celtiggyan wrote:Why does Shiv-Baba always speak in Hindi? I heard he spoke the odd word of English but surely the supreme would know all languages? Is he restricted by the brain of the medium?
Omshanti. It is a good topic to discuss. Sorry for the delayed reply from my side. Many members have given valuable inputs on the topic. Freefall has given a good account of the relationship between Hindi, Urdu and Sindhi. I fully agree with him on this aspect.
joel wrote:I understood that the Being spoke in Hindi from the beginning; that the senior Sisters had to learn Hindi to understand the discourses; that the Murlis Dadi read were Hindi language, but written in the Sindhi script to be easier for Dadi to read.
She doesn't (or did not) translate while reading, she was reading directly, as far as I could tell from my cumulative months at the ashram.
It has been a long time since I left BKs, but I somewhat agree with Joel that Dadis used to or may be still read the Hindi BK Murlis printed in Urdu script for them. One thing that I am sure of is that whenever Avyakt BapDada used to narrate Avyakt Vanis at Mt. Abu, the senior Dadis (especially Dadi Kumarka) used to note it down in their diaries in Urdu script and not in Hindi (Devanagari) script. That was in my childhood. I used to be amazed how the Dadis used to write in Sindhi (i.e. Urdu) from the right to left side of the page unlike the English and Hindi languages which are written from the left to the right side of a page.
The BK center that I used to attend for many years was also run by a Dadi (whose mothertongue was Sindhi) and she used to get some Murlis in Sindhi (i.e. Urdu) script which she used to read out in class in Hindi. It proves that the language was Hindi but the script was Urdu.
I have heard many Dadis conversing with each other (and with senior BK Sisters like Mohini Bhen, Eeshu Bhen etc.) in Sindhi language. In the pre-independance days, Urdu language (and script) used to be the medium of education in most parts of India (especially in the Muslim-ruled Princely states).
As regards the use of Hindi by ShivBaba as a medium of narrating Murlis, I have a small Murli quote which is readily available. There may be some other quotes which may be more relevant or exhaustive, but I think the following Murli point also addresses the issue to some extent.
"Baap toh Hindi may hi samjhaatey rahtey hain. Bhashaen toh dher hain na. Interpreter bhi hotey hain, jo sunkar fir sunaatey hain. Hindi aur English toh bahut jaantey hain." (BKs dwara prakaashit revised Sakar Murli taareekh 26.7.05, page 2)
"Father keeps explaining only in Hindi. There are a lot of languages, isn’t it? Interpreters are also there, who listen and then narrate. Many people know Hindi and English." (Revised Sakar Murli dated 26.07.05, page 2 published by BKs and narrated by ShivBaba through Brahma Baba)
Regards,
OGS,
Arjun