Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Google to the rescue...

The author of the Kannada novel (Chandramukhiya Ghatavu) that I had translated, Rodda Vyasarao Venkatarao, from what I could make out from his novel, appears to be a well-read person, interested in Sanskrit classics and also English literature...he has used verses from Sanskrit plays almost at will, whenever he wanted to illustrate a point or where the words of a higher authority would settle the issue...

But he never ever says from where he has taken these verses from...I am not sure how his readers reacted to this use of verses from Sanskrit plays...who did he have in mind as his readers? Once I started translating, I realised I hit a wall when I came across the first Sanskrit verse in the second page itself...and it was in devanagari script...I tried to guess the meaning from the context... and I could make out two words...'hans' for 'swan' and 'kshira' for 'milk'...and I put two and two together and surmised that this verse could refer to that well-known concept of 'hamsa kshira nyaya'... which refers to a celestial bird (swan) which had the power to drink only the milk and leave the water mixed with it behind...and this is given as an example for somebody who has the ability to sort the 'grain from the chaff' so to say... the positive power of discernment or judgment... it is also given as an example for a job or assignment that needs judiciousness or refinement for it to be completed successfully...Many people in India are aware of this concept...

That done...but from where is this blessed verse taken? which book or who should I consult? How should I go about consulting a book? Did I know any Sanskrit scholar? all questions the result of incomplete formal Indian education!! But now I was stuck...

Somehow, as a last independent resort, before consulting people and books, I thought of an old trick, a trick by which I would detect plagiarism during my 'editor' days...I decided to transcribe the Sanskrit verse into English and give it the 'google' treatment...and you know what...it worked and worked beautifully... I now know that this 'swan' and 'milk' verse is taken from Kalidasa's Abhijnana Shakuntalam... some kindhearted souls had put up something related to the play and I also located an English translation of the play...and things started to fall into place... and I gave the same treatment to all the Sanskrit verses that are in the novel...and I discovered that the author had taken verses and phrases from Kalidasa's Abhijnana Shakuntalam and Meghadutam, Bhavabhuti's Uttara Rama Charita, the Hitopadesha, and (now I feel) not surprisingly, a quote from Herbert Spencer too...and I found out from where all these verses, phrases, and quotation were taken with the help of Google...after locating the origins, I had to refine the references...and make them consistent...that is another story...for another post...

Thank you Google for helping me in my search...and all those who had written, hosted, or contributed to various websites on Sanskrit literature...

(the usual disclaimer...I am a happy Google user...in no way connected with Google)

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