Visarga Sandhi — aḥ Before Voiced Consonants
विसर्ग संधि — Part 1
aḥ Ending Before a Voiced Consonant Becomes o · NCERT Class 6-8
Key Points to Remember
- ▸Visarga (ः) at the end of aḥ words becomes "o" before voiced consonants
- ▸aḥ + voiced consonant → o
- ▸Voiced consonants: g, gh, j, jh, ḍ, ḍh, d, dh, b, bh + all nasals and semivowels
- ▸Most common in simple Sanskrit sentences (subject + verb)
Grammar Explained
Visarga (ḥ) is the Sanskrit "h" sound at the end of words. When a word ends in aḥ (like rāmaḥ, devaḥ) and the next word begins with a voiced consonant (g, gh, j, jh, ḍ, ḍh, d, dh, b, bh) or a vowel (except a), the aḥ becomes o. Formula: aḥ + voiced consonant → o + consonant
aḥ + voiced consonant → o
अः + (voiced consonant) → ओ + consonant
रामः + गच्छति → रामो गच्छति
rāmaḥ + gacchati → rāmo gacchati
Rāma goes (aḥ+g→o)
देवः + ददाति → देवो ददाति
devaḥ + dadāti → devo dadāti
The god gives (aḥ+d→o)
नरः + जीवति → नरो जीवति
naraḥ + jīvati → naro jīvati
The man lives (aḥ+j→o)
aḥ + a → o (special case — the a disappears)
अः + अ → ओऽ (o')
रामः + अत्र → रामोऽत्र
rāmaḥ + atra → rāmo'tra
Rāma here (aḥ+a→o', with avagraha showing dropped a)
Exercises (2)
Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks
Apply Visarga Sandhi
1. बालकः + गच्छति = ?
Hint: aḥ + g → o
Show answer
बालको गच्छति (bālako gacchati — the boy goes)
2. देवः + ददाति = ?
Hint: aḥ + d → o
Show answer
देवो ददाति (devo dadāti — the god gives)
3. पुरुषः + जीवति = ?
Hint: aḥ + j → o
Show answer
पुरुषो जीवति (puruṣo jīvati — the person lives)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct result
1. रामः + भवति = ?
Show answer
रामो भवति
2. When aḥ meets a voiced consonant, the visarga becomes:
Show answer
o
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