"samsara" meaning "life"

[Richard Salomon]

The spirit of this verse reminds me of the Pali cliche "sambaadho 
gharaavaaso rajopatho, abbhokaaso pabbajjaa," etc.

No doubt there are many similar expressions in other texts, maybe in 
Bhartrhari though I can't think of the verse at the moment.

R. Salomon

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "George Hart" <glhart at BERKELEY.EDU>
To: <INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk>
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 6:43 PM
Subject: Re: "samsara" meaning "life"


> By the way, the notion that a family binds a man to samsaram is 
> eloquently proclaimed by one of the greatest poems of Indian  literature, 
> Purananuru 191 written by Ooreezuzavar about 1900 years  ago.  This poem 
> was a favorite of A. K. Ramanujan's, and he loved to  quote it.  I don't 
> have his wonderful translation at hand -- here is  the one Heifetz and I 
> did:
>
> Surely as if someone were hunting you across the breadth
> of a white salt-flat stretching out like a flayed skin
> thrown down to dry, one could run like a deer
> and flee, but life with a family binds up your feet.
>
> G. Hart
>