kiṃ tadāliṅgase mudhā?

Long time since last post. I think this will be my last Bodhicaryāvatāra exercise for some time. I guess I'll go for a bit of tantra in future.

the text:
yadicchasi na taccittaṃ draṣṭuṃ spraṣṭuṃ ca śakyate /
yacca śakyaṃ na tadvetti kiṃ tadāliṅgase mudhā // Bca_8.55 //

my translation:
The mind that you want can not be seen or touched
and which is possible it don't know that. Why then, you embrace in vain?

yadi te nāśucau rāgaḥ...

One more verse from Bodhicaryāvatāra:

yadi te nāśucau rāgaḥ kasmādāliṅgase 'param /
māṃsakardamasaṃliptaṃ snāyubaddhāsthipañjaram // Bca_8.52 //

If you are not attracted by impure, then why you embrace another [who is just] a cage(pañjara-) of bones(asthi-) tied(baddha-) by tendons(snāyu-) besmeared(saṃlipta-) with the dirt(kardama-) which is flesh(maṃsa-)?

tasmāt tiṣṭhāmi kāṣṭhavat

The following are few Sanskrit verses I like very much from fifth chapter of Bodhicaryāvatāra. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.
Scroll down for translation.

anunītaṃ pratihataṃ
yadā paśyet svakaṃ manaḥ /
na kartavyaṃ na vaktavyaṃ
sthātavyaṃ kāṣṭhavat tadā // Bca_5.48 //

uddhataṃ sopahāsaṃ vā
yadā mānamadānvitam /
sotprāsātiśayaṃ vakraṃ
vañcakaṃ ca mano bhavet // Bca_5.49 //

yadātmotkarṣaṇābhāsaṃ
parapaṃsanameva vā /
sādhikṣepaṃ sasaṃrambhaṃ
sthātavyaṃ kāṣṭhavattadā // Bca_5.50 //

lābhasatkārakīrtyarthi
parivārārthi vā punaḥ /
upasthānārthi me cittaṃ
tasmāt tiṣṭhāmi kāṣṭhavat // Bca_5.51 //

parārtharūkṣaṃ svārthārthi
pariṣatkāmam eva vā /
vaktumicchati me cittaṃ
tasmāt tiṣṭhāmi kāṣṭhavat // Bca_5.52 //

asahiṣṇvalasaṃ bhītaṃ
pragalbhaṃ mukharaṃ tathā /
svapakṣābhiniviṣṭaṃ ca
tasmāt tiṣṭhāmi kāṣṭhavat // Bca_5.53 //


48. When(yadā) ones perceive(paśyet) his own(svaka-) mind (manas-) [as] attracted(anunīta-) [to something] or repulsed(pratihata-) [by something], then (tadā) he should do nothing(na kartavya-) and say nothing (na vaktavya-) but he should stay(sthatavya-) like a [piece] of wood (kāṣṭhavat-).

49-50. When the mind can be (bhavet) overexcited (uddhata-) or (vā) sarcastic (sopahāsa-), attached (anvita-) to arogance (māna-) and passion (mada-), ironica l(sa-utprāsa-), superior (ati-śaya-), hostile (vakra-) and (ca) deceiving (vañcaka-)
when self praising (ātmotkarṣaṇābhāsa-) or even disgracing another (parapaṃsana-), when taunting (sādhikṣepa-) or vehement (sasaṃrambha-), then I am to stand like a piece of wood.

51. My mind (me cittaṃ) desires fame (kīrti-), profit (lābha-) and honors (satkāra-) or servants (parivāra-) or worship (upasthāna-). Because of that (tasmāt-) I will stand(tiṣṭhāmi) like a piece of wood(kāṣṭhavat).

52. My mind (citta-) wants (icchati) to speak (vaktum) or is indifferent to (rūkṣa-) interest of another (parārtha-), desiring personal advantage (svārtha-) or even wishing followers/company (pariṣat-).
Because of that I will stand like a piece of wood.

53. [When my mind is] intolerant (asahiṣnu), lazy (alasa-), timid (bhīta-), arrogant (pra-galbha-) and having bad language (mukhara-) and entirely devoted (abhiniviṣṭa-) to own party/side (sva-pakṣa-).
Then, because of that, I will stand like a piece of wood.

Note. This is not an individual effort. Manny times along the way I needed and received the help of two friends, Peter and Daniel. Thanks dudes!

IASWR MBB II 231 Transcript (part 1)

Thanks to Daniel Stender a digital copy of a Bodhicaryāvatāra manuscript and many other related materials are now available on his blog http://granthinam.blogspot.com/
Few days ago I started to transcribe the manuscript in order to learn Nepalese scripts and to gain a little experience reading this kind of documents.

The meaning of the tags used in transcript:
{} correction
[] to be added
<> to be omitted
x unreadable Aksara


The transcript of the first page is bellow:
1: [....durbala]m eva ni<bh>[t]yaṃ / ba<r>[l]aṃ tu pāpasya mahat sughoram / taj jīyate 'nyena śubhena kena saṃbodhicittaṃ yadi nāma na syāt // [I,6] kalpān analpān pravi-
2: cintayadbhir dṛṣṭaṃ munīndrair hitam etad eva / yataḥ sukhenaiva sukhaṃ pravṛrddham utplāvayaty apramitāṃ janaughān // [I,7] bhavaḍuḥkhaśatāni
3: tartukāmair api satbabeśanāni hattukāmaiḥ / bahusaukhyaśatāni bhoktukāmair nabimocyaṃ hisudaivabodhicittaṃ // [I,8] bhavacā
4: rakavandhanovarākaḥ sugatānāṃ sutasucyatekṣaṇena / sanarāmaralokavandanīyobhavati smodita eva bhodhicitte // [I,9] a
5: sucipratimāmimāṃ gṛhītvā jinaratnapratimāṃ karotyanaghān / rasajātamatīva vedhanīyasudṛḍhaṃ gṛhnatabodhicitta
6: sajñaṃ // [I,10] suparīkṣītamaprameyadhībhirdvahamulyaṃ jagadekaisārthavahaiḥ / gatipattanapravāsaśīlāḥsudṛḍhaṃ gṛhnata

PS. Péter, thank you for the help!

Bodhicaryāvatāra (II)

One more verse from the Sanskrit version of Bodhicaryāvatāra.
pradhūpitairdhautamalairatulyairvastraiśca
teṣāṃ tanumunmṛṣāmi /
tataḥ suraktāni sudhūpitāni
dadāmi tebhyo varacīvarāṇi // Bca_2.12 //

pradhūpitair=I.pl. perfumed
dhautamalair=I.pl. clean
atulyair=I.pl. by/with unequalled
vastraiś=I.pl. with clothes
ca=and
teṣāṃ=G.pl. of them
tanum=Ac.sg. the form, body
unmṛṣāmi=pres.1.sg. I rub
with clean and perfumed clothes the bodies of them I rub.

tataḥ= thereafter
suraktāni=Ac.pl. well colored
sudhūpitāni=Ac.pl well incenced/perfumed
dadāmi=pres.1.sg I offer/present
tebhyo=D.pl. to them
varacīvarāṇi=Ac.pl. royal robes(cīvara)

With clean and perfumed clothes the bodies of them I rub/dry.
Thereafter, I offer them royal garments well perfumed and excellent colored.

Two verses from Bodhicaryāvatāra

The night before I went to bed pretty late because I was struggling to translate the following Sanskrit verses from Śantideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra. I hope I've done a decent job so please feel free to leave your comments.

Bodhicaryāvatāra is a beautiful Mahāyāna text that I find very inspiring. May this bring some light in your lives.

The Sanskrit text:
ratnojjvalastambhamanorameṣu
muktāmayodbhāsivitānakeṣu /
svacchojjvalasphāṭikakuṭṭimeṣu
sugandhiṣu snānagṛheṣu teṣu // Bca_2.10 //

manojñagandhodakapuṣpapūrṇaiḥ
kumbhairmahāratnamayairanekaiḥ /
snānaṃ karomyeṣa tathāgatānāṃ
tadātmajānāṃ ca sagītavādyam // Bca_2.11 //

Analysis of the Sanskrit words:
ratna-ujjvala-stambha-mano-rameṣu=L.pl. in the delighting for the soul of jewel blazing pillars
muktāmaya-udbhāsi-vitānakeṣu=L.pl. consisting of pearls-shining-awning -> in awnings shining of pearls
svaccha-ujjvala-sphāṭika-kuṭṭimeṣu=L.pl. crystalline-blazing-crystal-inlaid floors -> on the floors inlaid with crystals transparent and blazing
sugandhiṣu=L.pl. in perfumes
snānagṛheṣu=L.pl. in bath-rooms
teṣu=L.pl. in these

manojña:gandha-udaka-puṣpa-pūrṇaiḥ=I.pl. with perfumes and water and flowers filled
kumbhair=I.pl. with jars
mahāratnamayair=I.pl.of the most precious gems/materials (as pointed by Peter)
anekaiḥ=I.pl.with many
snānaṃ=Ac.sg. bath
karomy=pres.1.sg. I prepare
eṣa=N.sg. this, here
tathāgatānāṃ=G.pl. for the Buddhas
tadātmajānāṃ=G.pl. of theirs [spiritual] sons
ca=and
sagītavādyam=N. sg. with songs [and] music

and now, the English translation:
In perfumed bath-rooms with floors
paved with transparent blazing crystals
and the delights of jewel blazing pillars
with awnings shining of pearls, in these...

...with jars made of the most precious materials
full of perfumes and water and flowers,
I hereby prepare the bath for the Buddhas
and theirs [spiritual] sons with songs and music.

March 21'st: I remade the translation. Thank you Dan!
March 22'nd: I remade the translation thanks to Peter and Dan who pointed to me the wrong usage of eṣa with first person verbs. For more details on this, see the comments.