Re: Aryan invasion theory and race

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "danjmi" <dmilt1896@...> wrote:

>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "frabrig" <frabrig@> wrote:
>
> From Ganguli's translation of the Mbh:
>
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02014.htm
> "He also that beareth on his head that gem which is known as
> the most wonderful on earth, that king of the Yavanas, who
> hath chastised Muru and Naraka, whose power is unlimited, and
> Bhagadatta, and who is the old friend of thy father..."
>
> From Buitenen's translation of the Mbh:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/mr67en
> "The king who wears on his head the divine stone that is known
> as the amulet of creation, who punished the two Greek kings
> Mura and Naraka and rules in the West like Varuna with limitless
> power -- he, Bhagadatta, old friend of your father's, great king
> Bharata..."
>
> Does "Yavana" refer to Bhagadatta (or his subjects) as per
> Ganguli, or to Mura and Naraka as per Buitenen?
> I'm not a Sanskrit reader, but I'm surprised if the grammar
> allows the ambiguity. Or were the translators working from
> variant texts?

The original Sanskrit from 2.13.13 is

muraM ca narakaM caiva zAsti yo yavanAdhipau
aparyanta balo rAjA pratIcyAM varuNo yathA

with 'yavanAdhipau' or "Yavana rulers" in the dual number,
so it would seem to refer to Mura and Naraka.

I wonder too if 'govern', 'rule', or 'command' wouldn't be
a better translation of 'zAsti' here than 'chastise'?

David