[Geoff Brock]

Chantdog Upanishad

And now then for
the hymning of the hounds
the chorus of the curs
the singing of the canine Udgitha . . .

When Baka Dalbhya son of Dalbha
or
Glava Maitreya son of Mitra
(or whatever the name of the man might be)
went forth to the forest
went forth from his home
to chant the Vedas
alone

before him one day there appeared a White Dog,
and then
other dogs,
gathering round the White Dog,
came up and sat in a circle and said,

Bow-wow-wan!
Bow-wow-wan!
O lord, Bhagavan!
sing us some
FOOD,
we are hungry.
(Just so.)

And to them he said
(the White Dog said)
Here indeed
right here
early in the morning tomorrow,
rise up and sit in a circle around me,
gathered in a circle just so.
(Just so.)

And Baka Dalbhya son of Dalbha
or
Glava Maitreya son of Mitra
(or whatever the name of the man might be)
he kept a close watch for them there.

And they came, they came,
all linked in a chain
like the singers who sing
the soma-sieving song,
circling the altars
hand-in-hand (tail-in-teeth)
snaking their serpentine way,
came up and sat in a circle together
and together began to hum,
humming together
the sacred syllable HiM.

O-whoo-whooo-whoo-M
let us have
F-ooo-whooo-whoo-D!

O-whoo-whooo-whoo-M
let us have
D-rrr-rrrrrr-rrrin-K!

O-whoo-whooo-whoo-M
let the bright god bring it here!
Varuna, vault of heaven help us!
Prajapati, pretty please!
Savitir, serve it here, soon sir, yes sir!
O god, O lord of foooooood!

Bring it Ahh-ahhN!
Bring it Ahh-ahhN!
O-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-MMM!

(Just so.)


[Romanized text, Chandogya Upanishad, Book 1, Section 12]

athātaḥ śauva udgīthaḥ |
tad dha bako dālbhyo glāvo vā maitreyaḥ svādhyāyam udvavrāja || ChUp_1,12.1 ||

tasmai śvā śvetaḥ prādur babhūva |
tam anye śvāna upasametyocuḥ |
annaṃ no bhagavān āgāyatu |
aśanāyāma vā iti || ChUp_1,12.2 ||

tān hovācehaiva mā prātar upasamīyāteti |
tad dha bako dālbhyo glāvo vā maitreyaḥ pratipālayāṃ cakāra || ChUp_1,12.3 ||

te ha yathaivedaṃ bahiṣpavamānena stoṣyamāṇāḥ saṃrabdhāḥ sarpantīty evam āsasṛpuḥ |
te ha samupaviśya hiñ cakruḥ || ChUp_1,12.4 ||

o3madā3ma |
oṃ3 pibā3ma |
oṃ3 devo varuṇaḥ prajāpatiḥ savitā2'nnam ihā2'harat |
annapate3'nnamihā2''harā2''haro3miti || ChUp_1,12.5 ||


[Literal prose translation by Swami Swahananda:]

I-xii-1: Therefore next begins the Udgitha seen by the dogs. Once Dalbhya Baka, called also Maitreya Glava, went out (of the village) for the study of the Vedas.

I-xii-2: Before him a white dog appeared and other dogs gathered around it and said, ‘Revered sir, please obtain food for us by singing; we are hungry.’

I-xii-3: The white dog said to them, ‘Come to me over here tomorrow morning.’ (The sage named) Dalbhya Baka and Maitreya Glava kept watch there for them.

I-xii-4: Just as those who recite the Stotras singing the Bahispavamana hymn move along clasping one another’s hand, even so did the dogs move along. Then they sat down and began to pronounce ‘him’.

I-xii-5: ‘Om, let us eat ! Om, let us drink ! Om, may the (sun who is) god, Varuna, Prajapati and Savitir bring us food here. O Lord of food, bring food here, yea bring it, Om !’

(courtesy of http://www.astrojyoti.com/chandogyaupanishad.htm)


[the original Sanskrit text did not survive the email journey]

[Geoff Brock]

…and now for something completely different! I’m way out of my depth with this one, but I’ll just stumble around and see what happens. This one won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m not even sure whether it’s a parody or simply a playful riff on the original. But I love its wit and wordplay and general ludic spirit, which is clear from the first word of the title. What we have here is a single section (the 12th khanda) from the first chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad. The word “Chandogya” refers to one who sings the Saman hymns; it has nothing to do with chanting dogs, as far as I can tell. The fact that there happen to be chanting dogs in the Chandogya Upanishad is just one of those lexical accidents (like the fact that “dog” happens to be “god” backwards). But this translator couldn’t let it lie, and the decision to “translate” the title in this playful (yet oddly accurate) way seems to have determined the character of the rest of the version.

The Upanishads are among the primary scriptures of Hinduism, and the Chandogya Upanishad is among the oldest Upanishads (2500–3000 years old). It seeks to explain how the syllable “Om” or “Aum,” which is the most sacred symbol of Hinduism and the primordial cosmic vibe that gave rise to all existence, issued forth from Brahma (the Hindu creator-god). Heavy stuff, no? Appropriately enough for a text that centers on a single syllable, this translation takes its sounds very seriously—if the word “serious” can be used in conjunction with something this playful. I won’t point out every bit of soundplay I enjoyed, but I will say that I thought the translator used refrain-like repetitions very effectively to structure this text. I love that four-line riff on the two-named man and the way it repeats. And the series of “Just so’s” seemed just right.

In this case, for me, there’s a way in which my lack of knowledge of this tradition frees me to be less of a critic and to enjoy this piece in a rather uncomplicated way. Even with a German text, I can dig around in the original and figure certain things out, but here I mostly ignored the original (except for that title). That said, I admire the intelligence behind this version. Whether this delightful text is really a translation or some other kind of art is a question I am happily unable to answer. Thoughts?

[Andrew Frisardi]

This is hilarious! A skillful spoof in the Monty Python vein. A translation-parody that works terrifically in its own terms.

Woof woof.

[David Rosenthal]

Whacky and fun. I love it.

David R.

[Catherine Chandler]

As most of us here, I can't begin to comment as to whether or not this is a good translation.

Made me smile, though.

[AZ Foreman]

Hilarity itself. HAHAHAHA!



OMNOMNOMNOM foooooood

[Adam Elgar]

When this one came through I wondered what Geoff would make of it. And what did I make of it? Writing with this kind of free-spirited daring makes its own rules, and leaves the reader breathlessly able only to say "yes I like it" or "no I don't". In my case, echoing the others so far, I say "bravo!" I had no idea Sanskrit could be so much fun.

[Allen Tice]

What would Kipling say? ("This is better than my Yellow Dog Dingo"?)

[R. Nemo Hill]

I am the food, I am the food, I am the food;
I am the eater, I am the eater, I am the eater;
I am the eaten, I am the eaten, I am the eaten.

Taittireeya Upanishad

[Petra Norr]

A big tickle, and dog-gone clever.