126. Two similar simple vowels, short or long, coalesce and form the corresponding long vowel: thus, two a-vowels (either or both of them short or long) form आ ā; two i-vowels, ई ī; two u-vowels, ऊ ū; and theoretically, two ṛ-vowels form ॠ ṝ, but it is questionable whether the case ever practically occurs. Examples are:
स चाप्रजः sa cā ’prajaḥ (ca + aprajaḥ);
अतीव atī ’va (ati + iva);
सूक्तम् sūktam (su-uktam);
राजासीत् rājā ”sīt (rājā + āsīt);
अधीश्वरः adhīçvaraḥ (adhi-īçvaraḥ);
जुहूपभृत् juhūpabhṛt (juhū—upabhṛt).
a. As the above examples indicate, it will be the practice everywhere in this work, in transliteration (not in the devanāgarī text), to separate independent words; and if an initial vowel of a following word has coalesced with a final of the preceding, this will be indicated by an apostrophe—single if the initial vowel be the shorter, double if it be the longer, of the two different initials which in every case of combination yield the same result.
127. An a-vowel combines with a following i-vowel to ए e; with an u-vowel, to ओ o; with ऋ ṛ, to अर् ar; with ऌ ḷ (theoretically), to अल् al; with ए e or ऐ āi, to ऐ āi; with ओ o or औ āu, to औ āu. Examples are:
राजेन्द्र rājendra (rāja-indra);
हितोपदेशः hitopadeçaḥ (hita-upadeçaḥ);
महर्षिः maharṣiḥ (mahā-ṛṣiḥ);
सैव sāi ’va (sā + eva);
राजैश्वर्यम् rājāiçvaryam (rājā-āiçvaryam);
दिवौकसः divāukasaḥ (divā-okasaḥ);
ज्वरौषधम् jvarāuṣadham (jvara-āuṣadham).
a. In the Vedic texts, the vowel ṛ is ordinarily written unchanged after the a-vowel, which, if long, is shortened: thus, mahaṛṣiḥ instead of maharṣiḥ. The two vowels, however, are usually pronounced as one syllable.
b. When successive words like indra ā ihi are to be combined, the first combination, to indrā, is made first, and the result is indre ” ’hi (not indrāi ” ’hi, from indra e ’hi).
