Random musings - part 7

Any dispute or difference of opinion between two people always has two sides or pakshas. The two sides are like two wings or pakshas with which the dispute flies, just a like a bird. Can anyone see both the wings of a bird if he or she stands on one particular side? Only if he takes a middle stance can he see both the wings or pakshas! Likewise only a neutral person can see both the sides of an issue and not the other who is not!

पक्षद्वययुता चर्चा पक्षिवत् डयते ततः ।

पश्यति किल मध्यस्थः पक्षान्तरं च नापरः ।। 61 ।।

पक्षद्वययुता has two wings चर्चा conflict पक्षिवत् like a bird डयते flies ततः therefore पश्यति sees किल indeed मध्यस्थः a neutral person  पक्षान्तरं another paksha च as well नापरः and not other person who is not neutral.

Any conflict has two sides or pakshas like a bird and thus it flies. Only a neutral person can see the other paksha as well and not the one who is not neutral!

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We get so many things in life for free. If we can group them in to two groups - one can be called the useless and the other priceless.

There are umpteen number of examples for the first - so many freebies being given, which either do not work or are not worth holding...yet they are respected and glorified. The second, unfortunately, like mother's love, gift of nature etc etc are rarely recognised and respected! That is the difference! Both are got free though!

अनुपयोगि चामूल्यं विना मूल्यं तु लभ्यते ।

पुरस्कृतं भवत्याद्यं तिरस्कृतमहो परम् ।। 62 ।।

अनुपयोगि useless  च and अमूल्यं priceless विना मूल्यं for free तु but  लभ्यते got पुरस्कृतं celebrated भवति is आद्यं former तिरस्कृतमहो alas ignored परम् is the latter

Both the useless and priceless are obtained for free. While the former is celebrated, alas the latter is ignored!

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How is it that the grass is able to grow anywhere while other plants are unable to? Could it be that it does not put forth any flower or fruit, lives for itself and thus able to manage! May be the selfish can survive anywhere?

पुष्पफलविनाभूतं तृणं सर्वत्र वर्धते ।

स्वार्थपरोsथवा शक्तः कुत्रापि जीवितुं किल ।। 63 ।।

पुष्पफलविनाभूतं without flower or fruit तृणं grass सर्वत्र everywhere वर्धते grows स्वार्थपरः selfish अथवा or शक्तः capable  कुत्रापि anywhere जीवितुं to live किल indeed

Grass, without a fruit or flower, grows everywhere. Or selfish people are indeed capable to live anywhere!

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When an infant is born it cries 'kuva kuva'. What is the meaning? An imagination. It actually cries kva? kva? in Sanskrit, comparing two places - 'where is that and where is this?' where have I come?

क्व देशस्स सुशान्तश्च लघ्वाशयोपि सर्वदः ।

क्वायं तु भीकरो देशः शिशुः क्व क्वेति रोदिति ।। 64 ।।

क्व where देशस्स is that place सुशान्तश्च peaceful and लघ्वाशयोपि small but  सर्वदः provided all क्व where अयं is this भीकरः frightening  देशः place शिशुः infant क्व क्व kva kva इति thus रोदिति cries

A new born infant cries 'kva kva' implying where is that place which was peaceful, though small provided me with everything. Where is this frightening place (after being delivered) (seeing and hearing us perhaps)!

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If there is something that all kids (and adults too) hate, it is advice! Giving an advice is an art just like watering saplings. It has to be mild and not direct! If it is directed at the root (of the issue) it does not yield desired result instead works otherwise. Everyone has an ego! So it has to be convoluted and not direct!

मूले च क्रियतां नैव सेचनमनुशासनम् ।

पल्लवं बाधते नूनं विपरीताय कल्पते ।। 65 ।।

मूले in the root च and क्रियताम् done नैव never be सेचनम् watering  अनुशासनम् advice पल्लवं sprout / love  बाधते affects नूनं indeed विपरीताय in opposite manner कल्पते works

Watering and advice should never be rendered directly at the root. It affects the sprout / love and acts in the opposite direction!

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This is Modern poetry! Not as though the previous ones were not. The villages were themselves the world for people before and they were happy! Today the world is a village yet people have become greedy and materialistic! No happiness!

लोकायते स्म हि ग्रामः तृप्ताः पुरा निवासिनः ।

ग्रामायतेद्य लोको वै लुब्धाः लोकायतास्तु ते ।। 66 ।।

लोकायते स्म used to be world हि indeed ग्रामः village तृप्ताः contended  पुरा before निवासिनः residents ग्रामायते becomes a village  अद्य now or today  लोको world वै indeed लुब्धाः greedy लोकायताः materialistic  तु but ते those (residents)

Once a village used to be the world for those who resided in them and they were contended. Now world is like a village yet the same residents have become materialistic and greedy (unhappy). The fourth pada could also be लोकायतास्तथापि ते ।।

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I remember one of my conversations with a westerner during my stay abroad. A colleague of ours had sudden severe brain haemorrhage and the uncertainty of life was the topic. He told me 'I need to ENJOY life maximum today as I do not know if I will be there tomorrow!'. This is not a Western way of thinking but it seems to be pretty much universal today.

But one of the Sanskrit Subhashitas goads us to do our DHARMA with a notion that as if we are being dragged by death by catching hold of our hair. This is just trying to convey the same!

किं वा भविष्यति श्वस्तु निरर्थचिन्तनं त्यज ।

श्वः किं भविष्यतीत्येव मत्वाद्य धर्ममाचर ।। 67 ।।

किं वा what might भविष्यति happen श्वस्तु tomorrow but निरर्थचिन्तनं waste thought त्यज abandon श्वः tomorrow किं will भविष्यति be there? इत्येव only thus मत्वा having thought अद्य today धर्ममाचर practice dharma

Abandon that useless thought 'what might happen (to me) tomorrow' (and waste today's time) but think only 'will there be a tomorrow at all (to postpone performance of dharma) and practice dharma today. (It will take care of tomorrow)

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Truth is like a moon. Most of the time (or all the time?) even to the best of minds, it is NOT comprehended fully nor described fully. There is incompleteness! There seems to be some perspective missing! This is the crux of the verse. सुधांशुः moon

सत्यं नाम सुधांशुस्सः ग्रहणे चापि वर्णने ।

यत्नतोपि बुधानां किं कदापि याति पूर्णताम् ? ।। 68 ।।

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This may be called a Subhashita. 😊 It cautions against excessively submissive people. They may do anything. They may even pull us down. The sea may very politely come forward and clean our feet exceedingly. But if we don't exercise caution, we may get drawn inside!!

अतिविनयवद्भ्यस्तु सावधानं समाचरेत् ।

भूयः प्रक्षालयन् पादं अन्तःकर्षति सागरः ।। 69 ।।

अतिविनयवद्भ्यस्तु from people who are exceedingly submissive  सावधानं caution समाचरेत् exercise भूयः exceedingly  प्रक्षालयन् washing पादं foot अन्तःकर्षति pulls inside सागरः Sea

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Traditionally poets have to hang around the Sun and the Moon for comparison. But if we spend more time with nature, we will realise they are still the best upamana (objects of comparison). The message is truth burns (more than the Sun) and lie cools (more than the Moon)! We all love to be praised for our looks, speech and deeds and feel happy even when the praise is a lie! But when someone tells us the truth, it hurts and we are not willing to accept.

This metre is vidyunmala, all syllables are long or dirgha..

मिथ्या स्तुत्या यावच्छान्तिः तावन्नो वै चन्द्रेणापि ।

यावद्दाहस्सत्येनेह तावन्नाहो सूर्येणापि ।। 70 ।।

मिथ्या स्तुत्या by false praise यावच्छान्तिः how much happiness  तावन्नो not that much वै indeed चन्द्रेणापि by even moon यावत् how much दाहः affliction  सत्येनेह by truth तावन्नाहो not that much सूर्येणापि by Sun even

Moon does not delight as much a false praise does. Sun does not afflict as much as truth does!

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