"Saisha" as the name of a goddess?

[george thompson]

kasmai devaaya havi.saa vidhema

GT

Dominik Wujastyk wrote:

>ko jānāti?
>
>
>On 8 March 2010 15:39, Deshpande, Madhav <mmdesh at umich.edu> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Dear Indologists,
>>
>>Recently I met a Brahmin family from Karnataka who have a newborn daughter
>>named "Saisha".  They asked me what the word means.  I could not think of a
>>Sanskrit word close to "Saisha."  Then the grandfather said that this is a
>>name of goddess Lakshmi used in a Sanskrit stotra popular among followers of
>>Ramanuja.  The line from the stotra he recited was:  saiṣā devī
>>sakala-bhuvana-prārthanā-kāmadhenuḥ.  It was immediately apparent to me that
>>the "Saisha" was simply sā eṣā, and not a name of the goddess, but I was not
>>able to convince the grandfather of the child, who fervently argued that
>>"Saisha" was an authentic name of the goddess.  I wonder if others have come
>>across similar examples.
>>
>>Madhav
>>
>>Madhav M. Deshpande
>>Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics
>>Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
>>202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111
>>The University of Michigan
>>Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-1608, USA
>>________________________________________
>>From: Indology [INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Alexander von
>>Rospatt [rospatt at BERKELEY.EDU]
>>Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 3:42 PM
>>To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
>>Subject: Update: Berkeley Summer Program: Words of Wisdom: Toward a Western
>>Terminology for Buddhist Texts
>>
>>Dear Colleagues,
>>
>>there are still a few free places on the 2010 Berkeley Summer Program:
>>Words of Wisdom: Toward a Western Terminology for Buddhist Texts.
>>
>>I would be grateful if you could remind potentially interested students of
>>this special opportunity. The announcement can now also be found online at
>>http://mangalamresearch.org/summer.htm.
>>
>>With many thanks (and apologies for cross-listing with H-Buddhism),
>>
>>
>>Alexander von Rospatt
>>
>>------------
>>
>>Mangalam Research Center for Buddhist Languages
>>Center for Buddhist Studies, University of California
>>Ho Center for Buddhist Studies, Stanford University
>>
>>Summer Program: Words of Wisdom: Toward a Western Terminology for Buddhist
>>Texts
>>Berkeley, CA, USA. June 14-July 2, 2010
>>Core Faculty: Luis Gomez, Michael Hahn
>>Associate Faculty: Paul Harrison, Alexander von Rospatt, Carmen Dragonetti,
>>Fernando Tola
>>
>>Putting the Dharma into the words of a new culture is a task that has
>>traditionally unfolded over several generations. In the West, where the
>>languages of educated discourse are sophisticated and rich with layers of
>>meaning, the challenges of being able to convey the Buddhist teachings as
>>faithfully as possible are especially daunting.
>>This intensive three-week program, intended primarily for graduate students
>>in Buddhism, Indology, or allied fields, is a small step toward a clear and
>>consistent terminology or (more modestly) developing skills and strategies
>>for finding the best translation equivalents in contemporary English.
>>The text for the program is the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra. We will read the
>>Sanskrit together with the Tibetan and Chinese translations. This close
>>reading will address problems of interpretation, as well as the technical
>>and stylistic challenges faced by the translator of classical Buddhist
>>texts. Students should have facility in Sanskrit; knowledge of Tibetan or
>>Chinese will be helpful.
>>Format and Facilities Guided by distinguished faculty, students will meet 5
>>hours a day, five days a week to work with the challenges posed by the text.
>>Sessions will be held from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm. Meals
>>are provided, and housing is an easy walk. Students will have access to the
>>libraries of the Mangalam Research Center and the University of California
>>at Berkeley (a 10-minute walk). Rapid Transit to San Francisco is
>>half-a-block away.
>>Focus The focus will be on key terms of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra in the
>>context of the profound Mahayana vision it sets forth. We will examine
>>vocabulary choices in  both source and target languages, sensitive to subtle
>>shifts in meaning between languages with different philosophical
>>underpinnings. Among the topics to be explored and skills to be honed:
>>•  Sanskrit roots, etymology, and the relation of Buddhist Sanskrit to
>>other forms of Sanskrit
>>•  Issues of context and intertexuality.
>>•  comparison with the Tibetan and Chinese, with reference to commentaries.
>>•  stylistic choices and terminology in existing translations in both
>>canonical and modern languages
>>•  general issues in the theory and practice of translation as they arise
>>in rendering a classic Buddh ist text into a modern idiom.
>>Costs: Tuition: $1,200 (includes lunch daily). Food and lodging: $1,350.
>>Total cost: $2,550.
>>
>>Applications The program is intended for advanced graduate students, but
>>applications from all qualified candidates will be considered. Please submit
>>an application by March 15, 2010 to summerprograms at mangalamresearch.org.
>>Include a short statement of purpose, a description of language skills and
>>how acquired, and a 1–2 paragraph letter of endorsement from your principal
>>adviser. Students completing the program will receive a formal letter from
>>the Buddhist Studies program of the University of California, Berkeley,
>>certifying that the course corresponds to a semester long graduate seminar
>>of fifteen weeks with five hours of instruction per week."
>>
>> Maximum number of participants is 15. Applicants will be notified by April
>>10, 2010.
>>
>>    
>>
>
>  
>