Background to the Verses for #SanskritAppreciationHour on Twitter 3-4pm GMT 6.3.13

The background to the verses we are translating today: 

Bhishma has been mortally injured, and is lying on his bed of arrows on the battle field, surrounded by blood-splattered carnage. But he has been given the boon of choosing his moment of death. Upon falling, he notices that the sun is in the Southern Quarter. He decides to retain his vital breaths (प्राणाः) i.e. stay alive, till the Sun is reaches the Northern Quarter. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, this is a reference to the path of the gods (deva-yaana) and the path of the ancestors (pitr-yaana). The earliest reference to these two paths after death are to be found in the Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (6.2.15-16)

The relevance to today's verses is that Bhishma has a lot of time for contemplation and more importantly for sharing his vast knowledge. The battle ends; last rites are performed; Yudhishthira becomes king. Then the Pandavas along with Krishna return to the battlefield to ask the grandsire about dharma. The result is the शान्ति पर्व of the Mahabharata. Chapters 55 to 167 are taken from Hindu dharma texts (dharmasutras and dharmashastras) and relate to the duties, conduct, sin, penance and punishment relating to the king, and for each of the castes. 

From Chapter 174 onward, the मोक्षधर्म पर्व of the शान्ति पर्व begins. It is one of the most complex chapters in the entire epic, encapsulating the teaching of all the schools of Hindu philosophy, the importance of the Veda and Vedic rites, accounts of the soul and other philosphical concepts like liberation and salvation. PhDs have been written and continue to be written about this chapter - speculating on its function, its raison, d'etre, its legacy. 

It's not my place to tell you what I think. My advise as always is - read it for yourself, and make up your mind. At least in a good translation, or better still, learn Sanskrit and read the original.

My job today is to translate a few verses from this incredible chapter of the Mahabharata. 

See you on Twitter at 3pm GMT.

Golden Treasury of Shlokas - 2 न अहं वसामि

Shloka 2. 

Hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ShGsV4UqA at the 55 sec mark


न अहं वसामि वैकुण्ठे योगिनां हृदये न च 

मद्भक्ता यत्र गायन्ति तत्र तिष्ठामि नारद

O Nārada, I do not dwell at Vaikunṭha, nor in the hearts of yogis,

I remain where my devotees sing. 

Golden Treasury of Shlokas - 1 एकं शास्त्रं

Hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ShGsV4UqA at 35 sec mark.

एकं शास्त्रं देवकीपुत्रगीतं एको देवो देवकीपुत्र एव 

मन्त्र अपि एकः तस्य नामानि यानि 

कर्म अपि एकं तस्य देवस्य सेवा 

There is [only] one śāstra, the song of Devaki's son [Kṛṣṇa]

There is only one God, Devaki's son [Kṛṣṇa]

There is only one mantra, also, those that are his names

And there is [only] one karma, service of that God.  

Lokokti collection 1

One of the many sources of wise sayings

All the lokoktis I share are from Stenzler's Sanskrit Primer: http://www.archive.org/stream/elementarbuchde01stengoog#page/n3/mode/2up

Translated into English by Dr. Renate Sohnen Thieme for SOAS students. 

Over the years she has found the sources of most of the sayings. It's an ongoing process!

If you have a problem with grammar please leave a comment and I'll reply as soon as possible. Some of the sources are abbreviated. If you want further detail, just leave a comment and I'll try to get it from Dr. RST, asap.

मुले हते  हतं सर्वम्

मुले हते This construction is called sati saptami or a locative absolute. It gives a sense of time: When the root is cut/destroyed/killed, everything (सर्वम्) is destroyed ( हतं)
Source: not identified as yet

अर्धं भार्या मनुष्यस्य 
Of the man (मनुष्यस्य) wife is [one] half
Source: part of Mahabharata 1.68.40 Poona ed.

न गर्दभो गायति शिक्षितो sपि
A donkey doesn't sing even if it is instructed/taught
Source: ShatrunjayamAhAtmya 2,186

वरं अद्य कपोतः श्वो मयूरात् 
Better a parrot today than a peacock tomorrow
Source: VAtsyAyana, KAmasUtra 1.2.23

वृत्तेन भवति आर्यः न धनेन न विद्यया 

By conduct one is Arya, not by wealth or knowledge
Source: not identified as yet

न वैद्यः प्रभुरायुषः 
The doctor is not the Lord [decision maker] of how long one lives
Source: Vallabhadeva, SubhAshitAvali, 2320

औषधं न गतायुषाम् 
Medicine is not for the dead lit. those whose life has gone
Source: unknown

स्त्रियो निसर्गाद् एव पण्डिताः 
Women are wise by nature
Source: MRicchakaTika act IV, verse 19

असन्तोषः श्रियो मूलम् 

Dissatisfaction is the root/source of prosperity
Source: MahAbhArata 2.50.18, Poona ed.

धर्मेण हीनाः पशुभिः समानाः 
[those] without dharma are akin to animals
Source: VRiddhacANakya, ed. Sternbach, 4.15

चाला लक्ष्मीः चालाः प्राणाः
Like and wealth are unstable
Source: SubhAshitAni 203

दरदुराः यत्र वक्ताः तत्र मौनं शोभनम् 

Where frogs are speakers, silence is beautiful [cf. Eng: Silence is golden]
Source: Neetiratna 11

न जलौकसाम् अङ्गे जलौकाः लगति
A leech doesn't attach itself to the body of other leeches
Source: DhUrtasamAgama 93.7

Patañjali's yogasūtra 1:22 Nature of our pursuit

{1:22}

मृदुमध्याधिमात्रत्वात्  ततो sपि  विवेषः 

mṛdumadhyādhimātratvāt tato’pi viśeṣaḥ

Further differentiation arises by reason of mild, medium [and/or] (nature of the pursuit)

मृदु मध्य आधिमात्रत्वात्  ततः अपि विशेषः 

मृदु - soft, tender, moderate 

मध्य - middling, medium, moderate 

आधिमात्रत्वात्  - आधिमात्र= above measure, excessive; त्वात् ending gives a sense of 'resulting from' 

ततः that, due to that

अपि -also, even

विशेषः - gradation, distinction, differentiation, particularity

This sūtra is to be read in conjunction with the last three [1.19-21], which outlined birth, qualities and intensity of desire for samādhi as factors which determined the achievement of samādhi. Now we are told that the nature of our effort, the intensity of the means that we employ is also a determining factor. 

Taimini speculates that this injects a certain elasticity into the rigid super-structure of techniques, so that each one of us can adapt them to our personal temperament and need.

Rig Veda 1.1.1 (1st verse of the Hymn to Agni)

This hymn, attributed to the lineage of Vishvamitra and is in the Gayatri metre. It's probably the most translated and familiar Vedic hmyn, being the very 1st hymn in the oldest of the Vedas - the Rig Veda. Yet, as many  online sources as I have seen, there seem to be as many translations... As I said with 'Vande Mataram,' poetic licence is often taken while translating. Add to that the fact that Vedic Sanskrit differs from Classical Sanskrit! I'm sure there are much more beautiful translations you could find but here's what the grammar says:

अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवं ऋत्विजं  |

होतारं रत्नधातमम्  ||

vigraha from the padapāṭha:

अग्निम् ईळे  पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवं ऋत्विजं होतारं रत्नधातमम् 

I venerate Agni, the priest (lit. who is placed on the seat of honour/in the East), divine ministrant of the sacrifice, bestower of treasure, par excellence. 

अग्निम् - [अग्नि को ] accusative singular of Agni, Vedic god of fire. As you would expect, since the verb is in 1st person, 'I venerate', the rest of the verse is mostly in the accusative. agnim, hotaaram, ritvijam etc.

ईळे  - [I] venerate; 1st person singular from root ईड् (2A) - to implore, to extoll

पुरोहितम् - [पुरोहित को] priest, placed on the seat in the East [पुरः+हित] or placed ahead; accusative singular  

यज्ञस्य - of the sacrifice; genitive singular of यज्ञ masc. noun

देवम् - divine, if taken as an adjective; [देव को] if read as acc. singular of deva, masc. noun 

ऋत्विजम् - priest; accusative singular

होतारम् - priest who recites hymns of the Rig Veda

रत्नधातमम् - superlative of 'bestower of treasure/wealth' रत्न+धाता; accusative bahuvrihi compound, refering to Agni.

I shall continue with the translation of the rest of the hymn verse by verse. Feedback and comments welcome!

Vande Mataram translation: refrain & 1st verse

वन्दे मातरं 

vande mātaram

सुजलां सुफलां

sujalāṃ suphalāṃ

मलयजशीतलां 

malayajaśītalām

शस्यश्यामलां

śasya śyāmalāṃ

मातरं, वन्दे! 

mātaram vande!

शुभ्रज्योत्स्नापुलकितयामिनीं

śubhra jyotsnā  pulakita yāminīm

फुल्लकुसुमितद्रुमदलशोभिनीं 

phulla kusumita drumadalaśobhinīm

सुहासिनीं

suhāsinīṃ

सुमधुरसुभाषिनीं
sumadhura bhāṣiṇīm
सुखदां 
sukhadāṃ 

वरदां 

varadāṃ

मातरं, वन्दे! 

mātaram vande!

The first thing to note is that this song is almost entirely in the accusative case because the singer of vande! is the subject, and the Mother is the object. So it's good practice - specially for Hindi speakers, to whom even the nominative looks fine (Sita ne Ram ko kaha - in Sanskrit it would HAVE to be Raamam), We are used to saying 'maa ko' whereas in Sanskrit there is no 'ko' so you have to be careful to use the accusative case - not maataa but maataram.

A quick word on bahuvrihi compounds, neither member on its own is the object it describes, but together it is an adjective for that object. So neither सु nor जल is the maataa, but together they mean 'she whose waters are good or pure'. Another dead giveaway is that jala is a neuter noun, but here it is declining as a feminine जलां, so we know it is describing a feminine object, which is the mother.

वन्दे  I pay homage, I adore; first person, singular fm  √वन्द्  (1A) 

मातरं accusative singular of मातृ  - to the mother, maa ko

सुजलां सुफलां accusative bahuvrihi compounds, [I bow to her] whose waters are good, pure, and whose fruit is good, excellent.  

मलयजशीतलां - [I bow to her] who's breeze (full form malayaja-maarut) is fragrant, cool शस्यश्यामलां - [I bow to her] whose fields are dark शस्य is a neuter noun meaning corn, and is often used in Lit to mean corn field. श्यामल is an adjective meaning dark coloured. Again here, we know this is a bahuvrihi because otherwise shyaamala would have had a neuter ending agreeing with shasya.

शुभ्रज्योत्स्ना shubhra white, shining; adjective. jyotsnaa - Durga and moonlight; fem noun

पुलकितयामिनीं - accusative bahuvrihi compound: pulakita - thrilled with joy; adj. yaaminiim - accusative singular of Yaaminii, fem noun - night. Together the whole compound comes to mean [I bow to her] whose night is thrilled [perhaps made thrilling] by the splendour of shining moonlight. 

फुल्लकुसुमितद्रुमदलशोभिनीं accusative bahuvrihi compound. [I bow to her]  whose splendour is resplendent with  trees whose shoots are furnished with full blown blossoms

सुहासिनीं - [I bow to her] whose laughter is beautiful, dazzling white

सुमधुरसुभाषिनीं - [I bow to her] whose speech is sweet and good 

सुखदां - [I bow to her] who gives pleasure, delight

वरदां - [I bow to her] who grants wishes, confers boons

Now, you can see that this analysis is not very poetic. And you'll find that translators who render the Sanskrit into other languages tend to use a lot of poetic licence - as in Shri Aurobindo's translation below. Two points emerge: a) if you don't understand Sanskrit, you'd have to use at least 2-3 translations to get a sense of what the original probably meant; and b) If you do learn Sanskrit, you can see where the poet has taken liberties. You might love the translation (as I do Aurobindo's) but knowing what the words mean will help you to judge how well the poet has balanced aesthetics with intent of the original.

Translation by Shree Aurobindo

Mother, I bow to thee!

Rich with thy hurrying streams,

bright with orchard gleams,

Cool with thy winds of delight,

Dark fields waving Mother of might,

Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,

Over thy branches and lordly streams,

Clad in thy blossoming trees,

Mother, giver of ease

Laughing low and sweet!

Mother I kiss thy feet,

Speaker sweet and low!

Mother, to thee I bow.