Chapter 5 - Non-translatable Sanskrit versus digestion
a. In this chapter, the author primarily asserts that "holding on to Sanskrit terms and thereby preserving the complete range of their meanings becomes a way of resisting colonization."
b. Sanskrit: He goes on to explain the discovery of Sanskrit from "root sounds and vibrations" and how this beautiful language is highly logical and connected with spiritual evolution of man. No wonder, it is touted as the "language of artificial intelligence by NASA scientists." [14]
c. Mistranslation of Sanskrit: He then goes on to list several non- translatable categories like vedas, which should not be confused with their common English translations, because then the whole meaning gets changed.
One very important category, that is commonly mistranslated, is "dharma รข‰ religion or law".
i. "The word `dharma' has multiple meanings depending on the context in which it is used – including, but not limited to – conduct, duty, right, justice, virtue, morality, religion, religious merit, good work according to a rule etc.."
ii. "Dharma has no equivalent in the western lexicon."
iii. "Dharma provides the principles for the harmonious fulfillment of all aspects of life – namely, the acquisition of wealth and power (artha), fulfillment of desires (kama) and liberation (moksha)."
iv. "Religion is only a subset of dharma's range of meanings. Religion applies only to human beings and not to the entire cosmos; there is no religion of electrons, monkeys, plants and galaxies, whereas all of them have their dharma."
v. In a later chapter, the author mentions the adverse consequences of this mistranslation "The western idea of no religion in the public square has been interpreted by many Indians as no dharma in the public square. Secularized Indians have failed to appreciate that a society lacking dharma would be dangerously ambivalent towards ethical conduct.
The result of importing secularism into a dharmic society has thus been disastrous in many ways." [15]
d. A very interesting table is given in page 301 – it is quite hilarious when read from the dharmic perspective.
KK
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