Correct.
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Rig Veda : English translation by T.H.Griffith
- Thread starter paarsurrey
- Start date
Correct.
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
Thanks and regards
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
Rig Veda : English translation by T.H.Griffith
Another quotes from the Preface/s of the above translation (1889 edition):
RIGVEDA - PREFACE
"The language and style of most of the hymns
is singularly artificial Occasionally we meet with fine
outbursts of poetry, especially in the hymns addressed
to the dawn, but these are never long sustained, and as
a rule we find few grand similes or metaphors." The
worst fault of all, in the Collection regarded as a whole,
is the intolerable monotony of a great number of the
hymns, a monotony which reaches its climax in the ninth
Book which consists almost entirely of invocations of
Soma PavamSjia, or the deified Soma-juice in process of
straining and purification."
https://archive.org/stream/hymnsrigveda02grifgoog/hymnsrigveda02grifgoog_djvu.txt
For lessening such monotony and for reducing size of the voluminous Veda , only some or more representative verses should go to the compressed Rigveda , however for other passages/verses references will be provided so that those who wish to read all, they get easy access. Please
Regards
Another quotes from the Preface/s of the above translation (1889 edition):
RIGVEDA - PREFACE
"The language and style of most of the hymns
is singularly artificial Occasionally we meet with fine
outbursts of poetry, especially in the hymns addressed
to the dawn, but these are never long sustained, and as
a rule we find few grand similes or metaphors." The
worst fault of all, in the Collection regarded as a whole,
is the intolerable monotony of a great number of the
hymns, a monotony which reaches its climax in the ninth
Book which consists almost entirely of invocations of
Soma PavamSjia, or the deified Soma-juice in process of
straining and purification."
https://archive.org/stream/hymnsrigveda02grifgoog/hymnsrigveda02grifgoog_djvu.txt
For lessening such monotony and for reducing size of the voluminous Veda , only some or more representative verses should go to the compressed Rigveda , however for other passages/verses references will be provided so that those who wish to read all, they get easy access. Please
Regards
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Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Of course not. I got the figure from Wikipedia. There are always better ways to do things.You counted them too?
D'oh! 
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
RigVeda is prayers written by hundreds of poets. Sure, it is repetitive. But then, I look for geographical, astronomical, historical and social information about Aryans. That makes it very interesting.
Satyamavejayanti
Well-Known Member
Namaste,
So i guess you have finished the YajurVeda? What did you learn from the Yajur Veda? How many Yajnas did you perform with the Yajus Mantras of the YajurVeda?Have you heard the YajurVeda being recited by Pundits/Purohits/preists ect?
What message did you take away from the YajurVeda? What was overall idea in the YajurVeda?Have you read any other translations of the YajurVeda?
Are you going to read the YajurVeda again, to internalise/realise the Mantras? Have you understood the YajurVeda?
I just want to know, am i right, please.....
Dhanyavad
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
I don't agree with you. The believers in Veda/Yajurveda did not went through any Master's curriculum. Did they? PleasePaarsurrey, I would again place before you that before reading the books for Master's degree you should read the books for Bachelor's degree - I mean Puranas, Upanishads and BhagawadGita. Vedas are on the Master's curriculum.
Regards
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
It is mostly about war, battles,foes, attack, destroy, kill, enemy, army, commander of the army, acquiring of wealth.
It does not describe, who were their enemies and what made them such pitched enemies and foes that it is all along the Yajurveda, in the beginning, in the middle and in the ending chapters/verses of the Yajurveda.
Did they, the believers of Yajurveda, kill and destroy all their enemies/foes from the face of the earth? Or did the enemies/foes drive the Yajurveda believers out of the lands they lived in to occupy other lands marching on horse-backs and riding chariots after being got defeated by their enemies? There is no mention of it. Right?
Regards
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
No one can kill all enemies. That is the way of the world. Aryans did not create empires. They were not that many and they stretched over far distances. I think, a village (they called it - 'vish' and its leader as 'vishpati') was the basic unit. These were local skirmishes for cattle and arable land. Barley was their main staple, that is why even today, it is barley which offered in a 'yajna' and not rice or wheat. It was more like pre-historic mongols. They were happy with their villages.
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psychoslice
Veteran Member
My advise is to go beyond the mere words.
Satyamavejayanti
Well-Known Member
Namaste,
That is funny, I did not see much emphasis on these in the Yajus, Not in Tulsi Rams translations anyways, maybe in Devi Chands Translations, there is emphasys. But what about the Last Chapter of the Yajur Veda, did you understand it?
Because there are no literal enemies that are being attacked or killed, these are all to be understood in the Adhyatmika sense, not ithihasic sense.
There are no literal enemies, once we understand the Devta of a Mantra we can determine the opposing Asura that is being "defeated", once we understand the subject matter of the Mantras the Majority of interpretations become clear that they are to be interpreted in Adyatmika and Adhiyagnic sense, as these are Mantras not prayers or commandments, translations take away the Mantra qualities and the interpretation of translations become subject to the translators biases. All translators have some biases or another.
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
Satyamavejayanti
Well-Known Member
Namaste
No, what I am saying is, there is no reason to only believe the Mantras to be literal, nor is there any reason to believe the Mantras as only metaphor. This is Mantra we are discussing not a Language.
Mantra is meant to be heard, then meditate on what is heard, then through Sadhna of meditation and Mantra Jappa, one can realize the meaning of the Mantra.
There is nothing to know from just reading the Vedas, that is why Traditionally Hindus don't just sit around Reading the Vedas, Veda Mantras are to be Heard from a Guru/Acharya rather then just read by oneself.
Dhanyavad
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
Does one mean that it is one's whim that decides if something is to be taken in literal sense or in metaphoric sense? There are no principles involved, whatever suits one's viewpoint one will stick on it. Right? Please
Anybody, please
Regards
Satyamavejayanti
Well-Known Member
Namaste,
No, there are already principals of interpretation, such as Adhyatimic, AdhiBhutic, Adhidevic and Adhiyagnic ect, no such principals as metaphor or literal when it comes to Mantra.
Dhanyavad
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
Please use English words for easy understanding.
Regards
Satyamavejayanti
Well-Known Member
Sorry these have no English equivalents.
As @Satyamavejayanti said, these words can't be translated properly, therefore any translation of a text is an approximation at best. If you don't know the original language, culture and context, therein lies the problem you are facing.
Two translations of the same Bhagavad Gita verse 11.32
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kālo ’smi loka-kṣaya-kṛt pravṛddho
lokān samāhartum iha pravṛttaḥ
ṛte ’pi tvāḿ na bhaviṣyanti sarve
ye ’vasthitāḥ praty-anīkeṣu yodhāḥ
Translation #1:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people. With the exception of you [i.e. Arjuna's family], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain.
Translation #2:
Shree Bhagavaan said:
I am time, the seasoned annihilator of the worlds, engaged in destroying all these people. Even without your effort, all those hostile warriors will not exist in the future.
And for the bonus round, Robert Oppenheimer, the "father of the atomic bomb" learned Sanskrit and read the Bhagavad Gita in the original Sanskrit. When he witnessed the first test of the atomic bomb he said:
"I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita ... 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' "
Why he chose to translate kālo 'smi as "I am become death" is a mystery to me because kālo 'smi literally means "time I am". That is how the feeling can change. It makes Krishna sound like a wanton destroyer and killer rather than the One who controls the natural flow of time.