Originally posted by: Cool-n-Fresh
Dear friends I'm here again with a New Topic an Opinion Poll.😊
Does each & every line needs consideration while interpreting Epics!? or any mythological scriptures.On what basis you take absorb a narration!?I'm asking coz I find it difficult to believe in each & every line...
Plz vote and add your views!
Just my thoughts based on my experiences...
There is no "single correct answer" for you question C-n-F.
Because each scripture reveals itself differently to different people. And even your own perception will change with time. Depending on one's intensity of faith, experiences in life, - and- knowledge of sanskrit, each line will reveal itself in a certain manner to an individual. The meaning that you derive today will not be the same ten years hence.
Your interpretation of a particular scripture is your own. There is no hard and fast rule that a certain explanation is correct and another explanation is wrong.
Another person's explanation cannot satisfy you because he has viewed that sloka in a certain frame of mind. You- with a different frame of mind will interpret it in a different manner.
What do help us - in this long journey of ours - are the discourses / bhashyas written by great masters of the past. They serve as our sign posts- guiding our way. Even in this - you are free to choose the interpretation which suits you the best.
The same Bhagavat Gita has been interpreted according to Advaita philosophy, according to Visishtadvaita philosphy and according to the Dwaita philosophy. We can choose whatever we suits us.
Definitely a hundred questions will pop up in your mind... And there is no guarantee that all of them will be answered. For instance, to this day I do not know the exact number of Vasudeva's wives.
But in my quest for the number of Vasudeva's wives (just taking an example, here) my focus was diverted to more beautiful, more enlightening, more profound verses.
And after a point in time, it does not bother me that I do not know whether Vasudeva had 7 or 14 wives. Okay, it may be an intellectual pursuit and a good question to ask in mythology quizzes, but as I said, after a point- when you come across more profound passages, this particular question (Vasudeva's wives) doesn't seem relevant anymore. And depending on the strength of your involvement, you will discover different meanings.
And here I must add a caveat - English translations of Sasnkrit verses- especially from the scriptures have their own limitations. When you read an English translation, remember that it is that particular translator's version. Sanskrit is such a beautiful language that one can derive mlultiple meanings.
I see this most strongly in the Mahabharata Forum. Because K M Ganguli's translation is most freely available on the internet, each and every one is quoting from it as if KMG's version is the original one. Every one forgets that what KMG has written is his interpretation - which need not necessarily be the only one.
The debate had came up whether it was Lord Krishna or Dharma which saved Draupadi from the vastra humiliation. I tried to show how a particular word which KMG interpreted in a certain manner can also be interpreted in a different manner to give a new meaning altogether.
Edited by varaali - 10 years ago
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