[Advaita-l] Need information on learning Vedas online

[Dr D Bharadwaj]

Good, Sri Ajit. Good.

All the best, Sir.

*శ్రీరమణార్పణమస్తు*


Dr. D. Bharadwaj
http://drdbharadwaj.blogspot.in







On Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 5:22 PM, Ajit Krishnan <ajit.krishnan at gmail.com>wrote:

> namaste,
>
> > I have a great respect ...but
>
> Typical stuti-nindaa.
>
>
> > They consider themselves as 'reformers' of Sanskrit.
> > They are modernizing the language, tinkering it to suit itself
> > to the Times, diluting it, divesting it of all the prauDhatvaM
> > (they christened their's as saraLa samskritam)
>
>
> You are wrong.
>
> No organization that is trying to change and modernize the language will
> publish books like 'shuddhi-kaumudi' and 'bhAShA-pAka' based directly off
> prauDha vyAkaraNa sanskrit texts. Nor would they have published a
> 'traditional' book of verbal forms for all dhAtus with footnotes
> referencing the relevant sutras. Nor would they have published books on
> sandhi, samAsa, iD-vyavasthA etc based directly off standard vyAkaraNa
> works. Nor would they be publishing the ashtadhyayi and most of Dr. Pushpa
> Dixit's works based off the kaumudi.
>
> What you are seeing are efforts to publicize and make Sanskrit more
> approachable. Unfortunately you are confusing it with efforts to tinker and
> dilute it ... which they are explicitly against. ( Samskrita Bharati
> encourages serious traditional study as well. There are many such efforts,
> though they aren't thrust into the public eye. )
>
> Paving a road to a temple is not the same thing as interfering with it's
> traditions.
>
> sasneham,
>
>     ajit
>
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 1:25 AM, Dr D Bharadwaj <dr.d.bharadwaj at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> I have a great respect for the holy work of great goodwill by the
>> Sanskrita
>> Bharati. I am one of the contributors for the work. It is needed,
>> indeed,...but only to keep the value for keeping at least an image of
>> Sanskrit alive among the common folks.
>>
>> But, the unfortunate collateral damage is that they are causing a
>> considerable unintended harm to the original structural grandeur of the
>> Magnificent Edifice of Sanskrit. Indifferent to the fall-out, they are
>> inventing many 'expressions' in Snaskrit twisting them, to make them
>> suitable and comparable to the corresponding the loose versions of the
>> Western Languages, into forms unthinkable - sometimes weird - in the
>> original impeccably structured Language where the very turn of the phrase,
>> the very form of expression is as expressive as (sometimes more expressive
>> than) the vocabulary chosen for the expression.
>>
>> I know many - yes, many - who are drank deep and 'soaked' themselves in
>> the
>> kind of dispensation happening at the Bharathi, having the ability to talk
>>  glibly, unbroken in Sanskrit. But none of them can understand a word of
>> the Sastras. Some can could understand a only smattering of the Puranas.
>> They look upon the Original Sanskrit (they have already succeeded in
>> making
>> people coin this expression - the Original Sanskrit) as something crude,
>> and *unreformed!! *I know some who look upon those using the pristine
>>
>> expressions almost with contempt. They consider themselves as 'reformers'
>> of Sanskrit.They are modernizing the language, tinkering it to suit itself
>> to the Times, diluting it, divesting it of all the prauDhatvaM (they
>> christened their's as saraLa samskritam) to earn a proud place among the
>> its own distorted dialects, some of which do not even qualify for the
>> definition of a Language according to Maharshi Panini.
>>
>> But it is our utter daurbhAgya that w.r.t the great bhAShA which all but
>> dead in the very land where she saw her highest glory, we are obliged to
>> appreciate even this small endeavor of great good-will, like the Sanskrita
>> Bhatati's, in spite of a heavy unintended collateral damage involved.
>>
>>
>> ISvarArpaNamastu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *శ్రీరమణార్పణమస్తు*
>>
>>
>>
>> Dr. D. Bharadwaj
>> http://drdbharadwaj.blogspot.in
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 10:56 AM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com
>> >wrote:
>>
>> > Namaste
>> >
>> > The Mutts have to take up this matter very seriously. Today they are not
>> > doing much to propagate Vaidika Dharma and Sanskrit. What are they
>> doing?
>> >
>> > Today there is need for good teaching of Sanskrit and Vaidika matters in
>> > foreign countries and in North India also. North Indian Brahmins have
>> > gradually forgotten our ancient culture and cannot understand Sanskrit
>> and
>> > cannot say Veda mantras also. South Indian Mutts have to accept
>> > responsibility of motivating, energising and educating them.
>> >
>> > See Sanskrit Bharati is so active in doing service to Sanskrit. Why the
>> > Mutts cannot follow the example? They can send Priests and Sanskrit
>> > scholars on deputation to big metros like Mumbai and Delhi and even USA
>> and
>> > UK on rotation. Lakhs of people will be benefited. The cost for the
>> Mutts
>> > is very less because the local people can pay something to take care of
>> the
>> > cost.
>> >
>> > Instead of doing all this they are collecting donations from followers
>> and
>> > increasing the bank balance and counting the crores of rupees.
>> >
>> > It is a sad situation.
>> >
>> >
>> > On Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 7:20 AM, Shreekrishna <sumadhwavijaya at gmail.com
>> > >wrote:
>> >
>> > > SrigurubhyO namaH
>> > >
>> > > Respected members,
>> > >
>> > > This is an interesting discussion. I am of the opinion that India is
>> as
>> > > difficult an atmosphere as any other part of the world to pursue
>> > > vaidika-sampradAya in. The ideal jij~jAsu, in my opinion, perhaps
>> > couldn't
>> > > care lesser what the world outside is like, insofar as he has created
>> a
>> > > conducive atmosphere for his sAdhana and adhyayana, no matter where he
>> > > lives. Deliberations on how much puNya there is in any AdhyAtmic
>> pursuit
>> > > staying in a land that does not qualify as karmabhUmi is outside the
>> > > purview of this discussion, for as far as the ideal jij~jAsu is
>> > concerned,
>> > > puNyArjana should perhaps become an incidental gain enroute to a much
>> > > larger objective (which in some sense is going to be related to
>> something
>> > > pAramArthika). As we do know, IshAvAsya emphasizes - "kurvannEvEha
>> > karmANi
>> > > .... ".
>> > >
>> > > The above said, I am as far from the ideal jij~jAsu as I possibly can
>> be.
>> > > Living in an alien land has its limitations and contributes a wee bit
>> to
>> > my
>> > > distance from being an ideal jij~jAsu. Nonetheless, I have found over
>> the
>> > > years, that there are a few more hours in the day that I obtain to
>> invest
>> > > in something less corporeal, as opposed to losing those hours stuck in
>> > > traffic in Indian metros. For me, the journey into the world of vEdAs
>> is
>> > a
>> > > both a matter of jij~jAsA and a matter of learning something that in a
>> > > sense is "rightfully/dutifully mine" and passing it on to posterity.
>> It
>> > may
>> > > not be entirely inappropriate to state that the number of
>> authoritative
>> > > Sanskrit scholars or shAstra exponents outnumber those who are
>> > > authoritative dvivedins/trivedins. This, by no means, undermines the
>> > > importance of any of these aforementioned sections of the society. I
>> just
>> > > feel that they are very different ballgames, sometimes with very
>> > different
>> > > purposes.
>> > >
>> > > I live in what I could call a hamlet in southeast USA, where the
>> > cumulative
>> > > brahmin-by-birth population might not even be quarter-a-century, let
>> > alone
>> > > the ones who perform sandhyAvandanam and associated nityakarmas. To
>> some
>> > > like us, who have an ounce of curiosity/interest at this time in life
>> > (and
>> > > who knows how life will change) but not the local bandwidth to feel
>> > > satiated, it is just a desire to make hay while the sun shines, that
>> we
>> > > have to resort to non-traditional media to learn vEdAs or shAstrAs.
>> Then
>> > > again, I do chicken out from giving my career and comforts up for
>> > learning
>> > > vEdAs at Kashi or Kanchi. So, Skype/GTalk could come to the rescue of
>> > some
>> > > of us who populate this weird stranded-at-various-levels space, who
>> > really
>> > > want to have the cake and eat it too.
>> > >
>> > > Finally, I may have to disagree that a knowledge of Sanskrit relieves
>> one
>> > > from the "crutches of translations" based on what really was meant by
>> > > translations, but in the event that they were references to bhAShyas
>> or
>> > > commentaries, it would not be an unfair assessment of the current
>> society
>> > > that there are few who can claim to have understood prasthAnatrayI
>> > > flawlessly without the help of *some* commentary or the other.
>> > >
>> > > Thanks for your time, suggestions and opinions.
>> > >
>> > > sarvE bhadrANi pashyantu,
>> > > HarayE namaH
>> > > Shreekrishna.
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > On Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 5:54 AM, Rajaram Venkataramani <
>> > > rajaramvenk at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > I agree.
>> > > >
>> > > > Is any senior vaidhika in sringeri or any other place protecting
>> > vaidhika
>> > > > dharma in traditional manner opposed to learning over skype?
>> > > >
>> > > > On Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 9:39 AM, Jaldhar H. Vyas <
>> > jaldhar at braincells.com
>> > > > >wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > > On Sat, 17 Aug 2013, Rajaram Venkataramani wrote:
>> > > > >
>> > > > >  RV: What is the reason? As Vedas are sakshat Ishwara and chanting
>> > > itself
>> > > > >> is
>> > > > >> a great upasana, I thought it is highly desirable to learn Vedas
>> > more
>> > > > than
>> > > > >> Sanskrit.
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Recitation (svAdhyAya) is important no doubt but the vedas also
>> have
>> > a
>> > > > > practical use.  They are not just some super bhajan.  In
>> particular
>> > > > > diligent performance of nitya and naimittika karma is a must for
>> all
>> > > > > Brahmanas.  Thus knowing the mantras and procedure for that is top
>> > > > priority
>> > > > > but after that there are other things.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Today everyone and anyone are claiming vedic this and vedic that.
>> > >  There
>> > > > > is so much bad information out there (E.g. this Vidushekhara
>> > > Bhattacharya
>> > > > > affair.) and it is less likely ou will be misled by the
>> unscrupulous
>> > if
>> > > > you
>> > > > > are well-informed.  This is a particular concern for those who are
>> > > > isolated
>> > > > > from the astika community whether insider bharat or outside.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Also if we are going to be established outside of Vedic cultures
>> > > > > traditional environment (again in India or outside) we need to
>> build
>> > > up a
>> > > > > proper infrastructure to ensure our continued progress.  Too many
>> > times
>> > > > > I've seen people get overenthusiastic, bite off more than they can
>> > chew
>> > > > and
>> > > > > then flame out.  And n particular we who are parents need to be
>> > > literate
>> > > > so
>> > > > > we can ensure our children are dharmically literate.
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > >  The latter is no doubt important to learn especially to access
>> > > > >> literatures that have not been translated properly or to
>> understand
>> > > the
>> > > > >> explanations.
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >
>> > > > > As you increase your sanskrit knowledge, you will find
>> translations
>> > to
>> > > be
>> > > > > crutches you can increasingly do without.
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > > --
>> > > > > Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
>> > > > > ______________________________**_________________
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>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > ಸಕಲ ಸಾಧನವೆನಗೆ ಕೈ ಸೇರಿತು, ಮುಕುತಿಯ ಸಾಧನಕೆ ತುಸುವು ಬಾರದ ಧನವು!
>> > > - ಶ್ರೀಮದ್ವಾದಿರಾಜರು
>> > > _______________________________________________
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>> >
>> > --
>> > Regards
>> >
>> > -Venkatesh
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