उच्चनीचस्य यन्मध्ये साधारणमिति श्रुतिः
That which is between high and low is called 'neutral' by the tradition.
उदात्ते निषादगान्धारावनुदात्तें ऋषभधैवतो
In udātta are included niṣāda and gāndhāra; in anudātta, ṛṣabha and dhaivata.
यत्र कखपरा ऊष्मा जिह्वामूलप्रयोजनाः
Where gutturals, sibilants, and those pronounced from the root of the tongue occur,
जात्यः क्षैप्रो ऽभिनिहित स्तैरव्यञ्जन एव च
Born by nature, pronounced quickly, distinctly, and with stable consonants,
स्वराणामहमेतेषां पृथग्वक्ष्यामि लक्षणम्
I shall now separately describe the characteristics of these tones.
सपकारं सवं वापि ह्यक्षरं स्वरितं भवेत्
A syllable, whether with 'ka' or with 'va', may become svarita.
इउवर्णो यदोदात्तावापद्येते पवौ क्वचित्
Wherever the vowel 'i' becomes udātta, sometimes in 'pa' and 'va',
एओ आभ्यामुदात्ताभ्यामकारो निहितश्च यः
Wherever 'e' or 'o' arise from two udātta vowels, or where 'a' is pronounced distinctly,
उदात्तपूर्वे यत्किञ्चिच्छन्दसि स्वरितं भवेत्
Whatever follows an udātta in metre becomes svarita.
अवग्रहात्परं यत्र स्वरितं स्यादनन्तरम्
Wherever svarita occurs immediately after an avagraha,
इकारं यत्र पश्येयुरिकारेणैव संयुतम्
Wherever one sees the vowel 'i' joined with another 'i',
स्वरे चेत्स्वरितं यत्र विवृता यत्र संहिता
Wherever, in a tone, svarita occurs, whether open or in conjunction,
तान्यः स्वारः स जात्येन श्रुत्यग्रे क्षैप्र उच्यते
That note, by its nature, is called the primary accent at the beginning of the chant and is pronounced swiftly.
तिरोविरामो विष्कषिते प्रश्लिष्टो हीईगोवर्णः
A suppressed pause occurs when the sound is elided, and a blended note is called hīīgovarṇa.
उञ्चादेकाक्षरात्पूर्वात्स्वरं यद्यदिहाक्षरम्
If, before a single syllable raised in pitch, there is any other syllable here,
चत्वारस्त्वादितः स्वाराः कंषंपुंश्फुतिशास्त्रतः
There are four initial accents, known as kaṃṣa, puṃ, sphuti, according to the treatise.
इकारान्ते पदे पूर्व उकारे परतः स्थिते
When a word ends with 'i' and is followed by a word beginning with 'u',
इकारान्ते पदे चैवोकारद्वयं परे पदे
And when a word ends with 'i' and is followed by two 'u's in the next word,
त्रयो दीर्घास्तु विज्ञेया ये च संध्यक्षरेषु वै
Three long vowels are to be recognized, as well as those that occur in the junction of syllables.
अनेकानामुदात्तानामनुदात्तः प्रत्ययो यदि
If, among many raised syllables, there is a following unraised syllable,
यत्र द्विप्रभृतीनि स्युरुदात्तान्यक्षराणि तु
Wherever there are two or more raised syllables,
न रेफे वा हकारे वा द्विर्भावो जायते क्वचित्
There is never a doubling in the case of 'r' or 'h' anywhere.
चतुर्थं तु तृतीयेन द्वितीयः प्रथमेन तु
The fourth is with the third, and the second is with the first.
अनन्त्यश्च भवेत्पूर्वो ह्यन्तश्च परतो यदि
The preceding should be endless if the following is at the end.
वर्गान्त्यान् शषसैः सार्द्धमन्तस्थैर्वापि संयुतान्
The final letters of the groups, together with 'śa', 'ṣa', and 'sa', or those joined with final letters,
तृतीयश्च चतुर्थश्च चतुर्थादिपरं पदम्
The third and the fourth, and the word that follows after the fourth,
अनुस्वारोपधामूला तान् क्वचित्क्रमतः परम्
Anusvāra, upadhmānīya, and mūrdhanya occur in some cases, in order, after them.
संयोगो यत्र दृश्येत र्व्यञ्जनं विरते पदे
Wherever a conjunction is seen, and a consonant at the end of a word,
संयोगे स्वरितं यत्र उद्वातः प्रतनं तथा
Wherever there is a conjunction, the accent is raised, and likewise, it is extended.
संयोगात्तु विजानीयात्परं संयोगनायकम्
From the conjunction, one should recognize the following as governed by the conjunction.