Re: I am Shiva
namaste Ekanta.
Originally Posted by
Ekanta
This is interesting, I havent seen this sukta before. I wonder about the translation and especially the word "astu".
tan [that] me [mine] manah [mind] Shiva [auspicious] sankalpam [will] astu [may it be]
Couldnt it equally be translated as "May my mind do the Auspicious Will" instead of "dwell on"? and a direct referens to conscience [Shiva-Sankalpa] as inpelled by Ishvara [perhaps it can equally be called chit or prajna]?
Your translation, which is direct, is also valid and correct and perhaps more universal. But then, while the common and popular meaning of the word astu is 'be it so, may it be', its dhAtu--root, which is 'as' has many significant meanings, a promoment one of which is 'to abide, dwell, stay'. Thus 'asta' means 'home', not just the physical home but the eternal home reached when one dies. The sun on 'astamana' reaches its home.
In fact, the meanings 'be it so' and 'abide by' are almost identical--to hold on to something with conviction and personal realizatiion.
The Vedic use of terms such as shiva--auspicious, kRShNa--black, and viShNu--space, pervade, in the opinion of some people, may not mean the gods Shiva, KRShNa and ViShNu straightaway, but they are the base of the features attributed to these gods, so IMHO, there is nothing wrong in finding such terms as pointers to our contemporary Hindu gods.
रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥
To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.
--viShNu purANam
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