Translation series - Gita Bhashya - Introduction 2/3

[Guest guest]

Second of a scheduled three-part set on the introductory chapter in the

Gita commentary.

 

Posted on August 11, 2002, 6:50 pm, Pacific Standard Time

Vidyasankar

 

--------

 

sa cha bhagavaan.h GYAnaishvaryashaktibalaviiryatejobhiH sadaa sampannaH

triguNaatmikaaM vaiShNaviiM svaaM maayaaM muulaprakR^itiM vashiikR^itya

ajaH avyayaH bhuutaanaaM iishvaraH nityashuddhabuddhamuktasvabhaavo.api

san.h svamaayayaa dehavaan.h iva jaataH iva cha lokaanugrahaM kurvan.h

laxyate .

 

This venerable Lord of all beings is always endowed with knowledge, lordliness,

power, strength, vitality and splendour, is unborn and not subject to change,

and is eternal, pure, enlightened and ever-liberated in nature. He controls the

root material nature (muulaprakR^iti), which is His own power of illusion

(maayaa),

consisting of the three qualities (triguNa). By means of this power, He appears

in this world, as if He were embodied and as if he were born, and blesses it.

 

svaprayojanaabhaave.api bhuutaanujighR^ixayaa vaidikaM dharmadvayaM

arjunaaya shokamohamahodadhau nimagnaaya upadidesha . guNaadhikaiH

hi gR^ihiitaH anuShThiiyamaanashcha dharmaH prachayaM gamiShyatiiti .

taM dharmaM bhagavataa yathopadiShTaM vedavyaasaH sarvaGYaH

bhagavaan.h giitaakhyaiH saptabhiH shlokashataiH upanibabandha ..

 

With no personal profit in it, but due to a desire to promote the welfare of all

beings, He imparted the two-fold Vedic Dharma to Arjuna, who was drowning

in a great ocean of sorrow and delusion. This is because only if the Law is

grasped and practised properly by people of excellent virtues will it flourish

in

the world. The revered sage, the omniscient Vedavyasa, wrote down this

Dharma, as taught by the Lord, in seven hundred verses, called the

Songs (Gita).

 

tat.h idam.h giitaashaastraM samastavedaarthasaarasaN^grahabhuutaM

durviGYeyaarthaM tadarthaaviShkaraNaaya anekaiH vivR^itapadapadaartha-

vaakyaarthanyaayam.h api atyantaviruddhaanekaarthatvena laukikaiH

gR^ihyamaaNaM upalabhya ahaM vivekataH arthanirdhaaraNaarthaM

sa.nxepataH vivaraNaM kariShyAmi ..

 

The teaching of the Gita, which is the essence of the meaning of all the

Vedas, is difficult to comprehend. Even though many have expressed each

verse-quatrain (pada) and its meaning in sentences, it is noticed that people

in general hold many mutually contradictory ideas about it. Therefore, I will

briefly explain the text, in order to elucidate its proper meaning.Get more from

the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Sir,

 

The intent of this post is not to question your excellent efforts at

translation but to kindle the spirit of discussion and to learn more

about linguistic nuances.

 

The first part is one long sentence in Sanskrit, which has been split

into three sentences in the English translation. In the process, it

looks like the emphasis expected of the word "san.h" has been lost.

Could you kindly tell us why you chose to translate the way you did

while a direct single-sentence translation as given below was

possible?

 

"That Lord of all beings, always endowed with knowledge, lordliness,

power, strength and splendour, despite (although) being unborn,

unchanging, eternal, pure and ever-liberated in nature, controls

(bewitches and subjugates) the root material nature (mUlaprakR^iti) -

His own power to create illusion (VaiShnavi mAyA) consisting of the

three qualities (triguNA) - and is seen blessing the world as if

embodied and born due to that same power to create illusion."

 

The above sentence is ridden with apparent contradictions and offers

great scope for elaborate discussion. While attributes are showered

on the Lord right in the beginning, He is immediately described as

unborn, unchanging, eternal etc. Then again, the mUlaprakR^iti is

described as His own; however, He is described as "controlling,

bewitching and subjugating" Her! This part is so beautiful that it

reminds one naturally of Sankara's bewitching "KanakadhArA stotra".

Why does He have to control or subjugate Her (vashiikR^itya) is still

a big question when She is He Himself (svaaM)?! Is this not the

point where language fails and even the great explaining power of

even Sankara ("nirdhAraNa" as he calls it in the third part)

succumbs? Perhaps, we can reopen our Pandora's box of adhyAsa

here!

 

About the third part, "samastavedArthasArasaN^graha" has been

translated as the "essence of all Vedas". Why has our AchArya used

both "artha" and "sAra" here? Does "vedArtha" point particularly

to "vedAnta" (upanishads) here, so that the whole combination would

read "essence of vedAnta or upanishads"?

 

Grateful for your guidance and advice.

 

Humble pranAms.

 

Madathil Nair

 

 

advaitin, "Vidyasankar Sundaresan" <vsundaresan@h...>

wrote:

> Second of a scheduled three-part set on the introductory chapter in

the

> Gita commentary.

>

> Posted on August 11, 2002, 6:50 pm, Pacific Standard Time

> Vidyasankar

 

> sa cha bhagavaan.h GYAnaishvaryashaktibalaviiryatejobhiH sadaa

sampannaH

> triguNaatmikaaM vaiShNaviiM svaaM maayaaM muulaprakR^itiM

vashiikR^itya

> ajaH avyayaH bhuutaanaaM iishvaraH

nityashuddhabuddhamuktasvabhaavo.api

> san.h svamaayayaa dehavaan.h iva jaataH iva cha lokaanugrahaM

kurvan.h

> laxyate .

>

> This venerable Lord of all beings is always endowed with knowledge,

lordliness,

> power, strength, vitality and splendour, is unborn and not subject

to change,

> and is eternal, pure, enlightened and ever-liberated in nature. He

controls the

> root material nature (muulaprakR^iti), which is His own power of

illusion (maayaa),

> consisting of the three qualities (triguNa). By means of this

power, He appears

> in this world, as if He were embodied and as if he were born, and

blesses it.

__________________________

 

> tat.h idam.h giitaashaastraM samastavedaarthasaarasaN^grahabhuutaM

> durviGYeyaarthaM tadarthaaviShkaraNaaya anekaiH

vivR^itapadapadaartha-

> vaakyaarthanyaayam.h api atyantaviruddhaanekaarthatvena laukikaiH

> gR^ihyamaaNaM upalabhya ahaM vivekataH arthanirdhaaraNaarthaM

> sa.nxepataH vivaraNaM kariShyAmi ..