Look Inside

A New Approach to the Vedas: An Essay in Translation and Exegesis

$26
FREE Delivery
Quantity
Delivery Usually ships in 3 days
Item Code: HAC704
Author: Ananda K. Coomaraswamy
Publisher: Bharat Bharati Oriental Publishers & Booksellers, Varanasi
Language: English
Edition: 2024
ISBN: 9789394814318
Pages: 122
Cover: HARDCOVER
Other Details 9.00x6.00 inch
Weight 270 gm
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
23 years in business
23 years in business
Book Description
Introduction

EXISTING translations of Vedic texts, however etymologically"accurate," are too often unintelligible or unconvincing, sometimes admittedly unintelligible to the translator himself. Neither the "Sacred Books of the East," nor for example such translations of the Upanişads as those of R. E. Hume, or those of Mitra, Roer, and Cowell, recently reprinted, even approach the standards set by such works as Thomas Taylor's version of the Enneads of Plotinus, or Friedländer's of Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed. Translators of the Vedas do not seem to have possessed any previous knowledge of meta- physics, but rather to have gained their first and only notions of ontology from Sanskrit sources. As remarked by Jung, Psychological Types, p. 263, with reference to the study of the Upanisads under existing conditions, "any true perception of the quite extraordinary depth of those ideas and their amazing psychological accuracy is still but a remote possibility."

It is very evident that for an understanding of the Vedas, a knowledge of Sanskrit, however profound, is insufficient. Indians themselves do not rely upon their knowledge of Sanskrit here, but insist upon the absolute necessity of study at the feet of a guru. That is not possible in the same sense for European students. Yet Europe also possesses a tradition founded in first principles. That mentality which in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries brought into being an intellectual Christianity owing as much to Maimonides, Aristotle, and the Arabs as to the Bible itself, would not have found the Vedas "difficult." For example, those who understood that "Paternity and filiation are dependent proper-ties," or that God" cannot be a Person without a Nature, nor can his Nature be without a Person," Eckhart, 1, 268 and 39;, or had read later Dante's "O Virgin Mother, daughter of thy Son," Paradiso, xxxiii, would not have seen in the mutual generation of Puruşa and Virāj, or Dakşa and Aditi an arbitrary or primitive mode of thought those familiar with Christian conceptions of Godhead as "void," "naked," and "as though it were not," would not have been disconcerted by descriptions of That as "Death" (mylyn), and as being " in no wise" (neti, neti). To those who even to-day have some idea of what is meant by a "reconciliation of opposites," or have partly understood the relation between man's conscious consciousness and the unconscious sources of his powers, the significance of the Waters as an "inexhaustible well" of the possibilities of existence might be apparent. When Blake speaks of a" Marriage of Heaven and Hell," or Swinburne writes, "I bid you but be," there is included more of the Vedas than can be found in many learned disquisitions on their "philosophy." What right have Sanskritists to confine their labours to the solution of linguistic problems is it fear that precludes their wrestling with the ideology of the texts they undertake? Our scholarship is too little humane.

Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q. What locations do you deliver to ?
    A. Exotic India delivers orders to all countries having diplomatic relations with India.
  • Q. Do you offer free shipping ?
    A. Exotic India offers free shipping on all orders of value of $30 USD or more.
  • Q. Can I return the book?
    A. All returns must be postmarked within seven (7) days of the delivery date. All returned items must be in new and unused condition, with all original tags and labels attached. To know more please view our return policy
  • Q. Do you offer express shipping ?
    A. Yes, we do have a chargeable express shipping facility available. You can select express shipping while checking out on the website.
  • Q. I accidentally entered wrong delivery address, can I change the address ?
    A. Delivery addresses can only be changed only incase the order has not been shipped yet. Incase of an address change, you can reach us at help@exoticindia.com
  • Q. How do I track my order ?
    A. You can track your orders simply entering your order number through here or through your past orders if you are signed in on the website.
  • Q. How can I cancel an order ?
    A. An order can only be cancelled if it has not been shipped. To cancel an order, kindly reach out to us through help@exoticindia.com.
Add a review
Have A Question

For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy

Book Categories