interpretive creativity and creative interpretation

Richard Lariviere rwl at uts.cc.utexas.edu
Wed Sep 21 19:27:59 UTC 1994


I stand flumoxed and corrected!  But mostly flumoxed.

ps -- Jonathan thanks very much for sending the copy of the article on 
Brahmin Judges in Traditional Hindu Society.  It is really useful.  Are 
you a regular reader of the journal" Deviant Behavior"?

On Wed, 21 Sep 1994, Jonathan Silk wrote:

>         I was shocked, yes SHOCKED, to see the unlegalistic manner with
> which our dharmashastri Sri (or Sir?) Richard has taken on the
> Straightforward Conlon.  For my turn, I completely fail to follow his
> reference to, apparently -- and I say apparently because his letter seems
> to be disfigured by a series of serious misprints or errors in the textual
> transmission (unexpected from such a manuscript specialist) -- "hip and
> waist coat greetings."  Perhaps this is a reference to those neocolonialist
> scholars who have not yet understood that jeans and tweed are now the
> academic uniform?  Just what sort of greetings do those who still wear
> waist coats give each other?  -- Why, obviously "Have a Nice day!" of
> course!   (Those scholars seem to consider Nice some sort of Mecca for
> academics, though why Paris seems to have lost status remains unknown;
> perhaps it is the superior weather in Nice.)
>         As far as "having cows" is concerned, it is more than a little
> surprising that an excellent indologist like Sir Richard should have failed
> to notice the obvious reference to wealth -- what else could such a term
> mean?  The term can be nothing else than an attempted translation of
> _gomat_.  Probably the term "Simpson" is also a scribal error for
> "Simpleton," and the meaning that instead of using the proper Sanskrit term
> _gomat_ the Simpletons use the vernacular expression "have a cow," not
> realizing  that _go_ should be taken in compound in the plural.  Simpletons
> in their deplorable ignorance of Sanskrit say "have a cow" for _gomat_
> instead of the correct "having cows."  (Sir Richard, excellent knower of
> Sanskrit that he is, has unconsciously corrected the singular "have a cow"
> of the original, but apparently without realizing the importance of his
> intuitive correction.)  This interpretation is bolstered by the context of
> the original expression, in which "hare-brained" immediately precedes
> "Simp[let]on."  (The connection with the moon, shasaanka, and "looney" must
> not be ignored.)
>         What do they say in the land of the Alamo?  "Y'all take care now,
> hear?"?
> 
> Respectfully,
> 
> Jonathan Silk
> SILK at AC.GRIN.EDU
> 
> Jonathan Silk
> SILK at AC.GRIN.EDU
> 
> 
>  
> 
 


> From THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV 21 1994 Sep GMT 16:23:16
Date: 21 Sep 1994 16:23:16 GMT
From: "MAIL.CORMOSEA" <THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV>
Subject: BAS

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To: cormosea at oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu 
From: ajr2 at cornell.edu (Allen Riedy) 
Subject: BAS 
Sender: cormosea-request at oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu 
  
The 1987 and 1988 editions of the BAS have been published. I have received 
copies.  Presumably they will be making their way to your libraries shortly 
if they haven't already. 
  
  
  
  
Allen Riedy                             Phone: (607) 255-8889 
Echols Collection                        Fax: (607) 255-8438 
178 Kroch Library 
Cornell University 
Ithaca, NY 14853 
  
  
  
 


> From THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV 21 1994 Sep GMT 16:55:16
Date: 21 Sep 1994 16:55:16 GMT
From: ALLEN W THRASHER <THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV>
Subject: RNG. TIRUMANTIRAM FR. INDIA

          The Tirumantiram is also available in English in this edition: 
           
          80-901563 
          Tirumanitram =  Holy  humns  :  with introduction, synopsis,  and 
          notes  
          Tirumular; rendered into English by  B. Natarajan. Madras :  ITES 
          Publications, copyright 1979- v. 1-  >. 
                                           BL1245 .S5 T4713 1979. 
                                            
                                           Library  of  Congress  seems  to 
                                           have received only v. 1 so far.  
                                           This  seems  to   be   the  same 
                                           version as the Canadian          
                                           publication  mentioned  in   the 
                                           network. 
                                            
                                           Allen Thrasher 
                                           Library of Congress              
 


> From THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV 21 1994 Sep GMT 17:17:17
Date: 21 Sep 1994 17:17:17 GMT
From: ALLEN W THRASHER <THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV>
Subject: RE: TRANS. OF LES QUATRES...

          RE: Dilip Karanth's Question on "Les quatre sens  de  la vie," by 
          Alain Danielou, in English 
           
          The following is presumably that: 
           
          92-25844 
          Danielou, Alain. 
          Virtue, success, pleasure & libeation :  the four aims of life in 
          the tradition of ancient India. 
          Rochester,   Vermont   :   Inner   Traditions   International   ; 
          (Colchester, VT) : distributed to  the book trade in  the U.S. by 
          American International Distribution corp. (AIDC), copyright 1993 
          182 p. 
          BL1215 .L54 D36 1993 
           
          Allen Thrasher 
          Library of Congress 
          thrasher at mail.loc.gov                                             
 


> From THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV 21 1994 Sep GMT 17:26:17
Date: 21 Sep 1994 17:26:17 GMT
From: ALLEN W THRASHER <THRASHER at MAIL.LOC.GOV>
Subject: FAIRSERVIS ON INDUS SCRIPT

          Pardon me  if this was already answered by someone else, but  the 
          recent work  by  the later Walter Fairservis on  the Indus script 
          Mary McGee mentioned must be this: 
           
          91-31028 
          Fairservis, Walter Ashlin, 1921-   
          The Harappan civilization and  its writing  ;  a  model  for  the 
          decipherment of the Indus script 
          Leiden : New York : E. J. Brill, 1992 
          PK119 .5 .F34 1992 
           
          Allen Thrasher 
          Library of Congress 
          thrasher at mail.loc.gov                                             
 






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