English Veda?

[Gaura Priya]

I noticed that there seems to only be two translations of the Veda, Ralph Griffith's and Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati's. I have heard that the former is terrible in terms of bias in translation, but it is freely available on the internet. The latter apparently is really excellent, but I would needs purchase it.

How reliable is Griffith's translation? I would like to read the Veda, but I am limited as an English speaker in terms of translations...

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

It is seen as very poor.

 

[Breathe]

It is seen as very poor.

I agree, I find Griffith's translation to be a very poor translation.

For example, Rig Veda 9.112.3 is a well known verse for discussing how caste isn't supposed to be inherited.

The Sanskrit:
कारुरहं ततो भिषगुपलप्रक्षिणी नना |
kārurahaṃ tato bhiṣaghupalaprakṣiṇī nanā |


A modern translation (although I do not know the name) translates it as:
I am a bard, my father is a physician, my mother's job is to grind the corn.

However, Griffith translates it as:
A bard am I, my dad's a leech, mammy lays corn upon the stones.

Pretty.. funky translation. "My dad's a leech"? :areyoucra


I'd go for the more modern one. It may set you back a bit, but it's not as.. poor as the Griffith translation.

 

[TTCUSM]

I agree, I find Griffith's translation to be a very poor translation.

For example, Rig Veda 9.112.3 is a well known verse for discussing how caste isn't supposed to be inherited.

The Sanskrit:
कारुरहं ततो भिषगुपलप्रक्षिणी नना |
kārurahaṃ tato bhiṣaghupalaprakṣiṇī nanā |


A modern translation (although I do not know the name) translates it as:
I am a bard, my father is a physician, my mother's job is to grind the corn.

However, Griffith translates it as:
A bard am I, my dad's a leech, mammy lays corn upon the stones.

Pretty.. funky translation. "My dad's a leech"? :areyoucra

In medieval Europe, bleeding with leeches was a common form of medical treatment.
However, I'm a little surprised by the use of the word "corn" in the translations. Isn't corn a New World crop? How could the authors of the Vedas have known about it?

 

[Breathe]

In medieval Europe, bleeding with leeches was a common form of medical treatment.

Yeah I am aware of that and I think that is what is meant here, but the wording of it, as "my dad's a leech" seems rather...well, clumsy to me. The author could have used "doctor", "physician", and so on, but chose to use the word leech.

Can someone provide some etymology on the word Sanskrit word for me that is translated as doctor and "leech"?

However, I'm a little surprised by the use of the word "corn" in the translations. Isn't corn a New World crop? How could the authors of the Vedas have known about it?

I think it's just a mistranslation. That or there is a lot we don't know about our forefathers.

 

[shubhamgarg1993]

vedas are in sanskrit and one must learn sanskrit the richest language to understand them properly otherwise the translations would would just get worser and worser as there are many words in sanskrit for which we dont have substitutes in english..

 

[Riverwolf]

vedas are in sanskrit and one must learn sanskrit the richest language to understand them properly otherwise the translations would would just get worser and worser as there are many words in sanskrit for which we dont have substitutes in english..

That's what commentaries are for.:yes:

Vedic Sanskrit is a dead language. I've heard that even scholars who've studied it for eight years or so have trouble with it. For the lay person, especially one for whom Hindi is not his native tongue, learning it may not be an option. Therefore, we have no choice but to rely on translations.

 

[WayFarer]

However, I'm a little surprised by the use of the word "corn" in the translations. Isn't corn a New World crop? How could the authors of the Vedas have known about it?

With your indulgence... corn as in "maize" is indeed a new world crop, however the word corn comes from the proto-Germanic *kurnam which means "small seed". Later it became the Germanic word korn which means "grain". So the corn being spoken of here could be any seed or grain.