The essence of goodness*

प्रियप्राया वृत्तिर्विनयमधुरो वाचि नियमः प्रकृत्या कल्याणी मतिरनवगीतः परिचयः / पुरो वा पश्चाद्वा तदिदमविपर्यासितरसं रहस्यं साधूनामनुपधि विशुद्धं विजयते

kimathrOchyathE /priyaprAyA vrththirvinayamaDHurO vAchi niyamaha prakrthyA kalyANI mathiranavagIthaha parichayaha / purO vA pashchAdhvA thadhidhamaviparyAsitharasam rahasyam sADHUnAmanupaDHi vishudhDHam vijayathE

A likeable disposition is one that is made sweet by humility, restraint in speech, a mind which is by nature virtuous, a tendency not to abuse familiarity. At all times [in the future or in the past], this ageless secret, which is the pure essence of goodness, triumphs [over all else]

*From Act II of Bhavabhuti’s Uttararamacharitam.

For the best of times, and for the not so good times too…

On this New Year’s day, while our wishes are for all that is good and best, it may not be wrong to remember that there may be downsides. This verse from ‘Bhartrhari’s Nitisatakam’ is for us to draw strength, for those not so good times …

सम्पत्सु महतां चित्तं भवत्युत्पलकोमलम् /

आपत्सु च महाशैलशिलासन्घातकर्कशम् // ६५ //

sampathsu mahathAm chiththam bhavathyuthpalakOmalam /

Apathsu cha mahAshailashilAsanghAthakarkasham // 65 //

When they attain good fortune, their thoughts are mellow, marked by concern for others; when misfortune strikes, they withstand it, as strong as a rock, without succumbing to self-pity. [Such is the nature of the great]

Bhavabhuti’s Uttararamacharitam

Starting today, we are hoping to post, as frequently as possible, a few verses from the play

Uttararamacharitam by Bhavabhuti.

The idea is to have the whole play translated, in due course.

ACT I – CHITRADARSHANAM

इदम् कविभ्यः पूर्वेभ्यो नमोवाक्यम् प्रशास्महे /वन्देमहि च ताम् वाचम् अमृताम् आत्मनः कलाम् //१//

idham kavibhyaha pUrvEbhyO namOvAkyam prashAsmahE / vandhEmahi cha thAm vAcham amrthAm Athmanah kalAm // 1 //

Let us begin by expressing our respect to the poets of yore and saluting the Goddess of Speech, Saraswati, who is like nectar and who is an aspect of the Almighty.

(नान्द्यन्ते)

सूत्रधारः – अलम् अतिविस्तरेण / अद्य खलु भगवतः कालप्रियानाथस्य यात्रायाम् आर्यमिश्रान् विज्ञापयामि / एवम् अत्रभवन्तो विदांकुर्वन्तु / अस्ति तत्रभवान् काश्यपः श्रीकण्ठपदलाञ्छ्नॊ भवभूतिर्नाम /

यं ब्रह्माणम् इयं देवी वाग्वश्यॆवानुवर्तते / उत्तरं रामचरितं तत्प्रणीतं प्रयुज्यते //२//

एषोस्मि कार्यवशाद् आयोध्यकस्तदानींतनश्च संवृत्तः / (समन्तादवलोक्य) भो भोः / यदा तावदत्रभवतः पौलस्त्यकुलधूमकेतोर्महाराजरामस्यायम् अभिषेकसमयो रात्रिंदिवम् असंहृतनान्दीकस्तत् किमद्य विश्रान्तचारणानि चत्वरस्थानानि /

(nAndhyanthE)
sUthraDHAraha: alam athivistharENa I adhya khalu bhagavathaha kAlapriyAnATHasya yAthrAyAm AryamishrAn vignyApayAmi I Evam athrabhavanthO vidhAnkurvanthu I asthi thathrabhavAn kAshyapaha shrIkaNTapadhalAnCHanO bhavabhUthirnAma I

yam brahmANam iyam dhEvI vAg vashyEvAnuvarthathE I uththaram rAmacharitham thathpraNItham prayujyathE // 2 //

ESHOsmi kAryavashAdh AyODHyakasthadhAnInthanashcha samvrththaha I

(samanthAdh avalOkya)

bhO bhOho I yadhA thAvadh athrabhavanthaha paulasthyakulaDHUmakEthOr mahArAjarAmasya ayam abhiSHEkasamayO rAthrimdhivam asamhrthAnandhanAndhIkasthath kimadhya vishrAnthachAraNAni chathvarasTH AnAni I

(After the prayer)

SUTRADHARA: Let me not take too much time to give you the details. Today, on the occasion of the festival in honour of Lord Kalapriyanatha, I wish to make a submission before this august audience. Hear this, all of you: There is, in the lineage of Kashyapa, one called Bhavabhuti, who has been conferred the title ‘Srikanta’.

This brahmin is followed everywhere by the Goddess of Speech as though she is under a spell. We will now enact Uttararamacharitam written by him.

Now, because of my job, I have become a citizen of Ayodhya and have gone back in time.

(Looking all around)

Oh people! During the coronation of the great Rama, who came like a comet of misfortune to Ravana’s family, the popular centres of the town were full of activity day in and day out. How is it that the streets are deserted now?

Of virtue and the vicious

मृगमीनसज्जनानां तृणजलसंतोषविहितवृत्तीनाम् /

लुब्धकधीवरपिशुना निष्कारणवैरिणो जगति // ६० //

mrugamInasajjanAnAm thruNajalasamthOSHavihithavruththInAm /

lubDHakaDHIvarapishunA niSHkAraNavairiNO jagathi // 60 //

Animals, fish and good people ask for just grass, water and peace to thrive. Regardless of their modest demands, which hurt none, they get hunted, killed and maligned by enemies.

Wither virtues?

जाड्यम् ह्रीमिति गण्यते व्रतरुचौ दम्भः शुचौ कैतवं

शूरे निर्घृणता मुनौ विमतिता दैन्यं प्रियालापिनि /

तेजस्विन्यवलिप्तता मुखरता वक्तर्यशक्तिस्स्थिरे

तत्को नाम गुणो भवेत्स गुणिनां यो दुर्जनैर्नाङ्कितः //

jADyam hrImithi gaNyathe vratharuchau dhamBHaha shuchau kaithavam

shUrE nirGrNathA munau vimathithA dhainyam priyAlApini /

thEjasvinyavalipthathA muKHarathA vaktharyashakthissTHirE

thathkO nAma guNO BHavEthsa guNinAm yO dhurjanairnAnkithaha //

In the modest, they see dumbness; in the religious, hypocrisy; in the ethical, they see deceit; in the valiant, lack of compassion;

In the ascetic they see madness; in pleasant talk, timidity.

in the brilliant, arrogance; in an orator, verbosity; In the stable, they see weakness;

Be it any trait of high acclaim, are there any that the malevolent will not see with a jaundiced eye?*

*With due acknowledgement to Dr. H. K. Ramapriyan. Please see earlier post for details

शास्त्रॊपस्कृतशब्दसुन्दरगिरः शिष्यप्रदेयागमाः

विख्याताः कवयॊ वसन्ति विषयॆ यस्य प्रभोर्निर्धनाः /

तज्जाड्यं वसुधाधिपस्य कवयस्त्वर्थं विनाऽपीश्वराः

कुत्स्यास्स्युः कुपरीक्षका हि मणयॊ यैरर्घतः पातिताः //

shAsthrOpaskrthashabdhasundharagiraha shiSHyapradhEyAgamAha

viKHyAthAha kavayO vasanthi viSHayE yasya praBHOrnirDHanAha /

thajjADyam vasuDHADHipasya kavayastvarTHam vinApIshvarAha

kuthsyAssyuhu kuparIkSHakA hi maNyO yairarGHathaha pAthithAha //

Rich with scriptural nuances, beautiful language and literary merit are their works; ready and willing are they to share their knowledge. Despite the richness of their scholarship, were such poets to be found destitute, the indignity vests not in them, but in the ruler of their land. The merit of the scholar is not diminished by their penury just as undervaluing a jewel does not reduce its worth.

Bhartrhari’s Nitisatakam

From today, we shall be posting verses from the poetic work, ‘Nitisatakam’ [ नीतिशतकम्], composed by the poet-king Bhartrhari in the latter half of the seventh century CE. The verses and translations are inspired by, though not always  reproduced from,  Dr. H. K. Ramapriyan’s publication, ‘Bhartrharinitisatakam’ [1999].*

 

बोद्धारो मत्सरग्रस्ताः प्रभवः स्मयदूषिताः /

अबोधोपहताश्चान्ये जीर्णमङ्गे सुभाषितम् //

 

bOdDArO mathsaragrasthAha praBHavaha smayadhUSHithAha/

abODHOpahathAshchAnyE jIrNamangE suBHASHitham//

 

The intelligent are steeped in envy, the leaders are corrupted by pride, and the rest are submerged in ignorance. Good words, therefore, remain unspoken [as there is no one to listen].

 

Dr. Ramapriyan’s address, as provided in the publication: 11860 Linden Chapel Road, Clarksville, MD 21029, United States of America.

Hail Thee, O Sarasvathi

Due to whose grace poets can see the whole Universe as if it were a gooseberry in the palm of their hands – may She, Goddess Sarasvathi, be victorious for ever.

करबदरसदृशमखिलं भुवनतलं यत्प्रसादतः कवयः / पश्यन्ति सूक्ष्ममतयः सा जयति सरस्वती देवी //

karabadharasadhrshamakhilam bhuvanathalam yathprasAdhathaha kavayaha / pashyanthi sUkSHmamathayaha sA jayathi sarasvathI dEvI //

[Invocatory verse of Subandhu’s prose work, Vasavadatta]

The Lord’s Promise

O son of Pritha, neither here in this world nor in the next is a sincere person defeated. Such a person, my dear friend, is never on the road of misfortune. [6-40]

 [Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita ]

पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते / न हि कल्याणकृत् कश्चिद्दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति //

pArTHa naivEha nAmuthra vinAshasthasya vidhyathE / na hi kalyANakrth kashchidhdhurgathim thAtha gachCHathi //

A Noble Mission

It’s not a kingdom I desire, nor paradise nor eternal liberation from the living world. But I do have a desire: to destroy the misery of all living things that are sad.

न त्वहं कामये राज्यं न स्वर्गं नापुनर्भवम् / कामये दुःखतप्तानां प्राणिनामार्तिनाशनम् //

na thvaham kAmayE rAjyam na svargam nApunarbhavam / kAmayE dhuhkhathapthAnAm prANinAmArthinAshanam //

The Ways of the Wise

Those who study ceaselessly do not run the risk of becoming fools; those who contemplate their actions do not run into danger; a person who keeps his counsel does not get embroiled in a dispute; and one who is vigilant need have no fear.

पठतो नास्ति मूर्खत्वं जपतो नास्ति पातकम् / मौनिनः कलहो नास्ति न भयं चास्ति जाग्रतः //

paTathO nAsthi mUrkhathvam japathO nAsthi pAthakam / mouninaha kalahO nAsthi na bhayam chAsthi jAgrathaha //

Success Assured

Fire is generated when two dry twigs are rubbed together.  Water springs forth when the earth is dug.  When there is enthusiasm, nothing is impossible to achieve.  Once you have begun a task, all efforts [enthusiastically taken] lead to fruition.

काष्ठादग्निर्जायते मथ्यमानाद्भूमिस्तोयं खन्यमाना ददाति / सोत्साहानां नास्त्यसाध्यं नराणां मार्गारब्धाः सर्वयत्नाः फलन्ति //

kASHTAdhagnirjAyathE maTHyamAnAdhbhUmisthOyam khanyamAnA dhadhAthi / sOthsAhAnAm nAsthyasADHyam narANAm mArgArabDHAha sarvayathnAha phalanthi //

[Last verse of Act I of Bhasa’s play Pratignyayaugandharaayanam]

A Neem Leaf A Day ….

To enjoy a diamond-hard constitution for a hundred years and all kinds of wealth and to annihilate that which is undesirable, one must eat the tender shoots of the neem tree.

शतायुर्वज्रदेहाय सर्वसंपत्कराय च / सर्वानिष्टविनाशाय निम्बकन्दलभक्षणम् //

shathAyurvajradhEhAya sarvasampathpradhAya cha / sarvAniSHtavinAshAya nimbakandhalabhakSHaNam //

Grow More Trees?

What is the use of raising children who are neither righteous nor prosperous?  It is better to grow a tree by the roadside where people can come and rest.

बहुभिर्बत किं जातैः पुत्रैर्धर्मार्थवर्जितैः /  वरमेकः पथि तरुर्यत्र विश्रमते जनः //  

bahubhirbatha kim jAthaihi puthrairDHarmArTHavarjithaihi /  varamEkaha paTHi tharuryathra vishramathE janaha //

 

 [This verse is from Upavana Vinoda, a section in Sharngadhara Padhdhathi, an encyclopaedia written by Sharngadhara in the thirteenth century.]

Tackling Poverty – A Lesson from Ancient India – Blog Action Day Special

 

The taxes that he [king Dilipa] collected were all given back to the people, just as the sun draws water from the earth only to give it back, a thousand times over.

प्रजानामॆव भूत्यर्थं स ताभ्यो बलिमग्रहीत् /  सहस्रगुणमुत्स्रष्टुम् आदत्ते हि रसं रविः //

prajAnAmEva bhUthyarTHam sa thAbhyO balimagrahIth /  sahasraguNamuthsraSHtum AdhaththE hi rasam ravihi //

 [The verse is from Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsha.  Dilipa ruled Bharatavarsha – approximately the area that is today India – around 5000 BCE or earlier.  If only the governments of the nations of the world would emulate Dilipa, the earth can be free from poverty.]

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Time is Money

Even with a crore gold coins, you cannot buy even a minute of your life. Should, therefore, even a moment be wasted, can there be a greater calamity?

आयुषः क्षण एकोऽपि / न लभ्यः स्वर्णकोटिभिः / स चेत् निरर्थकं नीतः / का नु हानिस् ततॊऽधिका //

 

 

AyuSHaha kSHaNa EkOpi / na labhyaha svarNakOtibhihi / sa chEth nirarTHakam nIthaha / kA nu hAnis thathODHikA //

[Slokam and Translation: Courtesy Dr. K.S. Kannan]

A Stranger Who Uplifts

A stranger whose company uplifts you is as good as family.  On the other hand, a near and dear one whose company demeans you is no better than a stranger.  A disease though it is born in our own body is unpleasant.  But a medicine that grows in a forest is beneficial.

परोऽपि हितवान् बन्धु: बन्धुरप्यहित: परः /  अहितो देहजो व्याधिः हितम् आरण्यम् औषधम् //

parOpi hithavAn banDHuhu banDHurapyahithaha paraha / ahithO dhEhajO vyADHihi hitham AraNyam auSHaDHam //

The Heavenly Music of Hastinavati

Their singing brought the Veena [a stringed wooden musical instrument] to life.  It burst into bloom and attracted the bees. The harmony was such that even an expert could not have distinguished between the humming of the bees, the sound of the strings and the voices of the maidens.

[A verse from Ananta Bhatta’s description of Hastinavati in his Champu Bharatha]

आलापकालसमपल्लविताङ्कवीणासौरभ्यपातिमधुपारवसङ्कुलस्य /  तन्त्रीस्वरस्य समितौ तरुणीस्वनस्य जानाति यत्र चतुरोऽपि न तारतम्यम् //

AlApakAlasamapallavithAnkavINAsaurabhyapAthimaDHupAravasankulasya /  thanthrIsvarasya samithau tharuNIsvanasya jAnAthi yathra chathurOpi na thArathamyam //

In Others’ Service

 

Trees bear fruit for others’ sake.  Rivers flow for others to use. Cows give milk for all.  This body of ours too is meant to serve others.

परोपकाराय फलन्ति वृक्षाः परॊपकाराय वहन्ति नद्यः /  परॊपकाराय दुहन्ति गावः परॊपकारार्थम् इदं शरीरम् //

parOpakArAya phalanthi vrkSHAha parOpakArAya vahanthi nadhyaha /  parOpakArAya dhuhanthi gAvaha parOpakArArTHam idham sharIram //

DISGRACE AND DEATH ARE BETTER, SOME TIMES

My friend, it is better to be disgraced by good people than to have as an ornament the association of bad people.  Glory comes to him who is trampled underfoot by a gallant horse [in battle] and not to the one seated animatedly on a donkey.

वरं सखे सत्पुरुषापमानितो  न नीचसंसर्गगुणैरलङ्कृतः /  वराश्वपादेन हतो विराजते न रासभस्योपरि संस्थितो नरः //

varam sakhE sathpuruSHApamAnithO na nIchasamsargaguNairalankrthaha /  varAshvapAdhEna hathO virAjathE na rAsabhasyOpari samsTHithO naraha //