Some months back John Garth and I were discussing the phrase "Mani Aroman," which is found in The Return of the Shadow as a possible name for the people Tolkien eventually called the Rohirrim (Return 434). Tolkien indicates that "Mani Aroman" means the "Beardless Men." Tolkien being Tolkien, of course we have to wonder where these two words come from and how it is that they mean "Beardless Men."| Alas, not me
The Pandit (काशीविद्यासुधानिधिः) A Monthly Journal, of the Benares College, devoted to Sanskrit Literature This was a journal that ran from 1866 to 1920, and some issues are available online. “The Benares College” in its title is what was the first college in the city (established 1791), later renamed the Government Sanskrit College, Varanasi, and […]| The Lumber Room
Bhavabhūti, the 8th-century author of the very moving play Uttara-rāma-carita, has in one of his other works these lines, any author’s consolation that even if your work receives not enough praise today, someday the right sort of reader will come along, who will derive great joy or meaning from it. ये नाम केचिदिह नः प्रथयन्त्यवज्ञां […]| The Lumber Room
(Another example of good vs bad translations from Sanskrit. Previously see here and here.) One of Kālidāsa’s famous similes is in the following verse from the Raghuvaṃśa, in the context of describing the svayaṃvara of Indumatī. The various hopeful suitors of the princess, all kings from different regions, are lined up as she passes them […]| The Lumber Room
Viṣṇu, appearing before Bali as Vāmana, transformed into Trivikrama, filling the universe, covering all the earth and the heavens in two steps. The verse that opens the Pūrva-pīṭhikā of Daṇḍin’s Daśakumāracarita plays on this imagination, and on the word daṇda / daṇḍin. Here’s the verse (in Sragdharā metre of pattern GGGGLGG—LLLLLLG—GLGGLGG): May the leg of […]| The Lumber Room
[Originally posted to linguistics.stackexchange.com as an answer to a question by user Manishearth, who asked: “I’ve heard many times that learning German is easier for those who speak Sanskrit, and vice versa. Is there any linguistic basis for this? What similarities exist between the two languages that may be able to explain this?”] This is […]| The Lumber Room
You can listen to the original podcast here Michael Taft: Welcome to Deconstructing Yourself, the podcast for metamodern mutants interested in meditation, neuroscience, Dzogchen, jazz, Tantra, philosophy, awakening, and much, much more. My name is Michael Taft, your host on the podcast, and in this episode, I’m happy to be speaking with my good friend,… Read More »Transcript of Eco-Aesthetics and the Poetry of Longing, with Rick Jarow The post Transcript of Eco-Aesthetics and the Poetry...| Deconstructing Yourself
Join host Michael Taft as he talks with Tantrik scholar and practitioner Christopher Wallis about the tradition of Nondual Shaiva Tantra, the full void pregnant with possibilities, savoring the transcendent in every sensual experience, the differences between Nondual Shaiva Tantra and Advaita Vedanta, the origins of Tantra and Vajrayana, sublime beauty, aesthetic rapture, and much… Read More »Exploring Nondual Shaiva Tantra with Christopher Wallis The post Exploring Nondual Shaiva Tantra ...| Deconstructing Yourself