Deivathin Kural Series - 50

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 51 of 23 Aug 2006.

1.These e-mails are translations of talks given by the erstwhile Pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, over more than sixty years, published by Vanady Padippagam, T.Nagar, Chennai, India, in ten volumes, in the Tamil language. The english version is likely to be available very soon. These e-mails are simply an effort on the part of the sender, to share some of his bliss, as it is said, 'Yam perra peru peruga ivvaiyagam'. When he adds any personal observations he uses the phrase, 'KTSV adds'.
2. To-days chapter is from his lecture, titled, 'Veda's Original Form', ie., 'Vedathin Mula Vadivam', in pages 275 to 278, in Volume 1 of Deivathin Kural. Unless specifically mentioned, he or man includes, she or woman.
3. I feel very sad that, now-a-days there are many fighting, on the pretext of Languages saying, 'This language is great and that language is bad', and so on. It is even better if we all become deaf and dumb, I feel. Language is a tool to express one's ideas. It cannot be the same in all lands. Each collection of people will talk in their own tongue. It is below par and meaningless, to fight claiming one's own language to be better than other's. We can classify them as, known and unknown, and not as, yours and mine. To fight on the basis of language is parochial and narrow minded. It is further wrong to think that, one's language is superior to the religion and God. I would be the first one to say, 'forget about Sanskrit !', if it's worth is to be assessed only on the grounds of it's being another Language. But, our religion is Hinduism and all the Vedas and Sastras of Hinduism are in that language. So as to protect one's own religion and sastras, the Sanskrit language also, should be protected.
4. Thiruvalluvar wrote the Kural and brought it to Madurai, to present it to the scholars for approval. He kept it on the Sanga Palagai, in the Pond of Golden Lotus; on which were seated all the scholors. All of them fell in to the pond, while the Kural floated majestically. Many poets have sung encomiums of praise of Kural, known as, 'Thiruvalluva Malai'. One of the songs goes like this:- 'Ariyamum Sentamizhum araindu idaninidu; Seeriyadu idhu enru sepparidam-- Ariyam Vedamudaithu Tamizh Thiruvalluvanar odhu Kuratpa udaithu'. The poet says, "I carried out a deep analysis as to which language is better. Is it Sanskrit or Tamil? They are both almost equal. It is difficult to say that one is higher and the other is lower. Veda is in Sanskrit. But now Tamil has the Kural. So now they are absolutely equal." So the poet has confirmed that the greatness of Sanskrit is due to it's having Vedas.
5. Some may think, 'How does it matter if the Vedas are in Sanskrit? Let us translate them!' Many books and poems are being translated now-a-days from the original language. Some times they completely lose their original shape. When somebody says something, if it remains in the language that he used, some time or the other, one could get the exact meaning of what was said. There could be a particular word most appropriate in that language. When translated, there may be five or six words with the same meaning available in the second language, but may deviate from the original intention. A particular word, in a particular language, may carry a special meaning with reference to the context; and that meaning may be lost in translation. Then again, much is going to depend on the translators level of understanding, in two things. One, his understanding of the subject under discussion; and two, his understanding of the language, he is translating. Further dimensions will be added, when you consider the Reader's level of understanding of the subject and language. Often irreconsilable confusion prevails, when more than one translation is available. At that time the only recourse is to refer to the original. (KTSV says. 'This is precisely why, I feel that, my translation would have served it's purpose, when the Reader decides to read the original Deivathin Kural in Tamil.)
6. So, the Root Vedas should be kept in its pristine form. It is this, that each Acharya has interpreted differently and expressed their own concepts accordingly. They have not changed the original, as per their interpretations. So they have not created a new religion. The root remains the same. The root Vedas have not been translated, but interpreted. Because the root remained the same, new interpretations have given raise to new branches, of the same tree; instead of becoming a new religion. All these religions have a common name of, 'Vaidika Madam'.
Sambhomahadeva.