Mani Rao’s translation of the devotional poem ascribed to Adi Shankara does justice to its manifold aims
GN Bureau | January 31, 2023
Saundarya Lahari: Wave of Beauty
Translated from the Sanskrit by Mani Rao
HarperCollins, 218 pages, Rs 399
‘Saundarya Lahari’, usually ascribed to Adi Shankaracharya, has a unique status among the religious-spiritual works of Hinduism.
The popular ones among them, the ones known widely and read or recited by generations – in Sanskrit or later languages, are usually hymns to various gods, which would place them in the Bhakti Yoga. Many works of Jnana Yoga, especially those with Advait Vedanta at the core and supposedly composed by Shankara, also enjoy a significant readership. An amalgamation of these two paths is not uncommon either. But a work of Tantra is a rarity.
‘Saundarya Lahari’ has that rare distinction of being a poem that can be read as purely devotional or as an arcane Tantrik text. In about a hundred verses, it is also a marvelous poem, with a rich variety of literary devices at play.
Mani Rao, a poet in her own right, is also a spiritual seeker, and is thus ideally placed to render both the sacred and the literary aspects in a translation. After the English-language translations of the Bhagavad Gita and selections from ‘Mahakavi’ Kalidas, she has come out with an English version of ‘Saundarya Lahiri’.
***
Verse 24
The universe:
Brahma creates
Hari preserves
Rudra destroys
Isha dissolves all of them
And his own body
The primeval Sadaashiva
Restores it all
On cue—
The quick flick of
Your eyebrow-tendrils
***
While there have been numerous translations of this well-known work, this is probably the first that has a poet’s touch. Rao’s excellent introduction is helpful, placing the poem in context, and preparing the reader for the best reading experience. Equally helpful are the explanatory notes. In this near-perfect edition, what one might have wished for is unpacking the Tantrik subtext, or at least more hints in that direction, along with an introduction to Tantra. This edition, however, is for a first-timer reader in English of this work, who can then explore the text in more depth with suggestions for further reading.
The final ‘Report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure’ by ‘India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development’ was released in New Delhi on Monday. The Task Force was led by the
Mahabharata: A World War By Gaurang Damani Sanganak Prakashan, 317 pages, Rs 300 Gaurang Damani, a Mumbai-based el
With the return of the NDA to power in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, all eyes are now on finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s full budget for the FY 2024-25. The interim budget presented in February was a typical vote-on-accounts, allowing the outgoing government to manage expenses in
Futuristic technologies such as 5G are already here. While urban users are reaping their benefits, these technologies also have a potential to transform rural areas. How to unleash that potential is the question. That was the focus of a workshop – “Transforming Rural Landscape:
Prime minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by president Vladimir Putin, visited the All Russian Exhibition Centre, VDNKh, in Moscow Tuesday. The two leaders toured the Rosatom Pavilion at VDNKh. The Rosatom pavilion, inaugurated in November 2023, is one of the largest exhibitions on the histo
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday morning spent some time at the sea beach of the holy city of Puri, a day after participating in the annual Rath Yatra. Later she penned her thoughts about the experience of being in close commune with nature. In a message posted on X, she said:
