiksha written by various authorities. Several Pratishakhyas have survived into the modern era, and these texts refine the structure of sound at different levels of nuance, some adding many more letters to the basic set in the Sanskrit alphabet:

The Pratishakhyas, which evolved from the more ancient Vedic padapathas, deal with the manner in which the Vedas are to be enunciated. There are separate Pratishakhyas for each Veda and they are composed either in sutra or shloka formats. They complement the books called Shiksha written by various authorities. Several Pratishakhyas have survived into the modern era:<ref name=":122">Pt. Baldev Upadhyaya (1997) ''Samskrit Vangmay ka Brhad Itihas, Dvitiya Khand - Vedang.'' Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Samskrit Sansthan (Pages 1-55)</ref>

* [[Rigveda]]-Pratishakya: 47 letters<ref name="egenesp152">{{cite book|author=Thomas Egenes|title=Introduction to Sanskrit|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ZAu6xhfb4bUC&pg=PA152|year=1996|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-1693-0|pages=152–154}}</ref>

* Rigveda-Pratishakya: Composed by Shaunaka

* [[Shukla Yajurveda]]-Pratishakhya: 65 letters<ref name="egenesp152" />

* Vajasaneya-Pratishakhya: Composed by Katyayana

* [[Taittiriya]] (Krishna Yajurveda) Pratishakhya: 52 letters<ref name="egenesp152" />

* Taittiriya (Krishna Yajurveda) Pratishakhya

* Samaveda-Pratishakhyas: Four of them are - Rig-tantra, Samatantra, Akshara-tantra, Pushpa sutras

* [[Samaveda]]-Pratishakhya (Rig-tantra): 57 letters (Pushpasutra is the second Pratishakhya of Samaveda)<ref>{{cite book| author=Kireet Joshi| title=The Veda and Indian Culture: An Introductory Essay| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=1CJlM2nhlt0C| year=1991| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass| isbn=978-81-208-0889-8| page=103}}</ref>

* Atharvaveda-Pratishakhya (Shaunakiya shakha)

* Paniniya-Siksa: 63 or 64 letters<ref name="egenesp152" />

The Shiksha Texts and the Pratishakhyas led to great clarity in understanding the surface structure of language. For clarity of pronunciation, they broke up the large Vedic [[compound word|compound]]s into [[word stem]]s, prefixes, and suffixes. Certain styles of recitation (), such as the '','' involved switching syllables, repeating the last word of a line at the beginning of the next, and other permutations. In the process, a considerable amount of [[morphology (linguistics)|morphology]] is discussed, particularly regarding the combination of sequential sounds, which leads to the modalities of [[sandhi]]. The Samaveda Pratishakhya, one of the earliest, organizes the [[stop consonant]] sounds into a 5x5 ''varga'' or square:

The Shiksha Texts and the Pratishakhyas led to great clarity in understanding the surface structure of language. For clarity of pronunciation, they broke up the large Vedic compounded structures into word stems, prefixes, and suffixes. Certain styles of recitation, such as the vikriti pathas'','' involved switching syllables, repeating the last word of a line at the beginning of the next, and other permutations. In the process, a considerable amount of morphology is discussed, particularly regarding the combination of sequential sounds, which leads to the modalities of sandhi. The Samaveda Pratishakhya, one of the earliest, organizes the stop consonant sounds into a 5x5 ''varga'' or square:

{| class="wikitable" align="center" style=" background: transparent; " |+ The magic square within Sanskrit alphabet{{Sfn|Annette Wilke|Oliver Moebus|2011|pp=477-479}}

{| class="wikitable" align="center" style=" background: transparent; " |+ The magic square within Sanskrit alphabet{{Sfn|Annette Wilke|Oliver Moebus|2011|pp=477-479}}

|}

|}

The Varga system and the Pratishakshyas, contributions of the Shiksha texts, are elaborate systems which deal with the generation and classification of sound.

In addition, several Shiksha texts exist, most of them in metrical verse form but a few in sutra form. The following list contains some of these surviving texts: {{columns-list|colwidth=15em|style=width: 600px; font-style: italic;|

Although many of these Shiksha texts are attached to specific Vedic schools, others are later day texts.

Although many of these Shiksha texts are attached to specific Vedic schools, others are later day texts.