TRANSLATION
OF IDEAS FROM SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY:
MY EXPERIENCES
Introduction:
The word translation is usually associated
with the translation of literary write-ups. Thus -poetry, short-fiction, novels
etc., - creations are translated from
one language to another language. We are all aware of the many ways of
translating the literature and each translator has one’s own method. In these
translations we usually concentrate on the translation of the sense and avoid
literary translations. We all know that this type of translation gives good
translation. In these translations the translator though stamps his creativity
on the translation, he remains faithful to the original text.
We also translate ideas expressed in
science and spirituality from one language to another language. This
translation may also lead to innovative interpretations depending on the
ability, scholarship, intuition, insight and depth of understanding of the
translator. I herewith share my experiences in the translation of ideas from
science and Indian spirituality on Time and Upanishadic insight.
My Translations:
First,
I share some of my translations among the languages I am proficient of the
literature and slowly present my experiences in the translation of ideas.
The
following beautiful Sanskrit verses
are translated as follows:
I
Na
vidyatedevokaasthenapaashaanenamrtunmate
Bhaavohividyatedevehatasmaatbhaavohikaaranam
The Lord lives not in the wooden carving
Nor in the sculpture made of stone or clay;
The Lord lives in our thoughts
And it is through our thoughts that we see him dwell in everything.
In this the last line holds the essence of the sloka. So the translation is done
elaborately which is very short in length of words in the original.
II
Atiparichayaatavajnataaatigamanaatanaadaram
Parvatasaanushubhillataruneebhihichandanatarukaasthamindhanaayate
Too much proximity and easy access
Lead to negligence and disrespect;
In the hills and thickets tribal girls
Use sandalwood as firewood
III. Translation of
my Sanskrit verse Giri Jharee:
THE
HILL-STREAM
The flow of my poesy is a
hill-stream
This “wetness” never ceases to be
Born in the hills of my heart
Moves swiftly as current
Jumps and falls
As the water-fall
Is a beauty, one among the
delights of the nature;
Moves, that sweet water-way
Not seen by the civilized urban
Is pure and clear as the heart of
the mountain-dweller
Not influenced by cultures or
ideologies
Flows for its own sake unmindful
of surroundings
Does not know about the existence
of orders in flow
Is ignorant of intricacies of
rules and rhymes
Bejeweling, pomp and show are not
its cup of tea
Traverses and roams in the hills
and valleys as the tribal girl
Flowing on the stones swiftly, is
a cuckoo
Producing sonorous musical notes
Jumps, falls and moves at will,
Is an untrained dancing peacock
The brushes of the artists
Cannot grip its movements
Prosody has no relevance
For its marathon runs
The views of biased minds steeped
in ideology or arguments
It is unaware of and does not
care;
Its beautiful rhythms are guided
by nature
No one bathes in it or drinks its
offering
Civilized and cultured critics
are
Not even aware of its existence;
My poesy is the flow of my plain
heart
Absorption in Divinity
is the goal of its journey;
Silently joins the waters of
Literary Godavari
Retaining its identity
Kinnerasani! The hill-stream of
my poetry
IV. Telugu verse composed
by me and translated into English:
Mari marimrokkadaharikinkaarunoottungagirikin
Vaatslyamrutajharikinsiripenemitikinmukkantisarikin
Naraadvaitunakunsreemannaarayanunakun
ramyakavitalaharikin
Ramaarasaantanrangarasikunikin
neenaajatakun bhakti palanaaniratunakun
bhaktivaradunakunmuktipradaatakun
I bow down to Hari again and again
Who is the peak of compassion
A stream flow of parental love;
Husband of Goddess of Wealth
And One and the Same as the Three-Eyed
I bow down to Hari again and again
Who is human-being Him-Self
Who is pleasant wave of aesthetic poetry
Who amorously lives in the heart of Ramaa
Who is friend to you and me
Who is adept in taking care of His devotees always
Who showers boons to His devotees
And who gracefully blesses with Nirvana (Liberation-mukti)
V .My Translations
from German:
German
Original: Bretolt Brecht
THE SMOKE
From
that little house
Under
the trees near the lake
Comes
smoke;
If it is
missing
How
useless will be
The
house, the trees and the lake!
German
Original: Goethe
Between
today and tomorrow
Is
available a long recess
Learn to
be equipped quickly
So that
you are sprightly and lively
VI. My Translation from French:
La Fontaine (1621-1695):
J’aime la jeu, l’amour, les livres, la musique
La villeet la compagne; ein fin tout;
Il ne m’estrien
Qui ne me soitsouverainbien
Jusqu’au somber plaisir d’un Coeur melancolique
I love
games, love, books, music, the town and the mountains
In fine
all; but this is all nothing for me
As these
do not make me a sovereign;
I will
be a sovereign if I can also love the grief of the melancholy heart
VII. Translation of my English
verse into German
English Original:
ALIEN
LANGUAGES
Girls acquire
Lovely curves and
shapes
To become youthful
As buds bloom
To be flowers.
Flowers and women are
alike;
Both possess bodies
soft,
Beautiful and
attracting;
Their captivating
beauties
Hook one closer
angling.
Topsy – turvy streams
women are
Speedy, moving,
energetic
Cool and refreshing
Their sonorous tone
And soft touch
Thrill and make one
Swim in pleasures of
depths
They become mothers
Give us sons and
daughters;
Women are form and
essence
Of LOVE DIVINE
Making one, peaceful
and blissful
By going through
Above lines
Do not conclude
That I have
Knowledge about women
Because
Women are
Alien languages
Which
One can never master.
My: German Translation
DIE
FREMDSPRACHEN
Die
Mädchenwerden die Damen
AlsKnospendieblühendeBlumen
Damen
und Blumensindgleich
Lieblichhübsch
und zärtlich
Besitzen
den erregendenReiz
Die
Damen alsdasWasser des Baches
Sindschnellfüβingenergischkältig
Und
entspannendig;
IhrweichenKlang
Und
weicheBerührung
DurchläuftsicheinfreudigerSchauer
Und
schwimmt man in eitelWonne
Die
Müttersiewerden
Die
Söhne und die Töchterbekommt man;
Sind
Form und Inhalt der Liebegöttlich
Die
macht man immerruhig
Jetzt
von mireinGedicht
Über
die Damengeschrieben hat
Aber
MeinenSienicht
Daβ ichwie die
Damen
Sindkenne;
Weil
dieDamensind
Die
Fremdsprachen
Man
muβ
Lernensein
These translations are
essentially faithful to the originals and sense is translated.
In Sanskrit Language “soonyam” has three different meanings. They are (i) zero; (ii)
vacuum; (iii) state of cessation of mental functions. I wrote an essay in
Sanskrit on these three highlighting their use and significance for knowledge
and titled “soonyaani” – plural for “soonyam”. I had difficulty in
translating the title into English. Then I closely observed the three senses of
“soonyam” and found one common thing
in the three. In zero value is absent.
In vacuum matter is absent. In state
of cessation of mental functions mind is
absent. So I took the sense “absence”
common to all and translated the title as “The
significance and use of absence”. This is how the ideas are translated.
Thus just sense - translation may
not be sufficient in translation of certain texts which contain deep meanings
and ideas. That aspect is now presented taking ideas on the nature of Time and
Upanishadic Contents.
On Time:
Thinkers
have been attempting to understand the nature of time since the start of
civilizations. Many intellectuals
through generations have been expressing thoughts which aid us in the
understanding of the nature and structure of time 1-15. Ancient
Indians, the Chinese and the Greeks and many western and eastern scientists and
philosophers have made substantial contributions in this regard (Tables I and
II). An attempt is made in this article to get an understanding of time and
thought process using basic physics principles and ancient Indian wisdom as
revealed in the Upanishads.
Our observation and
experience recognize physical and psychological existences to time 13.
Physical
Existence:
Natural
sciences such as physics, chemistry and biology give us insight of time
variedly. Movement, change and becoming are three classifications of time
available1. These classifications can be understood by observing
physical, chemical and biological processes as follows.
i) Movement: Matter and energy are engaged in all natural
or non-natural processes. Matter can exist as solid, liquid, gas (vapor) or
plasma (ionic form) at a given time and space; energy can exist in many forms13.
Matter and energy can be in (i) a
state of rest or (ii) a state of motion. Aristotle opined time as counting of and reciprocal to
motion1. Motion associated with matter can be translation, rotation
and vibration and periodic or non-periodic. Plato opined time to be generated
by cosmological movements1. Thus movement has been construed to be
time and also the cause of time.
ii) Change: The phase or state of matter is
changed by energy and the form of energy is changed through matter13.
Thus transformation of phase or state of matter or form of energy takes place
with mutual help. Natural or non-natural
processes involve transformation of both matter and energy bringing out changes
to within or without of matter.
Thus all physical and chemical
changes are constructed as time.
iii) Becoming: Biology is the natural
science dealing with living systems. We will be aware of physical changes of an
organism – the result of physicochemical changes within - as growth or decay13,18,19.
A plant becomes a tree. A girl
becomes youthful. These two becomings (transformations) are growth of
organisms. Tree becomes dead-wood. Youthful woman becomes an old woman. These
two becomings are decay or degeneration of the organisms.
The psychological process of a human
being becoming angry and being peaceful after the anger subsides
are also biological processes involving changes in and changes of psychic
energy. Human knowing, learning, thoughts, perceptions, understandings and
experiences are other mental processes which are two way-becomings of psychic
energy 23- 26.
Thus all physical, chemical and
biological matter has phases of origin, being/becoming and dissolution
(cessation) which are becomings associated with matter and energy.
Thus becoming is construed as time.
The above three insights of time as
time essentially concern changes. Thus changes of place or phase of matter or
change of form of energy can be construed as time. External monitoring of
duration of these changes are measurements of time and passage of time. All
these measurements concern physical existence of time. Thus physical existence
of time consists of changes and measurement of duration of such changes.
Simply, change is time (concept
diagram I).Energy-
form-change
through matter or changes in or to matter by energy is time13.
CONCLUSIONS:
1. Matter or energy at
rest or in motion or under transformation is the physical manifestation of time
and constitutes physical time.
2. The physical
manifestation of flow of time or passage of time is ongoing of processes
involving transformation of energy through matter or change of phase of matter
by the aid of energy.
3. Matter- or
Energy-Presence is Time at Rest or Static Time or Time-Space or Durational
aspect of time.
4. Matter- or
Energy-Transformation is Time in Motion
or Dynamic Time or Time Created or Metrical aspect of time.
5. Time-Space is
defined, created, controlled and ceases to be depending on Energy-Presence and
the energy/matter available and amenable for and cause of transformation.
6. Time is not a
physical quantity. Time is an awareness. Time is a sense. Passage of time is an
observation and a mental experience in a particular conscious state of mind.
7. Rise and fall of
and flow of conscious states of mind and thoughts and other mental functions
constitute psychological time.
8. Psychological past
is a record of happenings and psychological future is an apprehension about
happenings caused by the egoistic mind during the passage of physical time.
9. Both psychological
past and psychological future are thought-forms in the physical present
involving psychic energy transformations in the wakeful and dream conscious states
of mind.
10. Physical present
is same everywhere in the universe and only observation and counting are at
different instants.
11. Countingof
physical present is a function of geographical location.
12. Continuous
presence or continuous flow of matter or energy without transformation or
change is Time-transcendence or Thought-transcendence or Timelessness. That
means continuous state of rest or of uniform motion is Timelessness.
13. Time flow
signifies the speed of conversion of energy in a process.
14 Time flow is a
measure of Being (presence) and Becoming (transformation) of matter and
energy in space
These concepts are
presented in Table I and Figures I and Concept diagram I
On Upanishads:
Ancient Indian wisdom as revealed in the Upanishads
has a lot to say about human consciousness and mental functions 20-35;
[also see Table I]. The expressions of the Upanishads,when translated into the modern
scientific terms will benefit the fields of physiological psychology; the
natural language comprehension branch of artificial intelligence, and the
modeling of human cognition, language communication and understanding processes21-36.
A physics and
communication engineering model of human language acquisition and communication
based on Upanishadic expressions and SabdabrahmaSiddhhanta
is presented here. Brahma Jnana or AtmaJnana
is the basis of both Vedanta and SabdabrahmaSiddhanta31-40.
Concept
of mind as available in Ancient Indian thought:
Atman or Brahman is Sat-Chit-Ananda
AdiSankara: Brahma sat jagatmithyajivo brahma evanaapraha
What is present always (in
dristi(consciousness/awareness) and responsible for formation of dristi) is
Brahman and jagat (which is moving or transient) is adhyasa (veil), over sat
(Brahman); and mithya (unreal or virtual); jiva (self-consciousness or egoistic
state of mind as adhyasa over Brahman) is Brahman (pure consciousness or
unoccupied awareness) Itself, not different or separate.
Inner
mental world (idam) and mental
functions (jagat):
Vedanta
Panchadasi: Asti
bhaatipriyamnamamroopamchetiamsapanchakam
AAdyatrayam brahma roopamtatodwayamjagatroopam
is
a famous expression of Vedanta Panchdasi
by Vidyaranaya. This sloka says that prapancham (inner mental world-also known as viswam) is made up of five ingredients: asti (sat – consciousness aspect),
bhaati (chit - awareness/knowledge aspect), priyam (ananda- experience aspect)-the aspects of Brahman or
Atman, namam (name) and roopam
(form or sight ordrusyam or vishaya), the aspects of prapancham or jagathi(inner mental world) or jiva
(self-conscioueness/ego). Addition or tagging
of namam(name) and roopamform or sight or object-energy
form) to Atman forms prapanchamin jada (potential) form. Prapancham
becomes jagat (kinetic/dynamic) when
retrieved and appears in the dristi(awareness).
These namamand roopam [object energy forms sensed through sense organs (Concept
diagram I to III)] also consist of words and forms we cognize and learn while
learning languages, disciplines and skills and all kinds of knowledge.
In jagat, Atman is in three parts as asti – the sat aspect; bhaati – the chit aspect and priyam – anandam aspect,
together with the two parts namam
(name) and roopam (form). Namam is given by language and form is
what the vishaya(object-energy f0rm)
looks like or cognized like. It must be noted here that prapancham is created within as sensed by sense organs through the antahkaranamanas. So obviously the
smells (by nose), tastes (by tongue) and touches and feelings of hotness and
coldness (through skin) are also part of prapancham
in addition to sounds heard by ears and forms seen by eyes. This prapancham will be injada (potential) form and becomes jagat as kinetic form when retrieved and
perceived by manasforming
thoughts/feelings etc.,.
Consciousness is non-dual (advaita) awareness. It is experience as
bliss/peace/silence when self-consciousness is absorbed or got absorbed in pure
consciousness. Consciousness is also experience when no cognitions or cognition-related
experiences are in the awareness of mind. Experienced awareness is
consciousness. Awareness of nothing within or without the body is
consciousness. It is peace, bliss and silence. Mind is dual (dvaita) awareness. Knowing, perception,
thinking, doing intellectual operations, discrimination, feelings, having
moods, urges, intuitions, understanding, getting and having insight,
experiences are functions of mind.
Scheme of human mental acquisitions,
functions and communications:
While mind is functioning, there will be a
differentiated perception of knower-knowing-known
or subject-verb-object, which will be
missing and absent when non-dual (advaita)
awareness or pure consciousness becomes unoccupied awareness21-34.
Experiencing or understanding or getting insight of verb is state of experience
and then knower-known or subject-object are not attached to the
verb. Verb will be in a present continuous form or infinite form depending on
it is absorption of information or understanding cognition or experiencing
cognition or urge (to express or do) or intuition (result of perception or
instinct took form or genetic knowledge expressed through hormones or like
them) or sense or meanings of utterances received or to be expressed31-34.
We
knowingly or unknowingly alternate between non-dual (advaita) and dual (dvaita)
awareness while functioning mentally.
Wakeful and dream conscious states of mind represent and account for the
phase of mind when functioning and then we also are aware of and sense or
perceive self-consciousness. Once mind ceases to function, we experience peace,
bliss and silence within. If these are experienced our being aware them, the
phase of mind then is known as wakeful sleep. If we are unaware, but are
conscious of these, the phase of mind then is known as deep sleep. The phase of
cessation of mental functions (also self-consciousness) is similar to zero in
number system and vacuum in physical and biological sciences. Vacuum is
inherent in matter and holds matter and is manifested when matter is missing or
absent. Consciousness is awareness of mind when no mental functions are taking
place. This idea is further elaborated below 21-31.
Simply put, according to Upanishads,
human mental functions are the forward and backward transformations of chidabhasa
or maya or pranavam - the carrier (in the sense of carrier radio wave in
broadcasting and reception process) cognitive-energy pulse series, modulatedby
energies sensed through sense organs or the stored information as potential
energies retrieved (as vasanas - object-experiences, which include
meanings of utterances, first and then jagat[inner world] as
feelings/thoughts/perceptions) and demodulated to give humans
knowledge, experiences etc.The transformation of maya, reverse
transformation of maya and cessation of transformation of maya -
the dvaita and advaita conscious states respectively- taking
place simultaneously, consecutively and alternately is the structure, form,
function, state and essence of human consciousness, mental functions and
cognitive processes [8] Most of present attemptsaim at modeling machine
cognition as an isolated process which is the result of sensing19. But if human mental processes are observed,
it becomes obvious that human perception is but an intermediary process which
transfers sensing into sense (understanding/experience) and sense into
expression. Human cognitive process can
be stated sequentially as follows: (1) sensing:
through sense organs (knowing), (2) perception
(thinking, reasoning, decision making, etc.,), (3) understanding/experience, (4) purport-
meaningful experience or experienced meaning. Human mental process is generally
held to be a combination and quick successive transformations of four modes
i.e.,
I Speaker/Teacher: (a) Purport/Awareness (Meaningful Experience or Experienced Meaning
(b) Understanding/Experience (c) Perception/Thinking (d) Utterance
/Expression
II
Knower/Listener/Learner:
(a) Knowing (through sense organs) (b) Perception/Thinking (c) Understanding/Experience
(d) Purport (Meaningful Experience/Experienced Meaning)/Awareness.
Four conscious states of mind, which are
phases, cognitive and functional states of mind andseven cognitive states of
mind: (SaptaLokas )26and
four modes of language acquisition and communication are available (These ideas
are further advanced as follows.
Modern science meaning of Brahman
and maya/pranavam/sphota- the ingredients for human consciousness,
mental functions and language acquisition and communication process:
Brahma
Jnana:
Vakyapadeeyam text endorses all the above understanding of concept of
mind and its functions and describes, discusses and proposesinsight relating to
human language acquisition and communication. The following sloka from Brahma Kanda of Vakyapadeeeyam
is the gist of what all is discussed above.
anaadinidhanam
brahma sabdatatvamyataksharam
vivartatearthabhaavenaprakriyaajagatoyatah
This sloka
states Brahma nityatvam(eternity) and vivartanopadatvam(reversible
becoming) ofjagat as meanings/senses (artha)/
urges/thoughts/feelings (bhava) /expressions/utterances-the arthabhavenaprakriyaa-
from Brahman. Sphota is upadanakarana – material cause of jagatwhich
is a restatement of all that is discussed, the Advaita insight of
AdiSankara (UpanishadicCommentaries) and Vidyaranaya (Vedanta
Panchadasi), in the earlier sections.
All this can be scientifically stated
that, Atman
or Brahman is the result of breathing
process 39-40. Srestaprana, (most possibly O2, and
the consequent rhythmic gaseous
exchange taking place in the lungs)) is given as the body ( tanu ) of Atman
VasistaGanapathi Muni [20-21]. Atman is always in motion (yasyagamanamsatatam
tat atma – which moves incessantly is Atman) and is the result of
breathing process and in modern scientific terms can be termed as a
bio-oscillator/bio-maser/bio-laser issuing out pulses of mental (chit)
energy 27. A period 10-1
of a second, the time required to pronounce a short syllable like ‘a’ is
put forward as the time- period of this oscillator {It is interesting here to mention that the
mental rhythms detected by the experiment by German scientist Hans Berger 40using
EEG (electro-encephalogram) also have the same time- period of 10-1
sec}. Thus this insight proposes Atman or Brahman as a biomechanical oscillator of frequency in the
infrasonic (< or = 10 Hz) range27-34.
Vivartanam is the type of change
thatsphota undergoes while sristi (creation of mental impressions
or mental world during language acquisition and communication) takes place.Whensristi is being created or is in the dristi (Conscious awareness), we are
mentally functioning. When sristi is
in the awareness a veil is formed ondristiand
createsadhyasa. According to Advaita thought only two mental
situations are available for humans in the consciousness of the Atman. The situations are nidra or sristi. Nidracorresponds to
the sushupti state of consciousness
or phase of mind (Concept Diagram I). During this phase of mind, all mental
functions cease to be in the awareness and maya,
whose transformations these mental functions are, becomes nirvishaya- suddhavasanaa- pravaaham.
During this phase of mind maya does
not bifurcate as divyam (jnana sakti)
and swaram (prana sakti) as in jagrat and swapna conscious states and both sense and actions organs remain
dormant and functionless (also see Concept diagrams II to IV) 21-27.
Thus SabdabrahmaSiddhanta based on Upanishadic
and Advaitic insight provides four
modes of language communication and reception process; para-- mode of
awareness--;pasyanti –mode
of verb or sense or mood--;madhyama-mode of sentence,-- andvaikhari
–mode of utterance in sound form, which can be successfully used to understand
human language acquisition, communication and usage processes 27,31-38.
Application:
Several
branches of learning take study of mental processes as one of their subject
matters. Epistemology, psychology, physiological psychology, neurology,
artificial intelligence and cognitive sciences contribute to the study of the
mental processes in their own way.Up to now, however, little has been done to
combine the approaches -- let us say – of the physiological psychologists and
neurologists who see cognitive process as a biochemical and biophysical energy
transformation with the proponents of mind-machine modeling, who have a lot to
say on pattern – recognition, memory and learning and the Upanishadicinsight which has understood human consciousness and analyzed
mental functions.
The insight of human consciousness and mind
and its functions together
with SabdmabrahmaSiddhanta and sphotavada inmodern
scientific terms presented in this communication can be used to develop the
software to model human cognitive processes and language learning/communication
processes going on within humans, and compare them with the working of the
bio-chemicals and bio-materials and the energy transitions and transformations
associated with such transitions..
Most of the present attempts try to
model thinking as an isolated process which is the result of sensing. But if
human mental processes are observed, it becomes obvious that thinking is but an
intermediary process which transforms sensing into sense and sense into
utterance/ expression. This sequence of human mental processes can be applied
and the human cognitive model obtained thus can be refined and developed to
build the soft-ware to model human understanding/experience process in
conjugation with existing mind-machine models 41-47. This can also be used by the physiological psychologists
to model the biochemical and biophysical energy transforms that take place
during human cognitive and language learning/communication processes.
Thus, this
article presents human consciousness as a physical entity as an oscillating
energy-presence issuing out infrasonic energy pulses constituting sphota proposed by Sanskrit
grammarians. This oscillator has a time
period 10-1sec in accordance with both eastern and western
knowledge. It will be beneficial to use Upanishadicinsight, clubbed with sphotavada
as is done here, in clearing conceptual issues relating to consciousness,
experience, understanding, sense, mood, meaning
etc., to reach the stage of extending available mind–machine schemes to
model human consciousness, mental functions including language acquisition and communication
processes. Translating software obtained thus
into artificial intelligent, combining existing mind-machine models will be a
useful application. Further, physiological modeling of mental functions by
combining the study of bio-materials such as neurons and proteins and energy
transformations by and through them clubbed with Upanishadic awareness
of mind and its functions helps to understand the physiological processes
relating to psychological processes.
Thus translation of ideas with a different
view, understanding and contemplation gives raise to revolutionary outputs and
new fields of research and also new schools of thought will be originating.
Translation of ideas is an intellectual,
intuitive and insightful affair and not merely translation of sense as in the
case of literary translations. Translation of ideas is of different genre and
translation of ideas is a combination of translation, creativity and criticism.
