Wednesday, 9 October 2024

Ananya Chakravarti, The Empire of Apostles

See the list of KP MSS consulted: the Pilar MS (which she dates at 1609 and calls the earliest extant MS); two copies of the MS at the TSKK; and the "printed edition" (the 3rd, of 1654) held at the Central Library, Panjim. (201n87) Strange that she calls the last "the printed edition", when it is an MS copy of the third edition. The others that she calls MSS are also copies of the printed editions. 

She does not mention Nelson Falcao's Marathi and English translations of the KP at all, though she does mention his book (the one coming from his PhD thesis) in the bibliography. Her decision is to make use of the Saldanha edition - perhaps because it is completely in Roman script? 

Neither does she mention Tadkodkar. 

Her remarks on yema loca and agnicondd are interesting. 

She discusses some "confusion" in the economic affairs handled by Stephens in Salcette.

The material she has accessed for the chapter is interesting. It bears comparison with that accessed by Velinkar.  


Yemaloka, agnikund, yamkond - translations of "hell" in Konkani

In the Khristapurana, "hell" is translated as "yema loca" but also as "agnicondd" or "agni kund" (see Adi Purana ch. 8, verse 58; A. Chakravarti, The Empire of Apostles 210-11)

Yemaloka is straight enough, but agnikund, according to Chakravarti, is bold: hellfire is now identified with the sacred sacrificial fire.

I remember now the word "yemkondd" in our prayers at home. Here is one occurrence in a common enough prayer, rendered here as "yamkond". A combination of yamaloka and agnikund. 

Ie mhojea Jesu (Fatima Prayer)

Ie mhojea Jesu amchi patkam amkam bogsi. Yamkondantlia ujiantlem amkam nivar. Samest atmiank, sargar tuji kakutichi adhi garz asleank sargar von tu pavay.

Friday, 4 October 2024

Cecilia Carvalho, three books on Thomas Stephens, SJ

Cecilia Carvalho. Olivelā lagadalī tulshīchī pane. Phādar Thomas Stiphans caritra [Biography of Fr. Thomas Stephens]. Maharashtra Rajya Sahitya ani Sanskrti Mandal, Mumbai, 2013. 

Cecilia Carvalho. Fr. Thomas Stephans: A Monograph. Sahitya Akademi, 2017. 

Cecilia Carvalho. Fr Thomas Stephensachi Sanskrutik Bhavponnachi Ruzvonn [Fr Thomas Stephens' Cultural Brotherhood]. Translated into Konkani by Dr Pandurang Phaldesai. Porvorim: Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr, 2024.