Dib
Senior Member
Bengali (India)
I'd suggest this as just a start. It won't be suitable in all contexts:
prayātāsiddhibhayamuktāḥ
प्रयातासिद्धिभयमुक्ताः
It is assumed that multiple (more than two) people are being addressed. Break-down into the constituents:
(pra-yā)-ta = go forth/forward!
((a-siddhi)-bhaya)-muktāḥ = free(d) of the fear of failure/non-achievement
prayātāsiddhibhayamuktāḥ
प्रयातासिद्धिभयमुक्ताः
It is assumed that multiple (more than two) people are being addressed. Break-down into the constituents:
(pra-yā)-ta = go forth/forward!
((a-siddhi)-bhaya)-muktāḥ = free(d) of the fear of failure/non-achievement
Dib
Senior Member
Bengali (India)
To be frank, it somehow does not sound catchy or tattoo-worthy. Sounds more like a part of a prepared lecture, or at best an exhortation to an army going out to fight a battle.
Skt "प्रयात" and English "go forth" share the same basic literal meaning - to go forward, referring to actual physical movement. In both languages, this seems to also include to depart, set out (on a journey). The Sanskrit word may also be used euphemistically for "to die" (like Eng. pass away, depart), especially in some derivations. I have to confess, "go forth" is not a very familiar expression for me (it'd help if you replace it with a clearer word), and thus I am not sure I understand its nuances exactly. If it has figurative connotations like "to strive", etc. I doubt, the Sanskrit word would match them well.
If you are not too hung up on the literal meaning, but would prefer catchier phrases asking to be fearless and grab the initiative, I'd suggest, e.g.
1. klaibyaṃ māsma gamaḥ / क्लैब्यं मास्म गमः / "Don't be a coward", which occurs in the Gita. However, beware, though the exact word "klaibya" is commonly used for "cowardice", it has the basic meaning of "impotence", and taken out of context it may conceivably be construed as offensive in certain modern cultures towards impotent people, eunuchs, etc.
2. mā bhairasiddheḥ / मा भैरसिद्धेः / "Don't be afraid of failure", which uses the common phrase of assurance "mā bhaiḥ" (Fear not!)
3. udyamena hi sidhyanti kāryāṇi, na manorathaiḥ / उद्यमेन हि सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः / "Success is achieved only through initiative, not musings" This is the first line of an aphoristic couplet, whose second line says "Deer do not enter the mouth even of a sleeping lion."
Just a quick little addition: If you can read the script (Devanagari) then you can probably ignore this.
If not, before you get a tattoo done (especially if - as is probably likely - the tattooist can't read Devanagari either) make sure that the font you are using has rendered everything properly - because some fonts are not so good and some web browsers may also make the Sanskrit look wrong. Obviously Devanagari is like the English alphabet - there are different styles and that's okay, there is no right style. But there are also many ways that a bad font or a bad rendering engine could make the Sanskrit appear genuinely wrong (e.g. in सि the ि must come before the स), or quite unnatural (e.g. द्धे should be a ligature, it should all look like one letter, but some fonts might render this as द्धे (should look like two letters with a kind of stroke under the first letter) - which is not wrong but looks very unprofessional.) If you're interested in a really nice effect, you should consider experimenting with Sanskrit fonts - choose one you like and make sure you show that to the tattooist.
If not, before you get a tattoo done (especially if - as is probably likely - the tattooist can't read Devanagari either) make sure that the font you are using has rendered everything properly - because some fonts are not so good and some web browsers may also make the Sanskrit look wrong. Obviously Devanagari is like the English alphabet - there are different styles and that's okay, there is no right style. But there are also many ways that a bad font or a bad rendering engine could make the Sanskrit appear genuinely wrong (e.g. in सि the ि must come before the स), or quite unnatural (e.g. द्धे should be a ligature, it should all look like one letter, but some fonts might render this as द्धे (should look like two letters with a kind of stroke under the first letter) - which is not wrong but looks very unprofessional.) If you're interested in a really nice effect, you should consider experimenting with Sanskrit fonts - choose one you like and make sure you show that to the tattooist.
