How Does Vajra Become Benza

In a recent class, we were learning the Vajrasattva mantra. During the break, somebody asked how the Sanskrit word vajra becomes benza in Tibetan pronunciation. I typed these notes on the screen.

Notes about Vajra > Benza

Vajra in Tibetan script, i.e., Badzra.

Va jra – V is not really V. It’s usually a W or a B. Nepalese and Tibetan people understand it to be a B in this context.

Ba jra – J is not really J. In the Tibetan alphabet there is a Ch row and a Ts row of consonants. This Sanskrit J is spelled with the Tibetan letter that we write (in Roman letters) as DZ (which is in the TS row – TS TSH DZ NY).

Ba dzra – so, badzra is a completely legitimate spelling

But… Tibetans love to insert nasalizations – N – wherever possible. So:

Bandzra

According to Tibetan spelling rules, a final N consonant on a syllable – BAN – changes the vowel like this: A > ä > e.

Bendzra – Then Tibetans don’t like compound consonants. So they just ‘think’ R, but they don’t really say it. So:

Bendza, or Benza

OK?