Unicode has a mechanism for producing the ya-phalaa conjunct, namely by preceding the ya with virama. This works also in the unusual situation where the "consonant" the ya-phalaa modifies is an independent vowel.
A + VIRAMA + YA + -AA (this is aa-yaphalaa) RA + VIRAMA + ZWJ + YA (this is the reph-ya) RA + VIRAMA + YA (this is the ra-yaphalaa)
There are analogous examples of this use of ZWJ in Malayalam and Devanagari.
-- Michael Everson * * Everson Typography * * http://www.evertype.com
