Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
पिता रत्नाकरो यस्य लक्ष्मीर्यस्य सहोदरी ।
शङ्खो भिक्षाटनं कुर्यात् नादत्तमुपतिष्ठते ॥
- चाणक्य नीति
Transliteration:
pitā ratnākaro yasya lakṣmīryasya sahodarī ।
śaṅkho bhikṣāṭanaṃ kuryāt nādattamupatiṣṭhate ॥
- cāṇakya nīti
Meaning of the subhAShita:
His father is the ocean, Goddess Lakshmi herself is his sister, (but) the conch is used for begging alms..., justice is not done by it.
Commentary:
A conch is born in the ocean. So, the ocean is his father. Goddess Lakshmi, who is the Goddess of wealth, was also born from the ocean. Hence, she is considered the conch's sister. The ocean is also the maker of an abundance of precious gems. Despite a lineage of such order, in the hands of a beggar, a conch gets used for the purpose of begging.
A beggar roams from door to door, begging for food. To grab the attention of the people inside, he picks up a conch and blows on it! To him, the origination or the kin of the conch does not matter. He puts it to best use according to his wisdom.
This is exactly what happens in the world. People apply available resources to the best of their knowledge. The value (worthiness) of the resources themselves does not matter. This happens day in and day out, whether it is devaluing people around or misusing natural resources—People get belittled and mistreated all the time! For example, today's mankind does not realize the worth of natural resources nor the harm they are causing to future generations. This does not denigrate the value of the resources or the future generations in any way! A diamond is a diamond, whether someone recognizes it or not.
In today's world teeming with multitudes of material comforts, shouldn't we give a little thought to the usability and liabilities of the luxuries we have around us today?! Be it material comforts or the people around us—how are we utilizing them and at what cost?! Something to ponder about deeply!
pada vigrahaH:
पिता रत्नाकरः यस्य लक्ष्मीः यस्य सह-उदरी ।
pitā ratnākaraḥ yasya lakṣmīḥ yasya saha-udarī ।
शङ्खो भिक्षा-अटनं कुर्यात् न अदत्तम् उपतिष्ठते ॥
śaṅkho bhikṣā-aṭanaṃ kuryāt na adattam upatiṣṭhate ॥
This is exactly what happens in the world. People apply available resources to the best of their knowledge. The value (worthiness) of the resources themselves does not matter. This happens day in and day out, whether it is devaluing people around or misusing natural resources—People get belittled and mistreated all the time! For example, today's mankind does not realize the worth of natural resources nor the harm they are causing to future generations. This does not denigrate the value of the resources or the future generations in any way! A diamond is a diamond, whether someone recognizes it or not.
In today's world teeming with multitudes of material comforts, shouldn't we give a little thought to the usability and liabilities of the luxuries we have around us today?! Be it material comforts or the people around us—how are we utilizing them and at what cost?! Something to ponder about deeply!
pada vigrahaH:
पिता रत्नाकरः यस्य लक्ष्मीः यस्य सह-उदरी ।
pitā ratnākaraḥ yasya lakṣmīḥ yasya saha-udarī ।
शङ्खो भिक्षा-अटनं कुर्यात् न अदत्तम् उपतिष्ठते ॥
śaṅkho bhikṣā-aṭanaṃ kuryāt na adattam upatiṣṭhate ॥
pitaa ratnaakaro yasya lakShmIryasya sahodarI ।
sha~nkho bhikShaaTanaM kuryaat naadattamupatiShThate ॥
- chaaNakya nIti
pitaa ratnaakaraH yasya lakShmIH yasya saha-udarI ।
sha~nkho bhikShaa-aTanaM kuryaat na adattam upatiShThate ॥
It should be सहोदरी and not सहोदरा
ReplyDeleteOf course. Thanks :).
ReplyDelete