Guest guest Posted April 14, 2000 Report Share Posted April 14, 2000 "please get up my calf": the word vatsa in this case most likely refers to Krsna, in which case the meaning would be please get up my child, my son." vatsa can mean calf or child or son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2000 Report Share Posted April 14, 2000 Dandavats. Jaya Prabhupada! On Fri, 14 Apr 2000, Bhanu Swami (Madras - IN) wrote: > "please get up my calf": the word vatsa in this case most likely refers to > Krsna, in which case the meaning would be please get up my child, my son." > vatsa can mean calf or child or son. > Thank you Maharaja; you're absolutely right. I've also seen gurus address their disciples as "vatsa." Translating the term as I do, I like to emphasize the etymological relation of these two semantically distinct usages. Not only is the word used to refer to a cow's offspring seen as suitable for addressing human beings too (and even gods, for that matter), but the very word we have which denotes parental affection is similarly derived: vAtsalya. To me, this underscores the great degree to which a sensitive awareness of the importance--and status--of mother cow permeates Veidc culture and hence its languages. Particularly in societies bereft of such a vantage point, I think it very beneficial to be remember this kind of thing. By the way, even in Hindi, children are still addressed in this way today, and thus a small boy will be referred to as "bacca." Thanks again for your clarification. Hare Krishna! Your humble servant, MDd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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