What's in a Name? In the Case of the Name 'Sanghāta,' Quite a Lot
Though its
full title is the Ārya Sanghāta Sūtra Dharma-Paryāya, the discourse is
fondly called by its
readers (and sometimes by itself) 'the Sanghāta.'
Just why it is called 'Sanghāta' is open for discussion. To
read more about what the name means, click
here.
In the Words of the Sanghāta:
“Thus, Sarva-shúra, I teach the Dharma to
sentient beings in many ways. If one should wonder why that is,
Sarva-shúra, it is because just as sentient beings hear the
Dharma in many ways, so too those sincere sentient beings will make
roots of virtue in many ways."
- Ārya Sanghāta Sūtra
Website of the Arya Sanghata
Sutra
Guide for Readers
The Meaning of the Sanskrit Names
Most of the Sanskrit names of people, rivers, buddha fields and buddhas
mentioned in the Sanghāta
were left untranslated in the English
translation.
However, these names are often replete with significance, and are in
fact usually translated into Tibetan in the Tibetan translation of the
sutra. In the three instances where the names are translated into
English, this is done because no clear equivalent Sanskrit to
the names as they were translated into Tibetan could be found in
the Sanskrit manuscripts of the text.
A glossary of all the Sanskrit names that appear in the English
translation are available here in two forms for your convenience. One,
with the names alphabetized; the other, with the names in the order in
which they appear in the text. Both are presented as pdf files, to
preserve the Sanskrit diacritic marks they contain.
Please note that by clicking on the icon next to each name in Sanskrit,
you can listen to its correct pronunciation by a traditionally trained
Indian pandit (and Sanskrit professor) named J. Prabhakara Sastry.
