Joining "dev" and "indra", Meera thinks the same rule as the earlier example ("aa"+"aa"="aa")…
Joining "dev" and "indra", Meera thinks the same rule as the earlier example ("aa"+"aa"="aa") applies, and writes "devaandra". Her brother says a different rule applies here. Who is right?
Who do you think is right? Pick one.
The answer: Her brother is right, the correct form is "devendra"
Why
Meera correctly learned the first sandhi rule and reasonably tried applying it here too — a good instinct. But which two vowels are combining is exactly what decides the result — the rule for 'आ'+'आ' is different from the rule for 'अ'+'इ'. 'देव' ends in the inherent 'अ' vowel, and 'इंद्र' begins with 'इ'; when 'अ' is followed by 'इ' or 'ई', the two merge into 'ए' — so 'देव'+'इंद्र' becomes 'देवेन्द्र' (devendra, 'lord of the gods'), not 'देवांद्र'. Test it: the same 'अ+इ=ए' pattern shows up in 'नर'+'इंद्र'='नरेन्द्र' (narendra). Her brother is right: here 'अ'+'इ' merges into 'ए', not 'आ' — the correct form is 'देवेन्द्र'; not every sandhi follows the same rule.
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