Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
यथा चतुर्भिः कनकं परीक्ष्यते निघर्षणच्छेदनतापताडनैः ।
तथा चतुर्भिः पुरुषः परीक्ष्यते त्यागेन शीलेन गुणेन कर्मणा ॥
- चाणक्य नीति
Transliteration:
yathā caturbhiḥ kanakaṃ parīkṣyate nigharṣaṇacchedanatāpatāḍanaiḥ ।
tathā caturbhiḥ puruṣaḥ parīkṣyate tyāgena śīlena guṇena karmaṇā ॥
- cāṇakya nīti
Meaning of the subhAShita:
Just as gold is tested through rubbing, cutting, heating, and beating; a man is examined on four (fronts)—liberality, character, efficacy (and) action.
Commentary:
Gold is the most malleable and ductile element. It can be beaten into the thinnest sheets or stretched to make the longest threads. Its luster is unique too. A goldsmith, who works day in and day out with the metal, checks for the authenticity of the gold brought to him. His modus operandi is rubbing it against a rough touchstone. Real gold won't lose its shine or leave streaks. In this process of evaluation, he beats it, heats it, and cuts.
Similarly, the testing grounds for a person are:
pada vigrahaH:
यथा चतुर्भिः कनकं परीक्ष्यते निघर्षण-छेदन-ताप-ताडनैः ।
yathā caturbhiḥ kanakaṃ parīkṣyate nigharṣaṇa-chedana-tāpa-tāḍanaiḥ ।
तथा चतुर्भिः पुरुषः परीक्ष्यते त्यागेन शीलेन गुणेन कर्मणा ॥
tathā caturbhiḥ puruṣaḥ parīkṣyate tyāgena śīlena guṇena karmaṇā ॥
Similarly, the testing grounds for a person are:
- Liberality—how generous he is in his giving; it could be his wealth, services, or even compassion.
- Character—his values and morals come under this umbrella.
- Efficacy—his nature, temperament, and attributes in general.
- Action—deeds. There must be an alignment in what is thought, said, and done. Actions speak louder than words.
pada vigrahaH:
यथा चतुर्भिः कनकं परीक्ष्यते निघर्षण-छेदन-ताप-ताडनैः ।
yathā caturbhiḥ kanakaṃ parīkṣyate nigharṣaṇa-chedana-tāpa-tāḍanaiḥ ।
तथा चतुर्भिः पुरुषः परीक्ष्यते त्यागेन शीलेन गुणेन कर्मणा ॥
tathā caturbhiḥ puruṣaḥ parīkṣyate tyāgena śīlena guṇena karmaṇā ॥
yathaa chaturbhiH kanakaM parIkShyate nigharShaNachChedanataapataaDanaiH ।
tathaa chaturbhiH puruShaH parIkShyate tyaagena shIlena guNena karmaNaa ॥
- chaaNakya nIti
yathaa chaturbhiH kanakaM parIkShyate nigharShaNa-Chedana-taapa-taaDanaiH ।
tathaa chaturbhiH puruShaH parIkShyate tyaagena shIlena guNena karmaNaa ॥
No comments:
Post a Comment