Advice to Parents

Indulge a child for the first five years of his life, for the next ten years deal firmly with the child.  Once the child is sixteen, treat him as a friend.

[lAlayEth pancha varSHANi dasha varSHANi thAdayEth /  prApthE thu SHOdashE varSHE puthram mithravadh AcharEth //

लालयेत् पञ्च वर्षाणि दश वर्षाणि ताडयेत् / प्राप्ते तु षोडशे वर्षे पुत्रं मित्रवदाचरेत् //]

Good People and Bad People

There is just one difference between people who are good and those who are not.  The thoughts, words and deeds of the bad do not match one another.  The thoughts, words and deeds of the good people are all identical.

[manasyEkam vachasyEkam karmaNyEkam dhurAthmanAm /  manasyEkam vachasyEkam karmaNyEkam mahAthmanAm //

मनस्येकं वचस्येकं कर्मण्येकं दुरात्मनाम् / मनस्येकं वचस्येकं कर्मण्येकं महात्मनाम् //]

A Father’s Sorrow

Since Shakunthala is leaving today, my heart is turbulent, unshed tears constrict my throat and anxiety blurs my sight.  If affection causes such agitation in a person like me who lives in the forest, how much will the sadness of separation from a just married daughter trouble a householder?

[yAsyathyadhya shakunthalEthi hrdhayam samsprSHtam uthkaNTayA kaNTaha sthambithabASHpavrththikaluSHashchinthAjadam dharshanam /  vaiklavyam mama thAvadhIdhrsham idham snEhAdh araNyaukasaha pIdyanthE grhiNaha kaTHam nu thanayAvishlESHadhuhkhairnavaihi //

यास्यत्यद्य शकुन्तलेति हृदयं संस्पृष्टमुत्कण्ठया कण्ठः स्थम्बितबाष्पवृत्तिकलुषैश्चिन्ताजडं दर्शनम् / वैक्लव्यं मम तावदीदृशमिदं स्नेहादरण्यौकसः पीड्यन्ते गृहिणः कथं नु तनयाविश्लेषदुःखैर्नवैः // ]

 [Note: This slokam is from Kalidasa's play Abhignyana Shakuntalam.  Sage Kanva says these words to himself before Shakuntala's departure to her husband Dushyanta's kingdom]

As Unselfish As A Tree

Trees give shade to others while themselves standing in the sun.  They bear fruits for others to enjoy as do those who follow the path of goodness. [A verse from Chanakya's Niti Shastram]

[CHAyAm anyasya kurvanthi thiSHTanthi svayam AthapE /  phalanthi cha parasyArTHE sathpaTHasTHA iva dhrumAha //

छायाम् अन्यस्य कुर्वन्ति त्तिष्ठन्ति स्वयम् आतपे /  फलन्ति च परस्यार्थे सत्पथस्था इव द्रुमाः //]

Plan to Save, and Also to Spend

The grains that are saved by an ant, the honey collected by a bee and the wealth stored up by a miser are lost forever (if calamity strikes).

[pipIlikArjitham DHAnyam makSHikA sanchitham maDHu / lubDHEna sanchitham dhravyam samUlam hi vinashyathi //

पिपीलिकार्जितं धान्यं मक्षिका सञ्चितं मधु / लुब्धेन सञ्चितं द्रव्यं समूलं हि विनश्यति // ]

A Salute to Mother India

To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalaya as her crown, and is adorned with gems in the form of saintly scholars and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.

[rathnAkaraDHauthapadhAm himAlayakirItinIm /  brahmarAjarSHirathnADyAm vandhE bhArathamAtharam

रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् / ब्रह्मराजर्षिरत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् //]

Fruits of Reading the Ramayana

On reading these [100 verses] a scholar will get strength of speech; a warrior will become a ruler of the earth; traders will make their fortune; and the worker will get eminence.

[Note: This is the last verse of the first section of the first chapter of the Indian epic, Ramayana.  It is also the one hundredth verse.  This section is a precis of the whole epic of 24,000 verses.  It is recited by the sage Narada to Valmiki, the author of the epic.]

paTan dvijO vAgrSHabhathvam IyAth syAth kshatriyO bhUmipathithvam IyAth /  vaNigjanaha paNyaphalathvam IyAth janashcha shUdhrOpi mahathvam IyAth

पठन् द्विजॊ वागृषभत्वमीयात् स्यात् क्षत्रियो भूमिपतित्वमीयात् /

वणिग्जनः पण्यफलत्वमीयात् जनश्च शूद्रोपि महत्त्वमीयात् //

 

Valmiki’s description of the River Tamasa

O Bharadwaja, these waters are clear, beautiful and calm just as is the mind of a good person.

[Note: Valmiki, the author of the Indian epic Ramayana, describes the river Tamasa to his student in this verse.]

akardhamam idham thIrTHam bharadhvAja nishAmaya /  ramaNIyam prasannAmbu sanmanuSHyamanO yaTHA

अकर्दममिदं तीर्थं भरद्वाज निशामय / रमणीयं प्रसन्नाम्बु सन्मनुष्यमनो यथा //

Where Scholarship Cannot Survive

[In this verse, a person hints to his friend, a good scholar, that he should go away from his native place, as there is little appreciation for his skill in that kingdom]

O one who makes the whole world happy, O sandal tree, my friend, do not stay in this forest any longer.  It is full of bamboo trees, harsh and with hollow hearts.  They clash among themselves and the ensuing fire consumes not only their own selves but may even destroy the whole forest.

[lOkAnandhana chandhanadhruma sakhE nAsminvanE sTHIyathAm dhurvamshaihi paruSHairasArahrdhayairAkrAnthamEthadhvanam /  thE hyanyOnyanigharSHajAthadhahanajvAlAvalIsankulAth na svAnyEva kulAni kEvalamahO sarvam dhahEyurvanam//

लॊकानन्दन चन्दनद्रुम सखे नास्मिन्वने स्थीयतां दुर्वंशैः परुषैरसारहृदयैराक्रान्तमेतद्वनम् /  ते ह्यन्यॊन्यनिर्षजातदहनज्वालावलीसंकुलात् न स्वान्येव कुलानि केवलमहॊ सर्वं दहॆयुर्वनम् //]

 

Let Us Go Home!

The birds have returned to their homes; the sages have entered the waters [to offer their evening prayers]; the fires are burning bright wherever they have been lit; the smoke is meandering through the forest as if trying to discern the way; the distant sun too has diminished in size - he has withdrawn his rays, turned his chariot around and is now slowly entering the sunset mountain.  [Says the man-servant to Vasavadatta as he leads her away in the last verse of Act I of poet and dramatist Bhasa's most famous play of six Acts, Svapnavasavadattam (स्वप्नवासवदत्तम्)

खगा वासॊपॆताः सलिलमवगाढॊ मुनिजनः प्रदीप्तॊ s ग्निर्भाति प्रविचरति धूमॊ मुनिवनम् /

परिभ्रष्टॊ दूराद्रविरपि च संक्षिप्तकिरणॊ रथं व्यावर्त्यासौ प्रविशति शनैरस्तशिखरम् //]

[khagA vAsOpEthAha salilamavagADO munijanaha pradhIpthOgnirbhAthi pravicharathi DHUmO munivanam / paribhraSHtO dhUrAdhravirapi cha sankshipthakiraNO raTHam vyAvarthyAsau pravishathi shanairasthashikharam //

Published in: on April 1, 2008 at 1:51 pm Comments (0)