June Topic: mAyA in the vedas: the One and the many: for Dennis

[Guest guest]

--- Dennis Waite <dwaite wrote:

>I am

> not that interested in going into this subject so

> deeply.

 

Good Morning Dennis,

Yes you are. The Vedas are not books. They are what is

in front of you and all around you and flowing through

you. You cannot help but be interested.

And mAyA ? Well we haven't got to that one yet.

Sorry about all the words though but I could not think

of any other way to do this usefully for people.

> Are there any specific

> chants that you would recommend (actual URL pointing

> to ones that can be

> heard on-line)?

 

I think each person will find that which vibrates most

harmoniously for themselves so may I ask you to search

through the sites listed. Bit of a task but these

things have a way of revealing themselves.

Did you ever learn any SES version of Sanskrit? If

so, have a look at the www.flaez.ch site and use the

transliteration there for a hymn that appeals to you.

 

This suggestion then raises the problem of purity. We

really need to sit at the feet of a master when we are

three years old when we can still listen.....

About five years ago I spent three days with some sama

veda chanters from Kerala who tried to teach a group

in the traditional way....all of us were hopeless; too

old.

However, I do feel that if we approach the hymns with

sincerity, with respectful acknowledgement of the

devaH to whom it is dedicated and the Rishi who spoke

it, through the awakening of dhI, then we may hear

something powerful emerging from our own mouths.

 

We may also be turned into frogs if we get it totally

wrong but there you go.

We might be better at being frogs than we are at being

humans.

We might even be frogs in a pond in the forest

hermitage where we can hear the Vedas chanted

correctly all day.........apologies to those on this

site who know that I have adapted the story of the

hermit who fell in love with a deer whose mother had

been killed..

>

> I would just like to query your comment on the St.

> John gospel. ..... How, then, can you

> take an English

> translation of this (same) and attempt to suggest

> that it was based on a

> Sanskrit word (or any other language other than the

> presumably Greek in

> which it was written)?

 

Pretty easy that one although the Greek is possibly

more interesting than the English.

Firstly 'same'. Skeat's etymological dictionary will

refer you to the Sanskrit 'sama' as well as many other

sources all related to a meaning of 'together' 'even'

'identical' 'of the like kind'. As you know, because

of the Roman influences, 'c' in English can be sounded

softly 's' or with the hard 'K' sound as in

communication. So if you look at words like 'symmetry'

'sympathy' you will find the 'same' being developed in

the prefix.

 

The Greek 'outos' is what is being translated as

'same'. This is not quite accurate in our modern

meaning but it may have had a different emphasis in

King Jams' time. The most usual meaning of 'outos'

is 'this' as the demonstrative pronoun. It also has

the meaning 'for this reason' which would link it with

one of core meanings of Logos which is translated as

'Word'. I once set a Greek scholar friend to the task

of studying 'outos' for me and she was enthralled with

the subtleties of meaning she found there. If you can

get hold of a Greek Lexicon of the New Testament may I

recommend that you have a look.

 

Finally, on this little sidetrack, the April

discussion on purna had much to say on Skt. 'Idam'. In

the way John presents the prologue to the Gospel I

think that he may well have had such a concept in

mind.

 

So, too many words again. But I blame you for for

setting me off down this road. However, I do agree

with you, as we have said before, that the imagery of

one religious tradition should not be imposed upon

another in some populist fashion; that does not mean

that we should not peer behind the veils though.

 

Thanks for joining in,

 

Ken Knight

 

 

 

=====

‘From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed forth.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

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