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Siri sana rasi sanyasi - jo isse bachche, jive Kashi

English translation: Be on your guard against widows, bulls, stairs, and sanyasi, and you may worship at Kashi

09:57 Oct 5, 2010
Hindi to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Tourism & Travel
Hindi term or phrase: Siri sana rasi sanyasi - jo isse bachche, jive Kashi
I'm translating a book from German into English, a memoir of travel in Benares and the North. The German author is fairly bad at transcribing Hindi however, and since the commission is for an Indian English-language publisher I want to be sure of my ground when translating the Hindi phrases he uses from time to time.

The phrase is supposedly a Benares proverb: but what does it actually mean, and how should I really spell it in English transcription?
S P Willcock (X)
Local time: 12:17
English translation:Be on your guard against widows, bulls, stairs, and sanyasi, and you may worship at Kashi
Explanation:
The proverb goes like this:

rand, sandh, sirhi, sanyasi
inse bache to seve kashi

rand > prostitute, vagrant woman, widow
sandh > bull
sirhi > stairs, steps (of temples, bathing places etc., which may be very steep and dangerous)
sanyasi > ascetic person, but often a mendicant

These are the common things found in Benaras, and one can enjoy the city if one can avoid these hassles.

in se bache > avoids these, escapes these, keep aloof from these
seve Kashi > serves Kashi

In some citations "seve Kashi" (serves Kashi) is replaced by "jave Kashi" (goes to Kashi), or even "jive Kashi" (=survives Kashi).

In my meaning I have combined ideas from different sources including:
http://books.google.com/books?id=px00YEFJ4VUC&pg=PA193&lpg=P...
http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft65800...


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Note added at 5 days (2010-10-10 18:42:08 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

My heartfelt thanks to all who commented. Special thanks to Mr Willcocks for his nice judgement.
Selected response from:

Quamrul Islam
Local time: 15:17
Grading comment
Both answers very helpful, but this has the edge in explaining the variant that I found in my source text.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +5Widows, bulls, stairs and saints, escape them all to reach salvation (Kashi)
Lalit Sati
5 +5Be on your guard against widows, bulls, stairs, and sanyasi, and you may worship at Kashi
Quamrul Islam
5If you want to live in kanshi than you should escape from widows, Bulls, Stairs or steps & Saints.
ISHWER BANSAL


  

Answers


2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Widows, bulls, stairs and saints, escape them all to reach salvation (Kashi)


Explanation:
“Rand, Sand, Seedi, Sanyasi, Inse Bacche to Sevai Kashi.” Saint Kabir, 15th Century
As the great poet Kabir is attributed to have said, “Widows, bulls, stairs and saints, escape them all to reach salvation (Kashi)”.
(http://blog.walksofindia.com/)


Rand - Widows
Sand - bulls
Seedi - stairs
Sanyasi - saints
Inse Bacche - escape them all
to Sevai Kashi - to reach salvation (Kashi)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2010-10-05 12:08:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

in Hindi

रांड़, सांड़, सीढ़ी संन्यासी।
इनसे बचै तो सेवे काशी।।

(http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:94NLDW6...

Lalit Sati
India
Local time: 14:47
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in HindiHindi

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ramesh Bhatt: Saint is generally held in honour; but the sense in the sentense is of a negative recluse and mendicant.
2 hrs
  -> धन्यवाद रमेश जी। mendicant तक सीमित करना सही नहीं होगा। यदि मोक्ष प्राप्त करना है तो उक्त चारों से बच के रहो। चारों शब्द अपने नकारात्मक निहितार्थों को लिए हैं। कृपया गौर करें कि संन्यासी का प्रयोग किया गया है, भिखारी, पाखंडी, धूर्त इत्यादि का नहीं
agree  C.M. Rawal
4 hrs
  -> धन्यवाद
agree  Rajan Chopra
11 hrs
  -> धन्यवाद
agree  Ashutosh Mitra: ekdam sahee sir ji, translation bhee aur saying bhee
21 hrs
  -> धन्यवाद...जय हो...
agree  satish krishna itikela
2 days 1 hr
  -> धन्यवाद
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
रांड, सांड़, सीढ़ी, सन्यासी, इनसे बचे तो सेवे काशी।
Be on your guard against widows, bulls, stairs, and sanyasi, and you may worship at Kashi


Explanation:
The proverb goes like this:

rand, sandh, sirhi, sanyasi
inse bache to seve kashi

rand > prostitute, vagrant woman, widow
sandh > bull
sirhi > stairs, steps (of temples, bathing places etc., which may be very steep and dangerous)
sanyasi > ascetic person, but often a mendicant

These are the common things found in Benaras, and one can enjoy the city if one can avoid these hassles.

in se bache > avoids these, escapes these, keep aloof from these
seve Kashi > serves Kashi

In some citations "seve Kashi" (serves Kashi) is replaced by "jave Kashi" (goes to Kashi), or even "jive Kashi" (=survives Kashi).

In my meaning I have combined ideas from different sources including:
http://books.google.com/books?id=px00YEFJ4VUC&pg=PA193&lpg=P...
http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft65800...


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 days (2010-10-10 18:42:08 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

My heartfelt thanks to all who commented. Special thanks to Mr Willcocks for his nice judgement.


    Reference: http://www.taptilok.com/pages/details.php?detail_sl_no=11&ca...
    Reference: http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft65800...
Quamrul Islam
Local time: 15:17
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in BengaliBengali
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Both answers very helpful, but this has the edge in explaining the variant that I found in my source text.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ramesh Bhatt
1 hr
  -> आप का बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद, रमेश जी !!!
agree  C.M. Rawal
3 hrs
  -> Thanks very much Rawal ji !!!
agree  dhsanjeev
3 hrs
  -> Thank you very much indeed !!
agree  Rajan Chopra: good research
11 hrs
  -> Thanks very much !
agree  satish krishna itikela
2 days 1 hr
  -> Thank you very much!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1397 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
If you want to live in kanshi than you should escape from widows, Bulls, Stairs or steps & Saints.


Explanation:
This is common proverb used in Varansi that If you want to live in Kanshi, (old name of Varanasi or Benarasi), you can't escape from रांढ(Widows), सांड़ (Bulls), सीढ़ी(Stairs), सन्‍यासी(Saints) & if you can escape, only than you can live in kanshi because there are so many widows which are living in kanshi, You shall found everywhere in kanshi, a large no of bulls, there are large no of stairs (steps) in temples & Ghats, which are on bank of The Ganga river & you have to face a large no of actual & so called saints in Kanshi. If you go there you have to face these characteristic of this holy city.



Example sentence(s):
  • During Varansi stay for fifteen day in June, 2008, I experienced this & discussed with local inhabitants. As per their saying, this proverb was given by Sant Kabir ji.
ISHWER BANSAL
India
Local time: 14:47
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in HindiHindi
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