Sanskrit Non-Translatables : The Importance of Sanskritizing English by Rajiv Malhotra

Sanskrit Non-Translatables : The Importance of Sanskritizing English Reviews

• 
  Vineet V N

  Sanskrit is the oldest language and there's no argument on this one. But the last 300 years has seen a sharp decline in its use in India where it was taught in the gurukuls (ancient indian schools) just a few 100 years ago.
  
  When India was colonised, we saw an umpteen number of scholors learning sanskrit and translating the rich Indian literature into the western languages, but very few succeeded in retaining the richness, the essence and the splendor of sanskrit. We cannot really blame the scholors, as sanskrit is unique in its Non-Translatable Nature. And this is the main focus of this book written by Rajiv Malhotra.
  
  To summarize as to what the book offers in a non-spoiler way, the book prefaces the essence of Sanatan Dharma and how it differs from the other civilizations (again civilization is not a good translation, but that's how close I could translate it). The introduction is really powerful and makes a strong case for the sanatana dharma. It has efficacious references to the vedas, puranas, ayurveda and itihasas.
  
  In the next several chapters, the book makes a strong argument on why sanskrit is Non-Translatable with as many as 50+ examples of words like Agni, Vayu, Om (Aum), Shakti, Puja These again make really compelling arguments, and you're left to judge the difference between the sanskrit usage and it's translation in english. Some of them were really surprising for me.
  
  Finally, read this book if you want to understand the importance of sanskrit in literature, and I'm sure the book will compel you to learn sanskrit.
• 
  Anonymous Hindu

  A must read for all Indians who read English as a first language in school, and are not familiar with Indian traditions in regional languages or Sanskrit. More generally, this book is essential for anybody interested in Indian culture and philosophy. Some of the important terms that I did not understand properly before reading this book are Kama != lust, shruti != that which is heard, samadhi != trance dharana, dhyana, samadhi != meditation, agni != fire, sukshma sharira != astral body, and many other such profound concepts which lose their meaning totally when translated to English by many swamis, because the culture in which English evolved had vastly different experiences and another view of the world, meditation doesn't even figure in their culture, let alone related concepts.
  Another thing to know about this book, that like all books of Shri Rajiv Malhotra, the book is quite dense with no casual sentence figuring in the book. Atleast 2 readings of this book are required to deeply appreciate the concepts mentioned in this book. I will read this book again sometime later.
• 
  Srivalli Rekha

  4.5 Stars
  
  From being a land of universities like Takshasila and Nalanda, which attracted scholars from across the world, why is India struggling to regain its dignity and establish its ancient language? We know what had happened to the universities, no matter what a progressive scholar wants us to think. Books don’t burn themselves, nor do build crumble overnight.
  
  Sanskrit is much more than just a language. It is the root that holds the country deep down and keeps it alive. Kill the root, and you kill a country. Plain and simple.
  
  Sanskrit Non-Translatables talks about how even the simplest words in Sanskrit have been given wrong and superfluous meanings, which led to the ancient scripts being reduced to nothing more than a jumble of words. A word without its original meaning has no value in a paragraph. That is what has been happening with Sanskrit.
  
  The book explains how by learning the actual meanings of Sanskrit words and not equating them with insufficient English terms, we can save the language from being butchered and declared useless. This is an attempt to prevent the dilution of diverse identities. In a world that wants to have a diverse workforce, why is being an Indian Hindu a bad thing?
  
  Aren’t our identities being replaced with the so-called polished and civilized versions as the West wants us to be? Why should we not resist this attack on our identity?
  
  Sanskrit Non-Translatables explains how a Sanskrit word should be understood. It talks about Shabda- Brahman- the dhvani (sound) and artha (meaning), interconnected in a Sanskrit word.
  
  A Sanskrit word starts with vibrations. Call it energy waves if it makes things easier to understand. The vibration is a combination of the sound and the object. It is a manifestation of the sound and its meaning.
  
  An alphabet is called an Akshara in Sanskrit, which means imperishable. That’s how the language is, eternal and indestructible. The book explains the role of Vyakaranam (grammar), Madhyama (medium), and the importance of the Bija mantra, the source of vibrations in Sanskrit.
  
  There is an easy-to-understand table in the book for ready reference about how-
  • Kavya is not poetry
  • Kama is not lust
  • Naga is not naked
  • Atman is not soul
  • Prema is not love
  • Shakti is not Energy
  
  And many more. There is another chart at the end of the book that explains the difference between the Sanskrit word and its so-called English equivalent. There is a detailed bibliography in case one wants to look up the references.
  
  Sanskrit Non-Translatables is much more than an attempt to decolonize the brainwashed generations. It is about teaching the citizens that they should try to look beyond the popular opinions and learn how a culture has been able to survive as many attacks. It is a nudge to understand that one has to take pride in their culture if they need to have an identity of their own.
  
  If my review made you curious, I suggest you pick up the book. The writing is dry and sounds more like a thesis paper at times. But you will gain new insight into how civilizations have been destroyed. Remember that there are people out there who have no idea about the origins of their land because there is no one left to tell them the truth.
  
  And if the review made you order the book without a second thought, I wish you the very best. May you learn the intricacies of this beautiful language. It is not easy. I’m a newbie too, and still am guilty of trying to find equivalents in English. I’m trying to change that and hope you will also try. We don’t have to apologize for being Hindus or for learning Sanskrit.
  
  Remember- Sanskrit is not a dead language. It is the root of our land, and we will nourish it back to its original glory.
  
  This review has been posted as a part of The Thousand Reviewers Club. Thank you, Indic Academy and Indic Book Club, for a copy of the book.
  
  *******
  Read the full review on my blog-
  Sanskrit Non-Translatables- Book Review
• 
  Satendra Thakur

  Rajiv Malhotra in his book Sanskrit-Non Translatables : The importance of Sanskritizing English clearly puts up a strong case that certain words of the Sanskrit should not be translated to English because they lose their essence as the context and their inherent deep meaning which is attached with Hindu philosophy is lost after translation to English.
  
  It's saddening to see that usage of Sanskrit, which is one of the oldest language, is declining and consequently the original study of Indian philosophy and hindu texts is also declining.
  Using English words distorts the original meaning and it always comes with western background attached to it.
  For example, 'svarga' is not 'heaven', 'asura' is not 'demon', 'karma-yoga' is not path of action.
  The book tells the difference between a lot of words which should not be translated very clearly.
  
  Every language adds a entirely new perspective for understanding of world, so everyone should preserve the original words of language if they have no equivalent in other languages. So, not only Sanskrit should have non-translatables but other languages should have non-translatables too. This will help in the preservation of language and unique culture.
  
  Authors who translate the Sanskrit texts should also use Sanskrit non-translatables in their upcoming words.
  Rajiv Malhotra even talked with Amish Tripathi about the same thing.
  
  It inspired me to learn sanskrit and read the texts of Hinduism in the original version.
  Hopefully, I'll make time for it asap.
  
  Highly recommended!
• 
  The Conch

  If a culture has to be destroyed then attack has to be made on its language. Latin is declared dead and same happens to one of the most ancient language of the world, Sanskrit, however, due to resistance given by numerous Sanskrit scholars and effort of author like Shri Rajiv Malhotra and Dr. Satyanarayan Dasa Babaji, still the hope of revival of Sanskrit lingers.
  
  The main purpose of the book is to show how simple translation and mapping of deep philosophical concept into Abhramic religion's frame can faster digestion of ancient and only living Hindu civilization.
  
  The book is divided into topic wise section which describes the effect of loose translation and how original Sanskrit words differ for e.g.
  
  'Atman' is not soul
  Eeswar or Bhagavan is not God
  'Kavya' is not poet
  'Kama' is not sex
  'Tantra' is not sexual orgy
  'Hanuman'or 'Ganesha' is not monkey or elephant god
  
  Each chapter consists of summary in tabular form. Readers can just refer to this for quick reference. In nutshell, this is must read book and time has come to 'Sanskritize the West'.
• 
  Dilip

  this is a classic case of "what you have been taught is wrong" but with proof and context. when someone argued with me that Hindu gods are not real gods i pushed back all the way.but reading content like this and similar i now realize that i was wrong! God in the Abrahamic sense is a messenger with a single life...bhagawan is much more than that...whether it is avatars or the various feats achieved tor divine manifestations , they are not in the same family as Abrahamic gods....this books continues a similar school of thought and is a a good colonial decleanser...many samskrit terms are mis translated and used against sanatanis day in and out..this is a good starting point for retooling oneself!
• 
  Düsty

  A much needed book.
• 
  mahesh

  Rajiv Malhotra is one of the Jnani I pay deference for his sharp intellect to decipher and slay the wicked intention of western universalism and breaking Indian forces. I have adequate education in Vedas, shastras, Upanishad, and Puranas, understanding a book was not a difficult task. Nevertheless, even I had the erroneous idea about Sanskrit words and their meaning since most of the knowledge gained by books reproduced in English. The explanation offered by the writer by supplying the tangible difference between English and Sanskrit is honorable work.
  
  After finished reading every book by Raji Malhotra, you end up in despondency because you discern how you are tricked by the faulty history. Colonizer history taught in school to undermine everything divine about Hinduism and exaggerating minute impediments. Most of the Indians are trained to feel inferior about their culture in front of western culture. The inferior gaze needs to shift towards understanding the multifariousness and profoundness of our Sanatan Dharma. It can happen only when we are educated with a proper channel with facts that is free of the decay of truth. Books by Rajiv Ji need to be added to our curriculum if we want our youth to grow without inferior complexity.
  
  Rajiv Ji inspired me to learn Sanskrit(Recently started) and embrace the Sanskriti of the immemorial divine land ruled by Great Lord Rama and divine being Krishna. We should get back what is ours, not to feel superior over others, it is just to make our stand against predatory western universalism. if we allow our difference to be merged in western universalism in the name of myopic oneness, we will be orphaned in our homeland with nothing to feel connected. Sanskrit and dharma will never die as long as the cosmos exist but it is our primary duty to keep the purity of it. Maybe we should stand our ground in our Vedic way and proud of our roots, So that western society stop looking at us as primitive.
  
  This book could be a gateway to understand the fundamental difference between the Richness of Sanskrit and the limitation of English. Yet I highly advise you to read "Being different" before you read this book. Because there are many topics covered in detail in "Being different" than here. Sanskrit non-translatable is a comprehensive manual to understand the richness of Sanskrit. However compared to previous books of Rajiv Ji, this one is not up to the mark. Perhaps I have this outlook Because of the expectation set by his earlier books.
  
  I have given only 4 stars because of biased aversion towards a western perception of Dharma. Even Indians should share the portion of the blame in his book, Not just westerners. The majority of the Indians have a limited understanding of Santan Dharma than the westerners I have met.
  
  Overall it is a good book, It has clarified some of my doubts.
  
• 
  Saravana Sastha Kumar

  Once in a while we come across a book with content that makes us wonder how we never knew all this for so long. As someone who has been primarily reading books in English to better understand India's history and heritage, this book is a huge eye opener. Some of what we know, understand, speak and think about concepts like dharma, karma, yoga, prana etc are concepts solidified in our minds based on what we heard and read from western or even Indian translation in English. But what if much was lost in that translation? What if the author had missed the cultural context ? Did what we knew so far was a parochial interpretation based on biases?
  
  This book does a fantastic job of convincing the reader to relook at what we knew or whatever thought we knew. First of all this book shatters the pride of the reader who so far predominantly depends on English book sources. Second, it convinces the reader to make the effort to appreciate and understand the depth of the words and context driven meaning of Sanskrit words. Finally, it opens up the reader to a whole new dimension of the immense, timeless and perfect world of Sanskrit. That's where the book stops. From then on its your own journey. I have most certainly taken my own baby steps in that journey.
  
  The book starts with driving home the context about why this book was conceived and created. If you had been reading Rajiv Malhotra, then most of it is repeated or extracted from his other works. Then the book takes you through a crash course on the timeless wonder of Sanskrit language structure. That's when the premise of the book is made - English must start using Sanskrit words as it is as they are non-translatable. Then the book takes you through several chapters on the philosophical pillars and the typical Sanskrit words associated with them and explains how their translated equivalents do no justice to the the depth and beauty of the original meaning (s) and how it gets diluted by translation. By the time you reach here....your own journey on sanskrit must have started in your mind. Yes that's how convincing the authors are.
  
  I also want to point out that in many places the Sanskrit words are not elaborated to explain their meaning neither in the main content nor in the notes. But that is just far and few. The notes are scholarly and gives recommendations and citations of various other books that would be a treasure for someone like me 'in the journey'.
  
  This is a timely contribution by the authors and I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said they did a fantastic civilization duty in bringing out this book.
  
  [Note: If you think you have a very good reading speed, this book will be a challenge. It takes time and re-reading to digest what's there in the book]
• 
  Divya Mahajan

  Many times a phrase is heard “What’s the use of this language in today’s modern world, It’s a dead language” This applies not only to 1 language but so many languages across the world. But how does a language die. It is when its inheritors stop taking pride in their spoken word or rather mother tongue and try to mix it with another one that they mistakenly deem more important in today’s times. This is what the book is about . “How Sankrit loosing its unique standing due to assimilation and ”
  
  “The global kurukshetra today poses a clear and present danger of Vedic civilizations being taken apart, some elements of it destroyed and others digested into Western Universalism. The term cultural genocide is appropriate for this condition.”
  
  A well researched and well written book that puts across the message without preaching or lecturing. An interesting and engrossing essay on how we have lost the uniqueness and richness of our language due to loose translations or rather mistranslations. This is emphasised and rather explained by giving many examples . A detailed explanation and the origin of the words is also described in a way that binds the reader to the book.
  
  “Sanskriti is commonly and loosely translated as culture. Culture is defined as the quality in a person or society that concerns excellence in arts, letters , manners and scholarly pursuits. Sanskriti, on the other hand , is not just confiled to the material world and includes the pursuit of a higher purpose. Samskara and Sanskriti are cognate words; sanskriti is a means to create samskara-s that transform a person into a valuable member of society.”
  Another example Guru loosely translated to teacher where as Teacher just Teaches and a Guru is a mentor , a guide and much more. There is no equivalent translatable word.
  The only low point in this book is sometimes it became too much descriptive and essayish but the tables at the end of each chapter and the Index are a great help for the reader after finishing reading and wants to refer again. A very nice and informative read.
  
• 
  Gagan

  From the perspective of inter-civilizational discourse, what needs to be understood is why the English language by itself is unable to represent meanings of terms from Sanskrit knowledge systems. A higher dimensional signal, when accessed in a lower dimensional medium will lead to loss of clarity. For example, a video made with the best technology today, when viewed on a 1970s monochrome television with mono audio, cannot hope to do justice to the original content.
  
  Chapters 1 and 2 cover the rationale and need for Sanskrit Non-Translatables and ingeminate key ideas on the subject from Being Different . The discussion on the origins and unique nature of Sanskrit lays the foundation. The Non-Translatables will play a critical role in the kurukshetra as carriers of deeper ideas and embedded cultural assets, and in the encounters between dharma and adharma.
  
  Chapters 3 through 11 discuss several specific non-translatable terms that are being carelessly translated. For each term discussed, careful and deep thought has gone into explaining why the common translations are inadequate and how they create distortions and confusion. The goal is to lay a strong foundation for readers to start using these Sanskrit words when speaking or writing in English. The aim is to instill confidence that the non-translatable words can be used effectively in everyday engagement in English, enriching the language with new ideas and experiences from the Bharatiya Sanskriti.
  
  A large section of Westerners and Anglicized Indians assume that the dharmic wisdom embodied in the Sanskrit language can be translated into other languages and imported into other religious and/or scientific paradigms without loss of meaning. For example, ॐ matched with Amen, Shanti as Peace, Ishvara as God.
  
  This book plays a major role in decolonizing the Hindu mind. It is a movement rather than just a book.
  
• 
  Rajesh

  I picked this book with the intention of understanding the meaning of Sanskrit words discussed within. So I wasn’t expecting much discussion on issues around socio political / current affairs as seen in the first couple of chapters. But I believe the authors found those discussions necessary to provide context and reasoning behind the need for this book. Having said, I enjoyed learning Sanskrit words and the depth behind them. Also, as a Tamil speaker, I kept seeing many similarities between Tamil and Sanskrit words which I found very interesting.
  
  On reasons given by the authors behind why a word shouldn’t be translated, I find some explanations very convincing, and some reasoning not as much. But overall the idea is an interesting one, and the book greatly provides an opportunity to understand proper and profound meaning behind Sanskrit words, and at some level an understanding of Hinduism’s spiritual ideas as well
• 
  Mayur Sinha

  Wow, what a book! This is by far the best book I've read this year. How easy it is to translate Sanskrit into English without even understanding the real meaning and a great part is lost while translation and especially when Sanskrit does not share the same history and culture with the language for ex English. You'll learn 54 Sanskrit words whose meaning has been completely distorted while translating them into English. It's high time for the Sanskritization of English.
• 
  Devender Bejju

  It is important to understand to promote original Sanskrit words which has Vedic background vs English words which has Biblical background.
  Its very important to read this book to learn importance of knowing why we should avoid using English relevant words that are loosely translated by western authors for convenience only (not necessary with malintent). Its important to Sanskritize English to retain org. meaning.
• 
  Prasad

  Must read to understand Sanatana Dharma