PURPORT

The twelve phala, or combinations of letters, are called repha, murdhanya (cerebral), na, dantavya (dental), na, ma, ya, ra, la, va, r, r, l and \l. Hate khadi is the primary educational beginning. At the age of four or five years, on an auspicious day called vidyarambha marking the beginning of primary education, there is a ceremony worshiping Lord Visnu, and after that the teacher gives the child a long chalk pencil. Then, guiding the hand of the student, he instructs him how to write the letters of the alphabet (a, a, i, etc.) by writing big letters on the floor. When the child is a little advanced in writing, he is given a slate for his primary education, which ends when he learns the two-letter combinations, which are called phala, as mentioned above.