--- In [email protected], "Paul Mason" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > 'Bhagavad' is the word used in the text (I just double-checked). But > of course the transcriber could have misheard or indeed the > typesetter might have mispelled the word. But either way, Bhagavan or > Bhagavad, same really, means 'Lord' or 'God' or 'OMnipotent One'. > > I wouldn't describe myself as 'fluent', no, but on the other hand I > do check every single word and the words I don't know I look up in > one of my dictionaries, I use four different Hindi dictionaries > (Allied, Oxford, National & Bhargava's), and a M-W Sanskrit 'slab'. > Any new definitions get added to a database, which enables me, with > the help of MSaccess, to offer text and get a list of all available > words related to the current translation. This can be really useful > when Guru Dev uses obscure terms which he sometimes does. > > Although it would be preferable to be really fluent, the downside of > a fluent speaker is that they are unlikely to look up commonly used > words & as a consequence can miss an obscure meaning.
Thanks. I laud yours and others, such as LB's, efforts. Its valuable to me. The more I read, some pretty fundamental quetions arise. See adjacent posts. However, my sense of your process,and that of LB's editing of his copy of the material (its the same "source" -- hindi manuscript -- for both of you,correct?), is that while its thorough and meticulous, it may be subject to the "poetry" effect of Bly and ? mentioned in posts a few days ago regarding arabic / sufi poetry. That is, do you you have a sense of what SBS "must" have meant, and the 2-20 meanings in the dictionary for each word are chosen to jibe with that "must be" area of meaning? What if your feeling is wrong? Then again, translators not having that "must be" feeling may produce "disasters". And what about idioms, yogi slang :), and regional meanings of the words? If one is either not fluent in hindi, and/or not intimately current on the syntax and venacular of yogis and swamis 1920-1950, can some meanings be missed? These are simply observations/ questions. Not criticisms of your efforts. > However, if > anyone knows anyone who can help on this project I would be very > happy to hear from them. I have a "virtual" foundation (that is, it is still an intent, a bubble (of bliss)) at this point, but it is making progress, sprouting nicely. My intent, among other things, is to support research like this, and work others do on swami / dundee traditions. And other things. Perhaps the virtual bubble blooms, perhaps not. Its a personal intent, but not so much in my hands. If it appeals to you, mentally, or on paper, articulate what you need, the costs, duration, and intended "work product". Perhaps your "pull" will make my "push" flow into manifest form. By the way, Dana Sawyer, who has posted here a bit via Rick, is fluent in Hindi, is a professor of Asian Studies, and having interviewed hndreds of swamis and sadhus, must have a feel for their idioms/slang etc. He may be a great resource for your work. Rick could probably facilitate intros. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
