Help on Translation of Sloka 33 of Sivanandalahari

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

Can some one help me translate the following sloka (Sloka

No.33) from Sivananda-lahari of Sankara ? I have tried below

but I am not convinced whether the translation brings the full

import:

 

naalaM vaa sakR^ideva deva bhavataH sevaa natirvaa nutiH

puujaa vaa smaraNaM kathaa-shravaNam-apy-aalokanaM

maadR^ishaam.h /

svaamin-nasthira-devataa-nusaraNaayaasena kiM labhyate

kaa vaa mukti-ritaH kuto bhavati chet.h kiM praarthaniiyaM tadaa

//

 

 

Attempted translation:

Is it not enough, for people like us, O Lord, to prostrate to

you once, praise you, worship you, remember you, listen to

stories about you and see you (in images); what does one achieve

by propitiating impermanent divines.? The so-called moksha,

even if it happens, what are we supposed to pray for?

 

praNAms to all advaitins

profvk

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More

http://faith.

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Sw. Tapasyananda's translation: 2nd. ed, 1988, Ramakrishna Math,

Mylapore.

 

"O Lord! Thou Master of all! For the attainment of liberation, is it

not enough for men like me to serve Thee even once by prostration, by

praise, by contemplation, or by visualisation? By what else but these

can liberation be achieved? If, however, it is attainable by any of

these what is there to be gained by the arduous worship of ephemeral

deities?"

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

 

 

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

> Namaste

>

> Can some one help me translate the following sloka (Sloka

> No.33) from Sivananda-lahari of Sankara ?

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

advaitin, "sunderh" <sunderh> wrote:

> Namaste,

>

> Sw. Tapasyananda's translation: 2nd. ed, 1988, Ramakrishna

Math,

> Mylapore.

>

> "O Lord! Thou Master of all! For the attainment of liberation, is

it

> not enough for men like me to serve Thee even once by prostration,

by

> praise,

 

Just a nit - You left out a line from the translation

"by listening to divine stories, by worship, "

 

Savithri

 

by contemplation, or by visualisation? By what else but these

> can liberation be achieved? If, however, it is attainable by any

of

> these what is there to be gained by the arduous worship of

ephemeral

> deities?"

>

>

> Regards,

>

> Sunder

>

>

>

> advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

> > Namaste

> >

> > Can some one help me translate the following sloka (Sloka

> > No.33) from Sivananda-lahari of Sankara ?

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Many thanks for the correction!

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

advaitin, "savithri_devaraj" <savithri_devaraj>

wrote:

> Namaste,

>

>

> Just a nit - You left out a line from the translation

> "by listening to divine stories, by worship, "

>

> Savithri

>

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

Thanks, Sunderji and Savithri Devaraj for providing me with the

translation of the sloka by Swami Tapasyananda.

Thanks also to Suprabha who provided the following translation

of the sloka from TMP Mahadevan, in a personal mail:

" O Master ! O God ! Is it not enough for people like me to

serve Thee even once through making obeisance,singing

praise,worship,meditation,listening to Thy story,or having a

sight of Thee? Other than thus, how is release possible ? This

being so, what is to be gained by following with effort,gods who

are impermanent ? And why should they be prayed to ? "

 

Note the significant shift in emphasis in Mahadevan's

translation of the fourth line of the sloka.

 

praNAms to all advaitins

profvk

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More

http://faith.

[Guest guest]

--- "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk wrote:

>

> Can some one help me translate the following sloka

> (Sloka

> No.33) from Sivananda-lahari of Sankara ? I have

> tried below

> but I am not convinced whether the translation

> brings the full

> import:

>

> Attempted translation:

> Is it not enough, for people like us, O Lord, to

> prostrate to

> you once, praise you, worship you, remember you,

> listen to

> stories about you and see you (in images); what does

> one achieve

> by propitiating impermanent divines.? The so-called

> moksha,

> even if it happens, what are we supposed to pray

> for?

 

Namaste Professor,

 

I have just returned from travelling around the UK and

have been trying to catch up with all the discussions.

Was this mail of yours picked up?

 

My translation of the above is by T.M.P. Mahadevan and

reads:

 

'O Master! O God! Is it not enough for people like me

to serve Thee even once through making obeisance,

singing praise, worship, meditation, listening to Thy

story, or having a sight of Thee? Other than thus,

how is release possible? This being so, what is to be

gained by following, with effort, gods who are

impermanent? And why should they be prayed to?'

 

The translator then comments:

'The devotee is convinced that nothing else is

required for gaining release than the grace of Shiva.

Even a single act of worship offered to Him in all

sincerity is enough. Why go to other gods and

godlings? What independant power do they possess?

Any effort to court them will only end in futility and

frustration.'

 

I wonder what you would regard as 'the full import' of

this verse and, indeed, all hundred verses, if they

are by Shankara himself.

 

Hope this is of use,

 

Ken Knight

 

 

 

 

 

Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More

http://faith.