Timeless Tongues – Suhas Mahesh

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comWhat makes for good translations from an old language? For Suhas Mahesh and Anusha Rao – co-editors of How to Love in Sanskrit – it's “a game of compromise”. Rather than fixating on “excessive attention to irrelevant detail”, they focus instead on making words come alive. So a female lament from 2,000 years ago becomes: “Dear God, make him hang out with other women more. He does not seem to realise what a catch I am.”This is a rich conversation about life in general, not just linguistics. We talk about why monks write love poems, the pitfalls of marrying academics, and all sorts of other topics, including:* What to look for when choosing translations.* The extent to which Sanskrit is a living language.* Where to find advice on love beyond the Kāma Sūtra.* Whether some ancient words are untranslatable.* Why Rumi quotes are rarely what they seem.Indian readers can buy the book here – or try here if you’re in the U.K., or here in the U.S. You can also email Suhas here and Anusha here if you have any suggestions for future translations – they’re already at work on the next compilation.🤩 If you'd like to get immersed in yogic traditions from a modern perspective, join me for a course called The Path of Knowledge (early bird rates end June 15).🙏 To support Ancient Futures, please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... All donations are greatly appreciated!

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