Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 11:18:19 -0700
To: "Sanskrit Team_member" <(sanskrit at cheerful dot c om)>

Subject: RE: (no subject)

Hi there:

I am looking for the meaning or difference between NAMO AND NAMAH.
Where we can use Namo or where we can use Namah. Can you please reply
me with some examples of Mantras where I shoud be using these words.

You have been very helpful in the past.
Thank you very much
Santosh

==================== Reply 1 ==================================
namo is just a sandhi form of namaH, the visarga H changing to o
before a soft consonant.

for example:        
namaH shivaaya   or namashshivaaya | when joined together.

namo naaraayaNaaya |

namaH  before words beginning with k, kh, p, ph,

namo before words beginning with g, j, d, y, r, l, v, h (namo gaNapataye, vaasudevaaya)

H changes to s : namaste, etc.
H is elided before a vowel : nama iishvaraaya 
H changes to avagraha ( ~ S ) before a : namo.astu te |


Sunder

==================== Reply 2 ==================================
Namaste.

Both 'namo' and 'namah' mean the same.

There is a sutra in Panini's 'Ashtaadhyaayi' --- 'hashi cha'.

It means that if the visarga is followed by words belonging to 'hash'
group, 
then the visarga becomes 'u' and then to 'o'.

The alphabets which are in 'hash' group are:
ha,ya,va,ra,la, jna,ma, nga, Na,na,jha,bha,ja,ba,ga,Da,da.

Examples:

om namo bhagavate vaasudevaaya.

Here 'namah' becomes 'namo' because the visarga is followed by the
alphabet 
'bha'  and this belongs to 'hash' group.

om namah shivaaya

Here 'namah' does NOT become 'namo' as the visarga is followed by the 
alphabet 'sh' which does NOT belong to 'hash' group.

Vasuvaj
===============================================================

Good that you brought out the correct reference.
I would like to clarify a couple of points:
The jna in Itrans notation is ~na (the anunaasika of the cha-varga. 
Similarly nga is ~Na.
Also the group gha, Dha dha (ghashha.h) seems to be left out from the 
hash group - perhaps a typo?

 
Avinash
===============================================================