Guest guest Posted February 21, 2002 Report Share Posted February 21, 2002 Namaste devi_bhakta Could you tell me again, which version in English of the Devi Mahatmyam do you recommend? I am unable to find your original post. It must have been back in the "club days." prainbow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2002 Report Share Posted February 21, 2002 Namaste; This version: http://www.telegenisys.com/dm/html/chandi.html Love baba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2002 Report Share Posted February 21, 2002 dear devi_bhakta, thanx! i already posted the list of recommended texts on devi mahatmiyam and devi gita from the 'database' ! devi gita is par of devi mahatimiyam , if i understand correctly. chandi patah by swami satyananda saraswati has a different sort of appeal more for 'the bhaktas' !- swamiji is a sanskrit scholar. he is a practicing shakta who can recite all the verses from the devi mahatmiyam without even pausing for a 'breath' - (shows that he is a pranayama expert) his sanskrit enunciation is excellent.american born, he may be but even the hindu priest at the murugan people could not keep pace with swamiji while chanting the chandi patah in may of 2001 when swamiji conducted the chandi homa. swami assigns esoteric meanings to certain words rather than tranlating those words literally- i personally find his text and translation of chandi pataha full of devotion (bhakti) just thought i will share this with you! love , Devi bhakta <devi_bhakta> wrote: > Hi prainbow: > > The version I like is Thomas Coburn's "Encountering > the Goddess." I like it because it contains an > extremely reliable translation, along with > translations of the three "Protection" hymns that > precede the scripture proper, and the three "Secret" > hymns that follow it. > > Also -- since you share my "research scholar" approach > to such things -- you'll probably appreciate Coburn's > lucid and informative introduction, notes, and > commentary. > > The version Baba108 mentions is another possibility. > However, it may not be right for newcomers to Hindu > scripture. Swami Satyananda Saraswati, who translated > the version Baba mentions, is an American-born swami > (Hindu monk). He has done the great service of > translating a prodigious number of important Shakta > scriptures into English, with great devotion, and many > people like his work. > > However, I personally find his renderings rather > confusing and difficult to follow, and sometimes > inaccurately translated. Since he is not a scholar per > se, there is also too little explanation as to choice > of source texts, and sometimes a tough-to-discern > blending of original material with non-original > commentary and interpretation. > > If you want clarity and textual purity, you can't beat > Coburn. If you prefer devotional fervor and a swami's > ritual instruction, then Satyananda Saraswati is your > man. > > BTW, I've decided to make an Amazon reading list of > Shakta recommendations. Stay tuned and I'll post a > link tomorrow. > > Aum Maatangyai Namahe > > --- prainbow61 <paulie-rainbow@u...> wrote: > > Namaste devi_bhakta > > > > Could you tell me again, which version in English of > > the Devi > > Mahatmyam do you recommend? I am unable to find your > > original post. It > > must have been back in the "club days." > > > > prainbow > > > > > > > > > Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games > http://sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2002 Report Share Posted February 21, 2002 Hi Adi! I saw the database, thanks for all of your efforts! The list I'm going to do is an Amazon "List-mania" thing -- just for fun; my first attempt at Shakta cross-marketing! ;-) And it should make it easier for members to read more about books that interest them -- reviews, excerpts, cover art, etc. *** devi gita is par of devi mahatimiyam , if i understand correctly.*** Actually, the Devi Gita is part of the Devi Bhagavad Purana, whereas Devi Mahatmyam is part of the Markendeya Purana, dating nearly 1,000 years earlier. However, it's easy to get them confused -- the Devi Bhagavad retells the battles of the Devi Mahatmyam several times, adding to the theology along the way. It is a later, much more comprehensive vision of Devi as Brahman, without a second. *** chandi patah by swami satyananda saraswati has a different sort of appeal more for 'the bhaktas' *** Yes, that's pretty much the distinction I was trying to make. I prefer Coburn's translation, but I wanted to make clear why some prefer the swami's version. Variety is the spice of life; I don't want to disparage either version. But they are very different, and I thought it would be helpful to lay out both possibilities for what they are, and let the reader choose which one is more their style. But thank you for balancing myt post; I guess my Coburn slant was a bit too obvious. Aum Maatangyai Namahe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 22, 2002 Report Share Posted February 22, 2002 Namste; My reason for using Swami Satyananda's Chandi Path is that it is the only one that I know, and it, Shiva Puja, Cosmic Puja and Kali Puja are my constant companions. I chant from these three daily and have incorporated into my daily sadhana. I would love to study others, but the means to acquired them is not with in my realm at this time. The more versions you read the better you are able to understand. Love baba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2002 Report Share Posted February 23, 2002 Namaste devi_bhakta, prainbow and everyone. Another translation of the Devi Mahatmyam is by Jagadiswarananda, a swami of the Ramakrishna order, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math in Mylapore, Madras. It is very literal translation, and intended to help readers understand the Sanskrit text, which is included (in nagari characters only). Quite inexpensive too. I agree on the whole with devi_bhakta's comments on Satyananda's translation. Haven't seen Thomas Coburn's translation _Encountering the Goddess_, so I appreciated devi_bhakta's review. Another book that has been mentioned is also by Thomas Coburn _Devi Mahatmya, the Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition_. This is actually NOT a translation, it is a book ABOUT the Devi Mahatmya. It is scholarly and interesting, but my advice would be to read first read the Devi Mahatmya itself. Om Shantih, Colin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaimaakaalee Posted October 22, 2010 Report Share Posted October 22, 2010 An assistant priest at Washington Kali Temple in Burtonsville, Maryland, United States, I have read twelve different versions of the Devi Mahatmyam. Yes, those include Thomas Coburn's version and Swami Satyananda Saraswati's version. The one version I recommend for chanting, though, is the simple version published by the Ramakrishna Math and available in their online bookstore for less than one US dollar. That version has both a transliteration and a running English translation. True, it does not include the three Rahasyas or "Secrets", but recitation of those is entirely optional, and they are Vaishnava-influenced angas or limbs that in some parts directly contradict the scripture itself, so I do not recommend their recitation anyway. The only downside to the Ramakrishna Math version is its unexplainable lack of a translation of one of the three preliminary angas, the short Kilikam. For *study* of the scripture, I recommend Devadatta Kali's book In Praise of the Goddess, which does include that translation and in general provides an excellent commentary on the scripture. Wishing you blessings, Acharyaji (jaimaakaalee on YouTube) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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