This tattoo belongs to Katie Perry (a pop singer), and matches the tattoo
on her husband, the actor/comedian Russell Brand. One of my students
pointed out this tattoo to me a few years ago, and I too looked at the
“pravaaha” and thought the artist forgot to decline the noun. A better
image, however shows that it is not pravaaha, but “pravaaham”—the tattoo artist
used (improperly) the anusvara to indicate the final of the accusative.
The grammar is still creaky: “One must go to the river”???
Colleagues
- I thought this might amuse you.
My sharp-eyed daughter spotted this
tatoo and asked me what is
meant:
https://alliance.anu.edu.au/access/content/user/u3936301/sanskrit_tatoo_fail.JPG
I
looked at anugacchatu pravāha, and came up with the nonsensical 'let
he/she/it follow' + 'O current'
On being informed, my daughter, with
Gen-Y insight, immediately said, 'O right - she probably meant "Go with the
flow".'
Such are the dangers of D-I-Y Sanskrit translations.
--
McComas Taylor
Head, South Asia Program
ANU College of Asia
and the Pacific
Tel: +61 2 6125 3179
Location: Baldessin Precinct
Building, 4.24
Website:
http://arktos.anu.edu.au/chill/index.php/mct
Learn about my courses:
Sanskrit
1 |
Indian Epics
