[INDOLOGY] Vedic verse in Ortega y Gasset

Tue Jan 27 09:22:29 UTC 2015

Dear Michael,

Of course, you are right [as are Jamison and Brereton] that dhimasi in the
gayatri mantra is derived from the root dhaa-, but the following word in
this mantra is "dhiyoh."

This suggests to me that the author of RV 3.62.10 was engaged in some kind
of word-play, or a wrong etymology.  In any case, it has been a memorable
move.

On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 9:57 PM, Michael Witzel <witzel at fas.harvard.edu>
wrote:

> Regarding the correct translation of the Gāyatrī, RV 3.62.10, see:
>
> *(*1) *Witzel-Gotō, Vd*WR*, Dec. 2013 (sent to publisher already in the
> Summer of 2009 !):
>
> "Dieses, des Gottes Savitar,
> wünschenswerte Licht möchten wir (in uns) setzen,
> der unsere Eingebungen antreiben soll."
>
> = "We wish to put (into us) this desirable light of God Savitar, who shall
> instigate our insights."
>
>
> (2) *Jamison-Brereton,* OUP,  (April 2014):
>
> "Might we make our own that desirable effulgence of god Savitar, who will
> rouse forth our insights."
>
>
> Both recent translations take *dhīmah*i as Optative, as K. Hoffnann has
> indicated in his *Injunktiv *long ago (1967)*:* *dhīmahi* is definitely
> not, as usually translated so far and also just now on this list, to be
> taken from *dhī* "think deeply"; later: "meditate"…
>
> The subjunctive *pracodayāt* allows both translations:  "will / shall".
> The choice is up to interpretation.
>
> * VdWR; = Verlag de Weltreligionen, Frankfurt/Berlin: *Der Rig-Veda*, 1st
> vol 2007, 2nd vol. 2013; two more vols. to follow in due course; vols.
> Include detailed notes/commentary.
>
> Cheers,
> Michael
>
>
> On Jan 26, 2015, at 3:08 PM, Patrick Olivelle wrote:
>
> The latest and great translation by Joel Brereton and Stephanie Jamison
> translates: "Might we make our own that desirable effulgence of god
> Savitar, who will rouse forth our insights."
>
> Patrick Olivelle
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 26, 2015, at 1:45 PM, George Hart <glhart at berkeley.edu> wrote:
>
> It seems to me that the relative in the third line must make this one
> sentence, but I am not a Vedicist.  More interesting would be to know why
> the Gāyatrī became so important and omnipresent.  (One might also remark
> that it is emended to refer to Ganesha and other deities in almost every
> puja).  It’s rather nice, but there are many other Vedic verses that are
> just as nice.  What set this apart?  And why?  George
>
>
> On Jan 26, 2015, at 11:38 AM, Nagaraj Paturi <nagarajpaturi at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Prof. Dipak Bhattacharya's response was :
>
> A distant reflection of RV 3.62.10 : 'I meditate upon that adorable
> brilliance of the Begetter who may inspire our thoughts' ?
>
> The lines quoted were :
>
> *Lord, awaken us in a happy ** mood, and give us knowledge!*
>
>
> The Savitri/Gayatri mantra (excluding PraNava and vyAhritis) is :
>
> *tát savitúr váreṇ(i)yaṃ**bhárgo devásya dhīmahi**dhíyo yó naḥ
> prachodáyāt *
>
> Prof. Dipak's translation takes this as a single complex sentence with a
> relative clause. The quoted lines have two different sentences. Taking
> Savitri/Gayatri mantra as made up of two different sentences is found in
> Ralph T H Griffith.
>
> I contributed the analysis of various meanings given to Gayatri mantra in
> the page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri_Mantra. There, I showed
> that taking the mantra as sAyaNa's  approach and taking it as two different
> sentences as Griffith's approach.
>
> I tabulated the analysis as follows :
>
> *author**year**paraphrase**note*Sir William Jones
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jones_(philologist)>1807"Let us
> adore the supremacy of that divine sun, the god-head who illuminates all,
> who recreates all, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, whom we
> invoke to direct our understandings aright in our progress toward his holy
> seat."[14] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri_Mantra#cite_note-14>Savita
> is taken as the Sun, Like Sayana <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayana>
> the whole mantra is taken as one single sentence with a relative clause
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_clause>.William Quan Judge
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Quan_Judge>1893"Unveil, O Thou who
> givest sustenance to the Universe, from whom all proceed, to whom all must
> return, that face of the True Sun now hidden by a vase of golden light,
> that we may see the truth and do our whole duty on our journey to thy
> sacred seat."[15]
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri_Mantra#cite_note-15>Sir William
> Jones <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Jones> is followedSivanath
> Sastri (Brahmo Samaj <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmo_Samaj>)1911"We
> meditate on the worshipable power and glory of Him who has created the
> earth, the nether world and the heavens (i.e. the universe), and who
> directs our understanding."[16]
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri_Mantra#cite_note-16>Bhur Bhuvuh
> Svah is taken as part of the Mantra, Like Sayana
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayana> the whole mantra is taken as one
> single sentence with a relative clause
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_clause>.Swami Vivekananda
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Vivekananda>1915"We meditate on the
> glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may He enlighten our
> minds."[17]
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri_Mantra#cite_note-Vivekananda-17>Like
> Griffith, takes the mantra as made up of two different sentences unlike
> Sayana <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayana> or Sir William Jones
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Jones>S. Radhakrishnan
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Radhakrishnan>1947, 1953
>
>    1. " We meditate on the effulgent glory of the divine Light; may he
>    inspire our understanding."[18]
>    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri_Mantra#cite_note-Radhakrishnan_1947-18>
>    2. "We meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant sun; may he
>    inspire our intelligence."[19]
>    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri_Mantra#cite_note-19>
>
> Like Griffith, takes the mantra as made up of two different sentences
> unlike Sayana <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayana> or Sir William Jones
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Jones>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Prof.Nagaraj Paturi
> Hyderabad-500044
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>
> ============
>
> Michael Witzel
> witzel at fas.harvard.edu
> <www.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/mwpage.htm>
> Wales Prof. of Sanskrit,
> Dept. of South Asian Studies, Harvard University
> 1 Bow Street,
> Cambridge MA 02138, USA
>
> phone: 1- 617 - 495 3295, fax 617 - 496 8571;
> direct line:  617- 496 2990
>
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