Books

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Fri, 20 Dec 2002, Vijay Naik wrote:

> ||aum namo bhagavate vAsudevAya||
>
> Namaskar,
>
>
> As my mind dwells more and more into The subject
> discussed,I feel an acute need for original books.
>
> Can anybody tell me where I can find books in SamskRt
> with a commentary in Marathi (preferably), Hindi OR
> English?
>
> I would like to buy/borrow/beg (not steal) the books
> like Veda s,Upanishadas,Puranas and more.. especially
> with a commentary/translation into a prAkRt language
> like Marathi , my mother tongue, a language I can
> fully understand.
>
> Also, I have found that to read the shlokas in any
> script other than devnAgari becomes difficult.
>
> Please mention Commentator/Publication also.
>

Shriram Sharma is not a  reliable commentator in my opinion.  As a
beginning, you might want to start with the Bhagavadgita and bhashya of
Shankaracharya.  Gita Press as Rajesh mentioned, have editions of this
with the original Sanskrit and translations to all the major Indian
languages.  For that matter  Sant Jnaneshwar's Jnaneshwari is both a
masterpiece of Marathi and an important guide to the Gita.

The value of the Gita is it deals specifically with the "practical" side
of Advaita Vedanta.  Because Sannyasa is required for progress in Advaita
Vedanta most works are written with the Sannyasi in mind.  While the Gita
is written for the common man trying to make his way in the world.  The
other advantage is that the language of the Gita is relatively simple
which brings me to my next point.

As far as possible, you should try and read our shastras in the original.
I'm not pretending Sanskrit is easy, it isn't, and you may initially have
to rely on translations, dictionaries etc. but your goal should be able
to read the original.  Even the best of interpreters (and most modern
interpreters aren't that good) always lose something in the process of
translation.  You are young, educated, and enthusiastic, why go for some
second-hand interpretation when you can have the real thing?


--
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
It's a girl! See the pictures - http://www.braincells.com/shailaja/