Translations of the Sanskrit text on the homepage

Taittirīya upaniṣad, Śīkṣāvallī, Anuvāka 11, line 3:

svādhyāyān mā pramadaḥ ॥ tai।śī।11।3

The Taittirīya is one of the ten canonical upaniṣads. It’s divided into 3 books (Śīkṣāvallī, Brahmānandavallī, and Bhr̥guvallī).

The Śīkṣāvalli, as the name suggests, is a reflection on education and pedagogy. The 11th and penultimate Anuvāka [chapter] records an ancient commencement speech, where the teacher gives their last lecture before releasing their students out into the world.

The opening lines of this speech go like this:

सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ॥ स्वाध्यायान्मा प्रमदः ॥
satyaṁ vada । dharmaṁ cara । svādhyāyān mā pramadaḥ ॥

Speak truth. Do right. Never stop learning.

Taittirīya upaniṣad, Bhr̥guvallī, Śāntimantram

ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

ōṁ saha nāv avatu । saha nau bhunaktu । saha vīryaṁ karavāvahai ।
tejasvinām adhītam astu mā vidviṣāvahai ॥ ōṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ॥

In the style typical of upaniṣads, each book of the Taittirīya begins with a peace invokation [शान्तिमन्त्रम्; śāntimantram]. The invokation, above, is from the Bhr̥guvallī and it’s traditional to start one’s study by reciting this verse. This website is about self-study; but, the verse makes reference to a classroom setting. The expression “us” refers to the teacher and student.

My translation runs as follows:

Ōṁ, may it protect us both. Let us be joyful. Let us be bold together.
May our studies be brilliant. May there be no hate between us.
Ōm, peace, peace, peace.

Bodhicaryāvataraḥ Verse 2

न हि किञ्चिदपूर्वमत्र वाच्यं
  न च संग्रन्थनकौशलं ममास्ति ।
अत एव न मे परार्थचिन्ता
  स्वमनो वासयितुं कृतं मयेदम् ॥ बोधिचर्यावतारः।१।२

na hi kiñcid apūrvam atra vācyam
  na ca saṁgranthanakauśalaṁ mam' āsti ।
ata ēva na mē parārthacintā
  svamanō vāsayituṁ kr̥taṁ may' ēdam ॥ bōdhicaryāvatāraḥ।1।2

The Bodhicaryāvataraḥ by the buddhist philosopher Śāntideva is a classic. A sort of mix between a philosophical treatise and a guided meditation, a proper introduction to this work is more than what I can manage here. The text begins with an invocation to the Buddha (as is traditional in such texts), and then launches into the above verse. The translation is as follows:

There is nothing here that hasn't been said before.
Nor, do I have any particular skill with composition.
So, I have no ambitions to help anyone else.
I'm writing this just to perfume my own mind.