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Thread: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

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    Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    and why? Unless I'm persuaded otherwise I guess I'm going to get all of Gambhirananda's translations. I would like them all from one source to hopefully get a more coherent understanding. Anyone read his works? Do they strike you as true to the Advaita tradition?

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    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    looks like he only translated the commentaries though... anyone know if any individual translated all of his commentaries plus his original works competently?

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    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    namaste shays860

    yes you can read swami gambhiranandajis's english translation as an overview but if you want a coherent understanding then you need to study the works of shankaracharya with the guidance of qualified teachers because not only the upanishads are easily misinterpreted but also the commentary of the upanishads, brahma sutra and bhagavad gita can be also misinterpreted. so we need to learn it carefully to arrive at the correct understanding. the works of shankaracharya are in sanskrit just merely reading its translation without understand the background of the translation will reduce its efficacy. so you can learn the works of shankaracharya through the teachers lecture, you can learn it from chinmaya mission, arsha vidya or sringeri sharada peetham or shinningworld teachers.

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    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    Thank you. I've been reluctant to sign up for one of these courses but I'm starting to come around to the idea... can you tell me anything about them. Are they effective by correspondence because I doubt there are any in realistic frequent travel distance from me.

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    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    I looked at the Chinmaya mission site... I can't afford to pay $100 bucks for it

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    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    Maybe I can. Do you know anything about the Chinmaya correspondence course in particular. Know any one that's tried it or how well it worked for them?

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    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    Well, I had pretty much talked myself into taking the chinmaya correspondence course but all the links to sign up seem to be broken

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    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    Namaste

    GambhirAnanda's Translations are good, but at times there are lapses. This is going ot happen with all translators.

    I prefer translations by Gita Press, then followed by translations by Swami Chinmaya, but Swami chinmaya has not done translations of Shankara Bhashya.

    Any works by Sri Alladi Mahadeva Shastri and then by MahAmahopAdhyAya Sri Ganganath Jha are in general good.

    You may also try some publications published by shringeri Math. I guess they too have branches in USA, but the main website does not show.

    Swami Chinmaya and Swami Sivananda (of Divine Life Society) have written commentaries on Gita and Upanishads and their commentaries closely follow Shankara Bhashya

    Hari OM
    Only God Is Truth, Everything Else Is Illusion - Ramakrishna
    Total Surrender of Ego to SELF is Real Bhakti - Ramana Maharshi

    Silence is the study of the scruptures. Meditation is the continuous thinking of Brahman which is to be meditated upon. The complete negation of both by knowledge is the vision of truth – sadAcAra-14 of Adi SankarAcArya

    namah SivAya vishnurUpAya viShNave SivarUpiNe, MBh, vanaparva, 3.39.76

    Sanskrit Dict | MW Dict | Gita Super Site | Hindu Dharma

  9. #9

    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    Dear shays860,


    There are two valid and useful options:
    1. Learn Bhagavad Gita with Shankara Bhasyam from a teacher who "Teaches" it with Shankara bhasyam.
    2. Learn Bhagavad Gita from a teacher who teaches it based upon shankara bhasyam.

    [please note the subtle difference: first teaches shankara bhasyam itself. while the second teaches based on shankara bhasyam].

    Swami Chinmayananda ji's teachings belong to 2. You can also find swami dayananda saraswati : bhagavad gita home study course or swami paramarthananda saraswati BG classes [available online in www.sumukamblogspot.com]. All these are "based on shankara bhasyam" -- they do not teach shankara bhasyam verse by verse.

    For verse by verse teaching of shankara bhasyam i have only one resource: swami tattvavidananda ji's teachings in telugu. Unfortunately in english i do not know any equivalent teaching.

    Gambhirananda ji's translations wont be of much help unless you have already learnt Bhagavad Gita from a guru [atleast based on shankara bhasyam], quite thoroughly. For people who are not already well learnt in sanskrit and BG itself, gambhirananda ji's translations would not be of any help.

    if you have been patient enough with me for all this long... here is what is freely available online:
    1. Swami Paramarthananda ji's BG classes:
    http://sumukam.wordpress.com/discour...ramarthananda/

    2. Swami Chinmayananda ji's BG classes:
    http://sumukam.wordpress.com/discour...chinmayananda/

    3. Swami Ranganathananda ji's BG classes:
    http://sumukam.wordpress.com/discour...aganathananda/

    These are all "based on shankara bhasyam" ... but they will give you a very good understanding of Bhagavad gita. Listening is better than self study.


    Love!
    Silence
    Come up, O Lions, and shake off the delusion that you are a sheep

  10. #10

    Re: Favorite translator of Shankara's works?

    Quote Originally Posted by shays860 View Post
    Maybe I can. Do you know anything about the Chinmaya correspondence course in particular. Know any one that's tried it or how well it worked for them?

    you can try to listen this lecture first:

    http://www.livestream.com/advaita_sa...b-f651b437b73e

    or

    http://www.arshabodha.org/SadhanaPanchakam.html


    if you feel that the above lectures are helpful then you may also get the benefit from the chinmaya course.

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