Guest guest Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Sat Nam, It seems the translations of mantras always vary, but I would like to know what is the best translation to tell my students, for example, the basic mantra " Sat Nam. " I've seen it translated as " Truth is my identity, " " Truth as identity, " " Identity of all that is, " " The true name of God, " etc. Which is the best one to give my students? Also, " Wahe Guru. " I thought since it had " guru " in it there should be something about wisdom, teacher, or bringing darkness into light. Yet the translation given from KRI for the Aquarian March is " The Ecstatic Totality of God and Existence. " How should I best translate this for students? Similarly, in the Aquarian March translation, " Akal Moort " is translated as " Embodied Form or Image of the Infinite " (from KRI). Where is the " Akal " in that, which I thought meant " Undying " ? Clearly doing this 1,000 day meditation has at least made me think a lot about the meaning of the mantra! Thanks for any help in advance, Ananda Kaur Plymouth MA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Sat Nam Ananda Kaur, You ask good, yogic questions. My sense of these mantras comes from thirty-eight years of practice and delving into shamanic aspects of our lifestyle. For instance, Sat Nam is the sound of the breath--Sat the inhale, Nam the exhale. A word for breathing, as in " expiration, " comes from an ancient word meaning " spirit. " You can use your breath to subtly, consciously merge with the Gurus, with God. To learn more on divine union, yoga, through the breath, go to http://www.yogagems.com/myinnerbio/iamyouyouareme.html . For a look into my personal, universal experience of Sat Nam, Infinite Truth--God's identity within all of us (!), check out http://www.yogagems.com/meditations/satkriyawashingmachine.html and, exploring the power and blessings of Sat Nam further, http://www.yogagems.com/blessingmotherearth/washingtheworld.html Wahe Guru is the Wow! realization of Guru, bringing " Gu, " darkness into " Ru, " light. To have an understanding of this mantra's vastness within you, reach your arms up to the heavens, chant " Wahe Guru! " and imagine light emerging from darkness throughout the cosmos. Chant it however it comes out during any strong emotion to dispel illusion. Chant it while taking a cold shower first thing in the morning to burn off your karmas. Wahe Guru does not need a translation to be understand. Discover its meaning through your personal experience. Like Sat Nam, it is what it sounds like. Akal means undying, the state of pure spirit. Moorat means a statue. Akal Moorat is the physical representation of Akal, just as you are the physical representation of your own spirit, of God. To realize it, go through the steps leading up to Akal Moorat in Mool Mantra--Ek, come out of duality through power of your divinity to Oneness; Ongkar, see, sense and experience the Creator through all aspects of his creation; Sat Nam, feel your breath to be God's Identity within you; Karta Purkh, experience and sense the reality of God working through /everything /and/ everybody. /Nir Bhao, do so fearlessly, Nir Vair, with total forgiveness for every perceived wrong ever done to you. Akal Moorat, Be So. Loving Blessings through this wondrous 1,000 days adventure, SS Guru Prem Kaur Khalsa www.yogagems.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Personally, I prefer the more " literal " translations as a " first round " explanation - through elaborations can expand one's understanding. Sometimes when one wanders too far afield of the literal translation the meaning/understanding changes. [E.g. In the shabd, " Jin praym keeo tin hee prabh paaiaa, " a more literal translation is " Those who love will obtain God. " However, I often see it translated " Those who love God, will obtain Him. " I consider the latter off the mark of the intent.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Ananda Kaur, I use the translations interchangeably when I teach. Fop Sat Nam, " I am truth " or " Truth is my name. " For Wahe Guru I use Gurmukh's description, " Wow! God is incredible! " There are more definitions on the CD'a and in the books. They feel like interpretations. Your intuition will guide you as to which ones to use, depending on who is in class and how you can best reach them. Satpal Kaur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Sat Nam, Ananda Kaur Ji! Here's my answer.... Sat Nam! --- My True Identity is Infinity (and so is yours! And when I utter " Sat Nam " I am acknowledging the Infinity in both of us. Wahe Guru! --- Wow! The Wisdom of the One is tooooooooo much! Beyond words to express! Akal Moorat! --- The Image of the Infinite (expressed in all things) exists beyond life and death. All love in Divine, .....G ------------------------- REPLY SEPARATOR -------------------------------- Sat Nam, It seems the translations of mantras always vary, but I would like to know what is the best translation to tell my students, for example, the basic mantra " Sat Nam. " I've seen it translated as " Truth is my identity, " " Truth as identity, " " Identity of all that is, " " The true name of God, " etc. Which is the best one to give my students? Also, " Wahe Guru. " I thought since it had " guru " in it there should be something about wisdom, teacher, or bringing darkness into light. Yet the translation given from KRI for the Aquarian March is " The Ecstatic Totality of God and Existence. " How should I best translate this for students? Similarly, in the Aquarian March translation, " Akal Moort " is translated as " Embodied Form or Image of the Infinite " (from KRI). Where is the " Akal " in that, which I thought meant " Undying " ? Clearly doing this 1,000 day meditation has at least made me think a lot about the meaning of the mantra! Thanks for any help in advance, Ananda Kaur Plymouth MA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Dear Anand, Satnam I would like to congratulate you for having great apettite for curiosity. I know very little but I felt like sharing my views. Satnam: 'Sat' originates from 'Satya' in Sanskrit. It literally means 'Truth'. 'Nam' has similar origin literally meaning 'Name'. The first ever bani/mantra given to Guru Nanak by Akal Purukh was 'mool mantra' that makes the first stanza of Japuji. It describes Akal Purukh. Satnam is the second word in it. So describing Him it says your name is truth. In other words you are the only truth and everything else is false/maya. I hope that may help. Baljinder Kundalini-Yoga , " annarchambault " <annarchambault wrote: > > Sat Nam, > > It seems the translations of mantras always vary, but I would like to know what is the best translation to tell my students, for example, the basic mantra " Sat Nam. " I've seen it translated as " Truth is my identity, " " Truth as identity, " " Identity of all that is, " " The true name of God, " etc. Which is the best one to give my students? > > Also, " Wahe Guru. " I thought since it had " guru " in it there should be something about wisdom, teacher, or bringing darkness into light. Yet the translation given from KRI for the Aquarian March is " The Ecstatic Totality of God and Existence. " How should I best translate this for students? > > Similarly, in the Aquarian March translation, " Akal Moort " is translated as " Embodied Form or Image of the Infinite " (from KRI). Where is the " Akal " in that, which I thought meant " Undying " ? > > Clearly doing this 1,000 day meditation has at least made me think a lot about the meaning of the mantra! > > Thanks for any help in advance, > Ananda Kaur > Plymouth MA > t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 I'm beginning to learn and study gurbani kirtan, and I would love to know a more literal translation of the shabds as I learn them. Coming from a western classical vocal tradition, I always learn the literal meaning of each word and syllable. Can anyone recommend a good reference material on learning gurmukhi, or if there is a dictionary out there that would help to understand root syllables/words? Kehar Kaur Kundalini-Yoga , Harbhajan Kaur Khalsa <harbhajank wrote: > > Personally, I prefer the more " literal " translations as a " first > round " explanation - through elaborations can expand one's > understanding. Sometimes when one wanders too far afield of the > literal translation the meaning/understanding changes. [E.g. In the > shabd, " Jin praym keeo tin hee prabh paaiaa, " a more literal > translation is " Those who love will obtain God. " However, I often see > it translated " Those who love God, will obtain Him. " I consider the > latter off the mark of the intent.] > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Sat Nam Man Mohan Singh Translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is good in that it gives a number reference over many of the gurmukhi words and the english word in the translation. It is in 8 volumes and you will have to search it out. Guru Naanak Glossary - published by the School of African Studies in London - if it is still in print. Gives translation and origin of all key words used by Guru Naanak in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Plus a good panjabi dictionary, and sanskrit dictionary - have served me well. And more and more you can sometimes just search a word online you will be surprised what you can find. you may land on some great sikh forums. SikhiWiki is also up and coming resource often giving meanings of key words. One of YB's early students did a literal translation of Japji i beleive it is reprinted in a new book with 3 or 4 other japji translations/interpretations. my 10 cents says - i support literal translations with commentaries aside rather than allowing them to creep into the translation. then the reader can self initiate into depth and variety of meaning. search and you will find take one step to guru and guru will take a thousand steps to you. blesings to all scs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Sat Nam Ananda Kaur, Sat Nam also means " Truth is the essence " , " True Essence " , Wahe Guru - Wow! At this moment I realize the divine knowledge Akal Moort - Undying (literally without death) Being Blessings, GuruSangat K. VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Kundalini-Yoga , Guru Sangat Kaur Khalsa <artsyogi wrote: > > Sat Nam Ananda Kaur, > Sat Nam also means " Truth is the essence " , " True Essence " , > Wahe Guru - Wow! At this moment I realize the divine knowledge > Akal Moort - Undying (literally without death) Being > > Blessings, > GuruSangat K. VA > Sat Nam, I like... no I love these simple and literal translations. I think I will " steal " them! And pushing them even further, I guess you could even simplify Wahe Guru as " Wow! Divinity! " or " Wow! Divine Experience! " But if I wanted to personalize it, I may say... " Wow God! I give up -- take me away Lord! " Can anyone translate these two expressions? Bole! and Sat Siri Akaal! -Fateh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 You know what else would be great? A literal translation of Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 Sat Nam, Ong means Creator, Namo means I bow. Guru is the Dispeller of Darkness, Dev means God-like, invisible--your intimate guide in perfecting Kundalini yoga. When you bow to both you bow to God's vastness as well as God awareness within you, the Infinite and the finite. Mantras with this fluctuation are the most powerful of all mantras. Mantras that use forms of the word " Namo, " act as ladders to higher consciousness, with each repetition being a rung. The more you humble yourself to the divine, the more subtly you approach divine awareness. To read a description of this mantra's powerful affects on the three chambers of the body--the head, chest and abdomen, in engendering spiritual awareness go to: http://www.yogagems.com/mantrasandprayers/ongnamogurudevnamo.html Loving Blessings, SS Guru Prem Kaur Khalsa http://www.yogagems.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 Thanks GuruPrem, Most teachers don't have the time to teach include this rich level of detail in a one hour class... (Although I've seen a similar description in some of the KRI books as well...) Do you usually take the time to cover all the different vibrational focus points before a group tune in? -Fateh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 Sat Nam Fateh, The explanations on my website of how Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo resonates the three centers is for the teacher's self-mastery. However you chant it, your students will follow suit. Chant it feeebly, they will chant feebly. Vibrate the mantra with the full power of your soul and they will resonate with you. Loving Blessings, SS Guru Prem Kaur Khalsa http://www.yogagems.com/mantrasandprayers/ongnamogurudevnamo.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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