विषादप्यमृतं ग्राह्यं

विषादप्यमृतं ग्राह्यं बालादपि सुभाषितम्‌।
अमित्रादपि सद्वृत्तममेध्यादपि काञ्चनम्‌॥
viṣādapyamṛtaṁ grāhyaṁ bālādapi subhāṣitam |
amitrādapi sadvṛttamamedhyādapi kāñcanam ||
Nectar should be taken even out of poison, good words/sayings should be received even from a child.
Good nature should be acknowledged (taken/learnt?) even from an enemy and gold should be taken even out of filth.

दानोपभोगरहिता

दानोपभोगरहिता दिवसा यस्य यान्ति वै।
स लोहकारभस्त्रेव श्वसन्नपि न जीवति॥
dānopabhogarahitā divasā yasya yānti vai|
sa lohakārabhastreva śvasannapi na jīvati||
A person who passes his day without donations and enjoyments
Is like a blacksmith’s bellows; he breathes but does not live.

चिन्तनीया हि विपदाम्

चिन्तनीया हि विपदाम् आदावेव प्रतिक्रिया।
न कूपखननं युक्तं प्रदीप्ते वह्निना गृहे॥
cintanīyā hi vipadām ādāveva pratikriyā|
na kūpakhananaṁ yuktaṁ pradīpte vahninā gṛhe||
The effect of disasters should be thought of beforehand (i.e. before they actually occur.)
One must not start digging a well [only] when the house is ablaze with fire.
cf. “Prevention is better than cure.”, “A danger foreseen is half-avoided.”

साधोः मनो नायाति विक्रियाम्

साधोः प्रकोपितस्यापि मनो नायाति विक्रियाम्।
न हि तापयितुं शक्यं सागराम्भस्तृणोल्कया॥
sādhoḥ prakopitasyāpi mano nāyāti vikriyām|
na hi tāpayituṁ śakyaṁ sāgarāmbhastṛṇolkayā||
Even when instigated by others, the mind of a pious person never hesitates [to take the right decision].
It is not possible to heat the water of ocean by a torch of dried grass.

कृशे कस्यस्ति सुहृदम्

वनानि दहतो वह्ने सखा भवति मारुतः।
स एव दीपनाशाय कृशे कस्यस्ति सुहृदम्॥
vanāni dahato vahne sakhā bhavati mārutaḥ|
sa eva dīpanāśāya kṛśe kasyasti suhṛdam||
When fires destroy forests, the wind is there to assist it.
The same wind destroys a small lamp — in times of weakness, who has friends?

भाषासु मुख्या मधुरा

भाषासु मुख्या मधुरा दिव्या गीर्वाणभारती।
तस्यां हि काव्यं मधुरं तस्मादपि सुभाषितम्॥
bhāṣāsu mukhyā madhurā divyā gīrvāṇabhāratī|
tasyāṁ hi kāvyaṁ madhuraṁ tasmādapi subhāṣitam||
Of all languages, Sanskrit (gīrvāṇabhāratī) is the most important, sweet and divine.
Her literary works are sweet, more so, the subhāṣitās!

[Posted on 23 MAY]

पृथिव्यां त्रीणि रत्नानि

पृथिव्यां त्रीणि रत्नानि जलमन्नं सुभाषितम्।
मूढैः पाषाणखण्डेषु रत्नसंज्ञा प्रदीयते॥
pṛthivyāṁ trīṇi ratnāni jalamannaṁ subhāṣitam|
mūḍhaiḥ pāṣāṇakhaṇḍeṣu ratnasaṁjñā pradīyate||
There are three jewels on earth — water, food and wise sayings (subhashitas).
[Only] fools call pieces of [gem] stone as jewels!

[Posted on 23 MAY]

सुभाषितरसं दृष्ट्वा सुधा भीता दिवं गता

द्राक्षा म्लानमुखी जाता शर्करा चाश्मतां गता।
सुभाषितरसं दृष्ट्वा सुधा भीता दिवं गता॥
drākṣā mlānamukhī jātā śarkarā cāśmatāṁ gatā|
subhāṣitarasaṁ dṛṣṭvā sudhā bhītā divaṁ gatā||
Grape became pale, sugar turned into stone.
Seeing the sweetness of subhashitas, nectar, afraid, fled to heaven

[Posted on 23 MAY]

क्रियासिद्धिः सत्वे भवति महतां नोपकरणे

विजेतव्या लङ्का चरणतरणीया जलनिधिः
विपक्षः पौलस्त्यो रणभुवि सहायाश्च कपयः।
तथाप्येको रामः सकलमवधीद्राक्षसकुमम्
क्रियासिद्धिः सत्वे भवति महतां नोपकरणे॥
vijetavyā laṅkā caraṇataraṇīyā jalanidhiḥ
vipakṣaḥ paulastyo raṇabhuvi sahāyāśca kapayaḥ|
tathāpyeko rāmaḥ sakalamavadhīdrākṣasakumam
kriyāsiddhiḥ satve bhavati mahatāṁ nopakaraṇe||
For defeating Lanka [for Lord Rama], the sea had to be crossed by foot. The opponent was (powerful) RavaNa, and (but) his assistants (army) on the battlefield were monkeys (All odds were against Lord Rama).
Despite all this, one Lord Rama killed all the demons. Success of great men depends solely on their own capacities, and not on the means they get to use.
cf. “A bad workman blames his tools”

एकस्यैव गुरोर्दृष्ट्या

एकस्यैव गुरोर्दृष्ट्या द्वाभ्यां वापि लभेत यत्।
न तत् तिसृभिरष्टाभिः सहस्रेणापि कस्यचित्॥
ekasyaiva gurordṛṣṭyā dvābhyāṁ vāpi labheta yat|
na tat tisṛbhiraṣṭābhiḥ sahasreṇāpi kasyacit||
What one obtains with one glance (careful attention) or two bestowed by a guru (preceptor).
The same is not obtained with the assistance of three, eight or even a thousand (teachers).

आदौ कुलं परीक्षेत

आदौ कुलं परीक्षेत ततो विद्यां ततो वयः।
शीलं वनं ततो रूपम् पश्चादेव विवाहयेत्॥
ādau kulaṁ parīkṣeta tato vidyāṁ tato vayaḥ|
śīlaṁ vanaṁ tato rūpam paścādeva vivāhayet||
First the [nobility of the] family should be examined, then the learning, then age [of the bridegroom].
Then the character (wealth?!) of the bridegroom, followed by the region to which he belongs and then his appearance/beauty and then should the marriage alliance be made.

कन्या वरयते रुपं

कन्या वरयते रुपं माता वित्तं पिता श्रुतम्‌।
बान्धवाः कुलमिच्छन्ति मिष्टान्नम् इतरेजनाः॥
kanyā varayate rupaṁ mātā vittaṁ pitā śrutam |
bāndhavāḥ kulamicchanti miṣṭānnam itarejanāḥ ||
[What do people look for in a prospective bridegroom while making a match?]
The girl goes for the looks of the boy, the mother is more concerned about how much wealth he has acquired. The father wants his son-in-law to be well-educated, relatives want to ensure that the boy is from a good family while the rest of the people only look forward to the sweets served during the wedding!

कुकर्मान्तं यशो नृणाम्

कलहान्तानि हर्म्याणि कुवाक्यान्तञ्च सौहृदम्।
कुराजान्तानि राष्ट्राणि कुकर्मान्तं यशो नृणाम्॥
kalahāntāni harmyāṇi kuvākyāntañca sauhṛdam|
kurājāntāni rāṣṭrāṇi kukarmāntaṁ yaśo nṛṇām||
Quarrels destroy homes. Bad words destroys friendship.
Bad kings ruin empires and the fame of men gets destroyed by a bad act.

न मूर्खजनचित्तमाराधयेत्

लभेत सिकतासु तैलमपि यत्नतः पीडयन्
पिबेच्च मृगतृष्णिकासु सलिलं पिपासार्दितः।
कदाचिदपि पर्यटन् शशविषाणमासादयेत्
न तु प्रतिनिविष्टमूर्खजनचित्तमाराधयेत्॥
labheta sikatāsu tailamapi yatnataḥ pīḍayan
pibecca mṛgatṛṣṇikāsu salilaṁ pipāsārditaḥ|
kadācidapi paryaṭan śaśaviṣāṇamāsādayet
na tu pratiniviṣṭamūrkhajanacittamārādhayet||
[One can, perhaps] extract oil by squeezing sand;
[one could] quench his thirst by drinking water from a mirage;
During travel one may even find the horns of a hare;
But it is impossible to please a conceited fool.

रिक्तहस्तेन नोपेयात्

अग्निहोत्रं गृहं क्षेत्रं गर्भिणीं वृद्धबालकौ।
रिक्तहस्तेन नोपेयात् राजानं देवतां गुरुं॥
agnihotraṁ gṛhaṁ kṣetraṁ garbhiṇīṁ vṛddhabālakau|
riktahastena nopeyāt rājānaṁ devatāṁ guruṁ||
One should not come empty-handed near the holy fire, a house, a field, a pregnant woman, an old man, a child, a king, a deity and a guru.

अकुर्वन्तोऽपि पापानि

अकुर्वन्तोऽपि पापानि शुचयः पापसंश्रयात्।
परपापैर्विनश्यन्ति मत्स्या नागहृदे यथा॥
akurvanto’pi pāpāni śucayaḥ pāpasaṁśrayāt|
parapāpairvinaśyanti matsyā nāgahṛde yathā||
Innocent persons, though they may not commit any sinful acts, are punished as a consequence of their mere association with evil-doers;
Just as the fishes in a serpent-pond are destroyed [by the snake destroyers] along with the snakes.

अपूर्णः कुरुते शब्दं

अपृष्ट्वैव भवेन्मूढ ज्ञानं मनसि चिन्तनात्।
अपूर्णः कुरुते शब्दं न पूर्णः कुरुते घटः॥
apṛṣṭvaiva bhavenmūḍha jñānaṁ manasi cintanāt|
apūrṇaḥ kurute śabdaṁ na pūrṇaḥ kurute ghaṭaḥ||
One becomes a fool not by questioning; wisdom comes from deep thinking.
A vessel, not full, makes noise, but not one that is full.

अप्रदाता समृद्धोऽसौ

अप्रदाता समृद्धोऽसौ दरिद्रश्च महामनाः।
अश्रुतश्च समुन्नद्धस्तमाहुर्मूढचेतसम्॥
apradātā samṛddho’sau daridraśca mahāmanāḥ|
aśrutaśca samunnaddhastamāhurmūḍhacetasam||
One who does not help others, though prosperous; one who is poor, but generous
One who is ignorant but proud — these are said to be fools.

[Posted on 8 MAY]