Ang Dakilang Panalangin :
The Great Invocation in Filipino and Tagalog

(Basahin ang mga paliwanag patungkol sa panalanging ito: Ano ang Dakilang Panalangin?, Gamit nito bilang panalangin sa may karamdaman, at iba pang uri ng mga panalanign.)

Translators' Notes:

1. The first thing to understand in translating foreign literature into the Filipino language (that is based on the Tagalog dialect) is to acknowledge the fact that Tagalog is not a fully developed language, and therefore it will be inevitable to borrow foreign words, especially when technical, scientific or abstract concepts are involved. This fact is acknowledged by the Commission on Filipino Language that is why they are doing their best to develop and enrich it using the lexicon of other dialects and foreign languages.


2. There is a tendency in Filipino to describe a foreign word, instead of translating it verbatim due to lack of a local counterpart. This will make the lines in a stanza too long. Because of this, we made it a priority to make the translation contextual, rather than literal to make the lines short and concise. This provided more rhyme, rhythm, and consistent syllabication patterns that will make a good poetry, prayer, or an invocation more potent and effective when recited.


3. We acknowledge that we borrowed some of the words used in a translation of the TGI by a group named, Divine wisdom lodge, many years ago. We cannot remember the exact parts (because the printed bookmark can no longer be found) but we revised many portions of it and provided most of the translations in the version written here.


4. The first issue was how to translate "God" into Filipino. We used the Spanish word, "Dios" because it is widely used in the country (some spell it as "Diyos" but it is ok too). We have seen many translations that avoided the use of the Spanish word, but the results were not contextually correct:
   • "Panginoon" - is the counterpart of "Lord" or "Master". This is a more of a title, than an abstract concept of God.
   • "May Likha" / "May Kapal" - this means "Creator" or "Almighty" but this will use 2 words, instead of 1 only.
   • "Bathala" - others use this to refer to God arguing that this was used in myths and legends of indigenous Filipino people before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers in the Philippines. We don't feel comfortable with it because the myths surrounding this deity makes him like more of a tribal god or deity of a specific ethnicity - the Tagalogs. This will alienate other ethnic groupings in PHL.
5. Another major issue is the Filipino translation of "Invocation". There is no exact word for it in the local vocabulary. The word "Panawagan" simply means an "announcement" or an "appeal" and have very mundane usage. No Filipino will ever associate it in their mind as a "divine appeal" or "invocation to a supreme deity". Using "Panalangin" (meaning "prayer") makes more sense as it connotes something serious, spiritual, and profound.


6. There were no issues encountered in translating "Light" ("liwanag" or "kaliwanagan").


7. Translating the word "Love" was a contentious issue for us. We encountered so many diverging opinions in the process. It took us a long time before we got a consensus. We used the Filipino word "Pagmamahal" for context, instead of the more popular literal word, "Pagibig".
   • "Pagmamahal" and "Pagibig"- both means "love". Many objected to "pagmamahal" because it is not a native Filipino or Tagalog word. Possibly its origin is either Indian or Middle-eastern (similar to "Taj Mahal"). However, the common usage and meaning attributed to it is "love", but not in a romantic sense. The root word "mahal" is somewhat related to "value". It is love coupled with respect and high regard. Children will usually express love to their parents / relatives (and vice-vesa) as "Mahal kita" (meaning "I love you"). But the contextual meaning is "I love and respect you or I value you". The spiritual injunction, "Love one another" will aptly be translated as "Mag mahalan kayo" rather than "Mag ibigan kayo" (which will result in population explosion! Lol!)
   
   
   • The root word of "Pagibig" is "ibig" which means "to desire" or "to like". So it is used more in the context of romantic love and strong emotions. Although, in common usage, "Iniibig kita" also means "I love you" (but using the context of the root word, "ibig", it really means, "I desire you" or "I like you"). Parents will never use that expression to their children (or vice versa). A person will only use that to his beloved or lover.
   
   
   • We really don't know how the word "pagibig" found its way into the Tagalog translation of the Bible, which became the battle cry of people who insist that it is the only correct translation of "love" (since it is not a foreign word?). In spite of being used in the vernacular Bible, we have never heard it used in any churches or sermons by priest or pastors when referring to the love of God. They always use, "Mahalin ang kapwa" (love your neighbours) or "Mahalin ang Dios" (love God) or "Magmahalan kayo" (love one another).
   
   
   • The distinction can be compared to the two expressions in Spanish when saying "I love you" - (a) "Te amo mucho" or "I love you a lot" from the verb, "amor" (which to our mind is nearer to the context of the Filipino word "pagmamahal") rather than (b) "Te quiero mucho" or "I like you a lot" or "I desire for you" from the verb, "querer" (which to our mind is the exact contextual counterpart of "pagibig" in Filipino).
   
   
   • Other alternative Tagalog words for "love" came up like "pagsinta" and "pagirog". But we dismissed them outright because while they are often used in poetry, they are in fact endearment and romantic words for "love", like "beloved", "dear", "darling", or "i adore you".
8. There were no issues encountered in translating "Christ" ("Kristo"). There were no local counterpart even in indigenous myths and legends.


9. We have to admit that "daigdig" is the literal translation of "world or Earth". But we preferred the Spanish word, "mundo" for rhyming purposes. And "mundo" is also widely used and understood in Filipino.


10. There is no exact contextual translation for "Will" in Filipino so we translated the "Will of God" as "Dakilang Layunin ng Dios" (Grand purpose of God), instead of using "Kalooban ng Dios" (meaning "Grace of God") in other translations. Relating "Will of God" to purpose ("layunin") makes more sense in the TGI context than the passive word "kaloob" or "grace" or "graced" by God or sometimes, graced by someone as in the "last will and testament".


11. There is no concept of "Spiritual Master" or "Holy Master" in Filipino. Only that of the Master and slave relationship (in this case, "master" is translated as "panginoon" or "amo"). We are forced to use the religious word "Santo" (meaning "saint"). Being a predominantly Catholic country, everybody know that "saints" are "people of God" devoted to holiness and are teachers of the faithful. "Patron-saints" were also known for performing miracles, prophecies, and bringing wisdom to mankind. In context, this is the perfect translation for "Masters" or "Masters of Wisdom". There were other translations that used "Guro" (teacher), "Maestro" (school teacher or expert), "Ninuno" (ancestral gods), but none of them will evoke the images of a Master as a member of the Spiritual hierarchy in the context of the TGI or the Ageless Wisdom.


12. "Plan" can either be translated as "balak" or the Spanish "plano". But we used "plano" for rhyming purposes. "Plano sa mundo" (Plan on earth).


13. This is the fun part. We translated "seal the door..." contextually as "sarahan ang lagusan..." (meaning "close the doorway or pathway..."). "Sara" is a Filipino word derived from the Spanish "cerrar" or "cierra" meaning "to close". Other translations used "tatakan ang pinto" (literally means "seal the door"). "Seal" as in put a mark or "stamp it with a seal or a mark or a symbol". It is funny because it made us really think deeply what DK really meant with that line. Do they want to close the doorway where evil dwells so it won't escape out to humanity? Or do they want to put a seal (like a talisman or some esoteric symbol) on an etheric door or portal where evil dwells? Anyhow, we decided on the simple translation to make the line short and in rhythm to the prior stanzas.


14. The rest were translations on non-essential words or function words that would not alter the meaning and context of the invocation. Some of them were used just for style, and therefore not so accurate. For example, we retained the translation of "point" as "lundo" (this came from the Divine wisdom lodge translation) meaning "from the centre of a descending spiral". The Tagalog "tuldok" is too literal, meaning "dot"! Likewise, we retained the translation of "centre" as "kaibuturan" (meaning "from the depths of our Being"), instead of the literal, "gitna" (meaning "in the middle of").


15. Finally, we believe that The Great Invocation is a great prayer and a great gift by The Christ to humanity, so it deserves the very best translation, as a sign of respect and gratitude to the Great Ones. And thus, all the effort.