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Thread: Men everywhere follow My path

  1. #1
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    Men everywhere follow My path

    Swami Tapasyananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita 4.11 states "O Partha! Whosoever worship Me through whatsoever path, I verily accept and bless them in that way. Men everywhere follow My path."

    If this is the correct translation, then following on Chapter 3, Yoga of Action, those who live accordingly with Chapter 3, follow and worship Sri Krishna without even knowing it.

    This is completely contrary to other religions which explicitly state that one must follow that religion's precepts to reach God, no matter how good a life one lives. Sri Krishna seems to say otherwise.

    This, to me, underscores the loving and all-pervading nature of the Lord. He knows and accepts that those who live righteous lives, as He describes it, even an atheist or someone who does not know Him, are actually His devotees without knowing it.
    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

  2. #2

    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    The actual Sanskrit says "as all surrender to me..." not "whoever worships me through whatever path"

    ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham |
    mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ ||


    What a difference in meaning a few words make!
    Philosoraptor

    "Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." - Plato

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    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    Namaste.

    Thanks for the clarification and correct translation. "... through whatever path" can give the wrong impression. I think "surrender to Me" points out even moreso that people follow His way (and can achieve Him) without even knowing it. Just my p.o.v.
    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    Namaste

    I cannot agree wholly with the translation given by philosoraptor (but what else is new?)

    The word here is prapadyate which can be translated in many ways. Let's look at the etymology. Pra has the meaning of going forth, pad that of foundational part, or feet. Going forth to the feet, as in the shishya's approach to the guru.

    In this sense both 'surrender' and 'worship of me in whatever way' are abstractions of the root meaning, but the latter much moreso - I think Swami Tapasyananda is twisting the words much like iskcon.

    Compare:
    yadi hy ahaṁ na varteyaṁ
    jātu karmaṇy atandritaḥ
    mama vartmānuvartante
    manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

    BG. 3.23

    [[If we contrast this, it shows that people everywhere do not follow the path because it is not the path of materialism.]]

    And
    sarva-dharmān parityajya
    mām ekaḿ śaraṇaḿ vraja
    ahaḿ tvāḿ sarva-pāpebhy
    mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
    BG 18.66

    [[Here sharanam is generally taken as 'surrender.' More accurate, in my opinion is 'take refuge.' It refers to a physical structure sheltering one. ]

    Namaste

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    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    This neo-hindu "all religions are the same" doctrine is nonsensical and ultimately damaging to sanatana dharma
    namastE astu bhagavan vishveshvarAya mahAdevAya tryaMbakAya|
    tripurAntakAya trikAgnikAlAya kAlAgnirudrAya nIlakaNThAya mRtyuJNjayAya sarveshvarAya sadAshivAya shrIman mAhAdevAya ||

    Om shrImAtrE namah

    sarvam shrI umA-mahEshwara parabrahmArpaNamastu


    A Shaivite library
    http://www.scribd.com/HinduismLibrary

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    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    Namaste.

    Quote Originally Posted by Shuddhasattva View Post
    I think Swami Tapasyananda is twisting the words much like iskcon.
    Which is something that is disconcerting. Here is yet another rendering http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-04-11.html

    It's unfortunate that there is such a difference in translations and interpretations, which can give rise to confusion. On one hand one can have a very narrow interpretation, which may or may not be correct, and a liberal interpretation, which may or may not be correct.
    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    Quote Originally Posted by Omkara View Post
    This neo-hindu "all religions are the same" doctrine is nonsensical and ultimately damaging to sanatana dharma
    The commentaries here http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-04-11.html seem to indicate that. But it's not my intention to say that. I think He's mainly saying that without realizing it, you are surrendering to and worshipping Him by following a dharmic life. Again, just my p.o.v.
    Last edited by Jainarayan; 30 July 2012 at 11:25 AM. Reason: Needed to re-word.
    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    Quote Originally Posted by Jainarayan View Post
    It's unfortunate that there is such a difference in translations and interpretations, which can give rise to confusion. On one hand one can have a very narrow interpretation, which may or may not be correct, and a liberal interpretation, which may or may not be correct.
    Vannakkam: So you have a few choices. You could write them all on identical sized pieces of paper, find a place where you can toss them off, watch to see which one hits the ground first, or travels the furthest, then just abide by that one ....

    or ... reflect on them all, and pick the one that just makes the most sense to you ..

    or ... study Sanskrit to the point you can think in Sanskrit, then go with that.

    or ... analyse the qualities of each translator, not the translations, and go with whomever you determine the wisest (by your own determination only) person

    Good luck at becoming less confused, not more confused. Confusion isn't a great state of mind, in fact its a hellish state of mind, not something any practitioner of SD wants to go to.

    Aum Namasivaya

  9. #9

    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    Quote Originally Posted by Jainarayan View Post
    ... through whatsoever path ....
    through whatsoever SENSIBLE path, including atheism.

    Terrorism -- financial/ religious --isn't.

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    Re: Men everywhere follow My path

    Namaste.

    I don't mean to say I'm confused; please don't misunderstand. I mean that all the translations and interpretations can be confusing. I'm reluctant to say that each interpretor has his own agenda, but it could be seen that way. For example I do not like Srila Prabhupada's interpretations for that reason. To me, they are not beneficial outside ISKCON.
    Last edited by Jainarayan; 30 July 2012 at 11:41 AM. Reason: Responding to EM, didn't use quote.
    śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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