tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875631079050704977.post4800210465000032795..comments2023-04-01T11:49:25.654+01:00Comments on Visible Mantra Blog: Capitalising MantrasUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875631079050704977.post-59258363029197804982011-02-20T22:24:38.801+00:002011-02-20T22:24:38.801+00:00Hi Geoff.
You are right to some extent. Maṇipadm...Hi Geoff. <br /><br />You are right to some extent. Maṇipadme may well be a name, and it is common enough to find the names of deities in mantras. In which case by my logic they are proper nouns and should be capitalised - if, and only if, we are treating them as *English*. <br /><br />If we are treating them as saṃskṛta and trying to represent the sounds and conventions of that language then capital letters are irrelevant and lower-case more readable.<br /><br />Just to be clear the name, if it is a name is Maṇipadme and not Maṇi Padme. There is a deity called Maṇipadma 'whose lotus is jewelled' or perhaps 'whose lotus is a jewel' (but not 'the jewel in the lotus') and this form with the -e ending is probably a dialectical variant of the nominative singular (or a Classical Sanskrit feminine vocative or a masculine/neuter locative if you believe Edward Conze, which I don't). How it came to be the mantra of Avalokiteśvara is a mystery.<br /><br />Regards<br />JayaravaJayaravahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815277098386812048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875631079050704977.post-87025731576004907002011-02-20T13:15:10.427+00:002011-02-20T13:15:10.427+00:00Ok, fair enough, but I'm not convinced that ma...Ok, fair enough, but I'm not convinced that mantras aren't a little closet to proper nouns. I certainly agree that capitalizing every syllable looks silly, but I'm not so sure about capitalizing every word (ie: Padme instead of Pad Me). Unlike most English words, but like proper nouns, we're not really interested in the meaning of the words in a mantra. Instead, they seem to denote something a little more remote, almost, I might argue, like a name. In which case capitalizing each word might be appropriate. My two cents anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875631079050704977.post-27688174198473670312010-11-30T17:43:22.003+00:002010-11-30T17:43:22.003+00:00You learn something new everyday.You learn something new everyday.jakehttp://www.tat2supplies.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875631079050704977.post-16433462587937502322010-11-30T13:08:13.705+00:002010-11-30T13:08:13.705+00:00Hi Tashi, Thanks. I don't hold out much hope o...Hi Tashi, Thanks. I don't hold out much hope of changing the world, but feel better if I have at least stated my opinion on the matter ;-)Jayaravahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06815277098386812048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6875631079050704977.post-35065627939155122682010-11-29T11:16:26.639+00:002010-11-29T11:16:26.639+00:00Thank you Jayarava, this is very informative and s...Thank you Jayarava, this is very informative and so correct in reasoning... i will make a point of writing oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ without capitals etc. lets change the bad habit.inkessentialhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01342803662822031617noreply@blogger.com