[MD] Bharata Dharma

[Akshay Peshwe]

A clarification:

I did not mean that Sir John Woodroffe's work is in any way substandard, in
fact, that's a very good explanation of Aryadharma; I was just saying that
it is not the best. However, might I suggest you to stick to either
Woodroffe's work or Vivekananda's and only afterwards read something else?
You see, Woodroffe's explanation is in no way factually incorrect nor does
it have a bias, so it makes no violations at all. What I was saying is that
there are better texts (such as those by David Frawley/Vamadeva Shastri).
But, Woodroffe definitely gives a good introduction, and so to avoid
confusion about the dharma, I'd ask you to stick to Woodroffe's work, so
that later you'll know (when you're reading some other introductions)
which is bullshit and which is not.

Akshay


On 08/11/2007, Akshay Peshwe <akshay.infosys at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I can't say that that's the best explanation. But, for a Western account
> of Indian tradition (especially considering that the author, Sir John
> Woodroffe, in his time would have naturally faced implicit opposition from
> his colleagues and seniors for his discoveries), I think that that would be
> among the best. I must commend Woodroffe's efforts considering his context.
> However, in terms of accuracy, I wouldn't quite recommend him (because
> you're making a sort of compromise by settling on his work), unless of
> course you don't trust a non-Western author. I'd also like to add that there
> are a lot of "swamis" who've settled in the US to "spread the dharma", but
> you need to be wary of them. I'm not saying they're out to trick you or
> something (buy their herbal medicine products etc.), but their diction can
> sometimes be unjustified (because they are after all still only translating
> texts) and that can make you think that Aryadharma is not worth your
> time/efforts (refer to the examples I've listed below). I recommend reading
> Swami Vivekananda's works for a good introduction.
>
> The best explanation in my opinion would be reading the original texts
> (like the Mahabharata) in Sanskrit, because most (if not all) translations
> always make mistakes. The reader's frankness and curiosity is also naturally
> important.
>
> Let me give an example of how a simple text like the Bhagavad Gita can be
> mistranslated by a scholar like Sri Aurobindo who is highly respected in
> India and especially in the West. In his translation, he translates the
> Sanskrit words "iccha" and "kama" as plain "desire", which is simply not
> correct. The word "iccha" is simply a normal word, implying
> wishing/hoping/aspiring or simply expressing tendency; however, the word
> "kama" signifies passion ( i.e., aspiring for sensual pleasures). So
> you'll see in his translation that Krsna on one hand tells you to "free your
> soul from desire" and then "I desire that you attain to highest wisdom".
> That's clearly a mistranslation, although perhaps an insignificant one.
>
> Here's another example, this time a massive mistake on the part of
> translators. In most Hindu texts, the deity (like Krsna) advises us not to
> commit "paap", which is translated as "sin" into English. However, this is
> simply not correct. The word "paap" comes from Sanskrit root "pat" (=to
> fall). Hence, "paap" is that which lowers your soul, not "sin", because
> "sin" can be interpreted as something forbidden by authoritarian imposition.
>
>
> Akshay
>
>  On 08/11/2007, MarshaV <marshalz at charter.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Akshay,
> >
> > I have found this website, and have read Chapter One: Indian Religion
> > As Bharata Dharma.  It was written by Arthur Avalon (Sir John
> > Woodroffe) in 1918.  Is it the best explanation?  I once before tried
> > very hard to understand this philosophy, but had great difficulty
> > with the language and concepts.
> >
> > http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas01.htm
> >
> > Any thoughts?
> >
> > Marsha
> >
> >
> >
> >
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>