TRANSLATIONS

 

SRI AUROBINDO

 

Contents 

 

 

I. FROM SANSKRIT

   

 

 

 

BHAGAVAD GITA

 
 

Chapter One

 
 

Chapter Two

 
 

Chapter Three

 
 

Chapter Four

 
 

Chapter Five

 
 

Chapter Six

 

 

 

KALIDASA

 
 

The Birth of the War-God

 Canto One:

 
 

The Birth of the War-God, Canto Two

 
 

Malavica and the King

 
 

The Line of Raghu

 

 

 

 

Sankaracharya

 
 

Bhavani

 

 

 

 

III FROM TAMIL

 

 IV. FROM GREEK AND LATIN

 
 

The Kural

 

Odyssey

 
 

Nammalwar’s Hymn of the Golden Age

 

On A Satyr and Seeping Love

 
 

Love-Mad

 

A Rose of Women

 
 

Refuge

 

To Lesbia

 
 

To the Cuckoo

     
 

I Dreamed a Dream

     
 

Ye Others

     

 

 

 

Speech of Dussaruth to the Assembled

States-General of His Empire*

 

Then with a far reverberating sound

As of a cloud in heaven or war-drum’s call

Deep-voiced to battle and with echoings

In the wide roof of his majestic voice

That like the resonant surges onward rolled

Moving men’s hearts to joy, a King to Kings

He spoke and all they heard him.

 

                                           “It is known

To you, O princes, how this noblest realm

Was by my fathers ruled, the kings of old

Who went before me, even as one dearest son

Is by his parents cherished; therefore I too

Would happier leave than when my youth assumed

Their burden, mankind, my subjects, and this vast

World-empire of the old Ikshwacou kings.

Lo, I have trod in those imperial steps

My fathers left, guarding with sleepless toil

The people while strength was patient in this frame

O’erburdened with the large majestic world.

But now my body broken is and old,

Aging beneath the shadow of the white

Canopy imperial and outworn with long

Labouring for the good of all mankind.

My people. Nature fails me! I have lived

Thousands of years and many lives of men

And all my worn heart wearies for repose.

Weary am I of bearing up this heavy

Burden austere of the great world, duties

Not sufferable by souls undisciplined:

O folk, to rest from greatness I desire.

Therefore with your august, assembled will,

O powers and O twice-born nations, I

Would share with Rama this great kingdom’s crown,

 

*Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 2, 1-20. 

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Rama, my warrior son, son by kingly birth

And by gifts inherited confessed my son,

Rama, a mighty nation’s joy. Less fair,

Yoked with his favouring constellation bright,

The regent moon shall be than Rama’s face,

When morn upon his crowning smiles. O folk,

Say then shall Luxman’s brother be your lord,

Glory’s high favourite who empire breathes?

Yea, if the whole vast universe should own

My son for king, it would be kinged indeed

And regal: Lords, of such desirable

Fortune I would possess this mother of men;

Then would I be at peace, at last repose

Transferring to such shoulders Earth. Pronounce

If I have nobly planned, if counselled well;

Grant me your high permissive voices; people,

But if my narrower pleasure, private hope,

Of welfare general the smooth disguise

Have in your censure donned, then let the folk

Themselves advise their monarch or command.

For other is disinterested thought

And by the clash of minds dissimilar

Counsel increases.”

 

Then with a deep sound

As when a cloud with rain and thunder armed

Invades the skies, the jewelled peacocks loud

Clamour, assembled monarchs praised their king.

And like a moving echo came the voice

Of the great commons answering them, a thunder

And one exultant roar. Earth seemed to rock

Beneath the noise. Thus by their Emperor high

Of the people metropolitan: all these

Deliberated and became one mind.

Resolved, they answered then their aged king.

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