I am about to undertake what could prove to be a daunting project. I want to read the Vedas. I know very little about them, and would like some advice. I am not planning on learning sanscrit anytime soon (though would love to someday), so I would like to read them in English. Are there multiple translations? Are some more strict than others? Are some more of interpretations than translations? I want whatever version is closest to a strict translation of the original texts. From what I hear, they can be pretty difficult to follow... Any advice, or primer book(s) you would recommend? Perhaps a few interpretationn books? Thanks for any advice you can give.
I've read a version of the Bhagavad Gita translated by Swami Chinmayananda. He takes the original sanskrit verse, gives you a word by word translation of it, and the final english translation. I heard that he has edited a book of the vedas as well. It will take you quite a while to finish all the 4 books i think. Good luck. Sanskrit is a very tough language to learn actually. Had to do it for four years.
Full Support Offered ! Only if the purpose is stated clearly ! If it is to understand eastern philosophy, you need not waste all you life (that’s the time that you will take to understand Vedas!!!) All what could be achieved through reading and trying to understand the real meaning of Vedas, could be achieved by yet another thing that’s by learning Pranayama (Yogam, not Yoga) and trying to understand how those holy men have understood the topic (Yogam) very clearly. Since words in Sanskrit language has lot of hidden meaning when used in different contexts, its again yet another time consuming process to learn it ! Even then, if you still feel like you need to read all those lengthy stories and dreamy things in it, do go ahead, there might exist a hidden path (that which is meant only for you) in front of you which might lead you to the “glory of truth” ! Wish you all the best and I am from India, if you need any books or something do send me a request I will try to procure some and send it across to you ! :m:
starting from a good translation of Bhagavadgita by 'truly' enlightened gurus, would be a nice start. This link gives english translation with commentary of Bhagavad gita. see the bottom of that page for links to 18 chapters of BG.
What makes think that i would, the B.G. is the essence of the Vedas. It is truly the jewel in the crown. All theists should study B.G. in my humble opinion. Love Jan Ardena.
Not just theists, but atheists as well. Hinduism at its core is not a religion, but a philosophy and a way of life. The B.G. was truly eye opening for me.
In my humble opinion Sri-Krishna is Jagat-Guru. Only Arjun had the privilege and chance to hear BG directly and see the true form of almighty.
Ki...jaya airavata, Of course you are right airavata, but i will go one step further and say that B.G. should be part of the education curriculam throughout the world. everneo, Not entirely true. Sanjaya was also privelidged, and as he relayed the song to Dretarashtra, he was also privelidged. Arjuna's special privelidge laid in the fact that he was a freind to Lord Krishna. Love Jan Ardena.
Re: Ki...jaya Here my skeptic self pops up. thats why i said 'directly'. Sanjay got a vision and he merely gave a running commentary. Also Vyasa wrote the whole Mahabharat in which BG is a part. Whether BG was just the literary work, though wise indeed, of Vyasa Or he was getting just glimpses of what Krishna actually told Arjun, is my dilemma. There are some opinion about BG being included in Mahabharat later. No doubt BG is a great work. But Krishna being the sole author of it is most important IMO. Arjun only can testify it whether BG as we read now is what Krishna told him.! In fact Vyasa & Sanjaya are third parties (IMO, Sanjaya is just a tool or literarily convinient character to tell us & Dhridhrashtra because he is just a transmitter or virtual eyes and ears of Dridhrashtra) in the whole set up of BG. The gravity of situation should have to be realised to really and completely comprehend BG. Arjun was perfectly in that situation. I wish Arjun should have written down BG rather than Vyasa. My only hope is my faith that Krishna would not have allowed any unintentional mixup in BG on the part of Vyasa though the sage would not commit any such blunder but chances of omissions were there; Sorry to say this. But i have great respect for Sage Vyasa. PS : Oops. I forgot that it was Ganesh who actually written down while Vyasa telling. If that was true everything would have been taken care of.!
Re: Re: Ki...jaya Why are you skeptical? Lets say you go to watch a film, the matrix. Which is more important, the film itself or the origin of the film? In order to understand the film, do you need to know it origin? My advice is to approach the B.G. in the way you would approach such a film. If you understand B.G. then you will understand how it could have been compiled by Vyasadev in the same way you can understand how morpheus can seemingly defy the laws of gravity. Love Jan Ardena.
Yes it was Ganesh who took down the B.G. at Vyasa's dictation. The deal made between Veda Vyasa and Ganesh at the start of the great task is pretty well known so i won't elaborate. Sanjaya was able to view everything that happened on the battlefield and relayed all this to Dhritharashtra. He however was not able to see Krishna in his divine, cosmic form. That priviledge was granted to Arjuna alone.
one raven, re: advice on the Vedas Don't read them! Unless you have a scholarly interest in them. You see buddhism is not like christianity, in which there is a great interest in going back to the original texts, in the hopes of discovering a "true" teaching before it was corrupted by later interpretations. Buddhism is not a teaching, it is an experience, it is vital and alive and fully funtioning in the western world. The teaching is a dialog. I suggest reading Alan Watts or Suzuki, or something geared to the western reader. Learning buddhism from the original sanskrit, (actually the original in written in Pali), is as silly as walking around the US in orange robes. Besides, I think the originals were mostly lost, what is left are the translations into chinese.
Re: one raven, re: advice on the Vedas i really like that. thes bastards merely wanna perpetuate a power structure they have back home. bogus i kneel before no one!
I am currently uploading the vedas. Books 1 to 5 of the Rig Veda have been converted to pdf and have been uploaded at http://www.yrec.info You can register as a member and access them at the downloads section.
There is a great book on Veda called: Hymns from the Rig-Veda by Jean Le Mee (Translator), Ingbert Gruttner (Illustrator) Great book for starters
Thanks for all the advice and links you provided. Jan, I am ordering the CD from the site you linked to, it is great. I am still looking to read The Vedas, but, I have come across more than a few translations. Some of them are obviously Westernized, Modernized, Americanized versions that have been dumbed down for mass consumption. That's not what I want. Some are silly self-help books that attempt to put forth the writer's interpretation of what the Vedas is trying to say. I don't want someone to tell me what THEY think it means. I can't read Devanagari, obviously, and I know that a direct translation into English would not be possible due to grammatical differences between the languages. However, what I am looking for is the closest I can get to a direct translation. I don't mind (even prefer it) if the author includes notes on the translation, meanings of phrases, history, referenced Gods and such. But I do want all the Suktas intact and in order. I want to read the closest to the original I can get my hands on without spending the next ten years learning Sanskrit and translating the texts myself. The problem I have is, since I don't read Devanagari Sanskrit, I don't know what is more accurate than what. Someone from another site posted this link. The translation of the last Sukta of the Rig Veda from the site he linked to (I don't know whose translation it is, but I would very much like to know): 1. Agni, showerer (of benefits), thou who art the lord, thou verily combinest with all creatures, thou art kindled upon the footmark of Ila, bring unto us riches. 2. Go together, speak together, know your minds to be functioning together from a common source, in same manner as the impulses of creative intelligence, in the beginning, remain together united near the source. 3. Integrated is the expression of knowledge, an assembly is significant in unity, united are their minds while full of desires. For you I make use of the integrated expression of knowledge. 4. United be your purpose, harmonious be your feelings, collected be your mind, in the same way as all the various aspects of the universe exist in togetherness, wholeness. The copy I have (translated by Ralph Griffith [1896]) says this: 1. THOU, mighty Agni, gatherest up all that is precious for thy friend. Bring us all treasures as thou art enkindled in libation's place 2 Assemble, speak together: let your minds be all of one accord, As ancient Gods unanimous sit down to their appointed share. 3 The place is common, common the assembly, common the mind, so be their thought united. A common purpose do I lay before you, and worship with your general oblation. 4 One and the same bt your resolve, and be your minds of one accord. United be the thoughts of all that all may happily agree. I have seen at least 3 more translations that vary enough to change the intended meaning of the Sukta. Now, I am not looking for which interpretation is closest to what Hindu's believe, I am looking for the closest to the original so I can read it myself and come up with my own interpretation. Someone put me in touch with a book buyer that works at a metaphysics book store in Manhattan specializing in Eastern Philosophy and an old Hindu Temple in Queens. I will see where they lead me. I was hoping someone here would have some helpful advice for me besides talking to the book buyer and the Yogis at the temple.
