Sentence Pronunciation | Sentence Structure | Declension & Conjugation |
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Translation | Vocabulary | Commentary |
devanagari
tad-yatha
gate gate para-gate
para-sajgate
bodhih svaha
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pron. adv.
N.m. N.m. N.n. N.m. N.n.
N.m. N.m.
interj.
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Loc.sg. Loc.sg. | Loc.sg.
| Loc.sg.
Nom.sg. |
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tad-yatha, adv.: as follows (tad, pron.: that; yatha, adv.: like, as),
gata-, mfn.: gone (ppp. of gam-),
para-, n.: other shore,
sajgata-, mfn.: completely gone (p.p. of sam+gam-),
svaha,
interj.: hail!, glory!,
[It sounds] as follows: [For him or her] who is gone, who is gone, who is gone to the other shore, who is completely gone to the other shore, there is an awakenment, hail!
Here finally comes the mantra itself.
Its meaning can be at least triple. Two of them are not so far from each
other.
1) The words can be taken as being
in a simple locative case. That's the meaning I have chosen in the translation.
In him or her who is gone there is awakenment. This variant seems to stress
the person who realizes the awakenment.
2) We can take them as so called absolute
locatives. Then the meaning rather stresses the fact of awakenment: When
somebody has gone then there is awakenment.
3) We could also take the words to
be in feminine vocatives. Then it would be a kind of invocation or a dialogue
with Prajbaparamita
personified.
But this third meaning seems to be
a bit far fetched. In these early stages of Mahayana
the difference from the old form of Buddhism (where any invocation is viewed
as maybe a help in worldly matters but an obstacle on the way to awakenment)
could not probably be that big.
Even advocating a mantra as not only
a valid way of practice but actually as a highest and recommended way is
a very daring act indeed. This must have been one of the first mantras
to find its way into mainstream Buddhism.