Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
यो ध्रुवाणि परित्यज्य अध्रुवं परिसेवते ।
ध्रुवाणि तस्य नश्यन्ति अध्रुवं नष्टमेव च ॥
- चाणक्य नीति
Transliteration:
yo dhruvāṇi parityajya adhruvaṃ parisevate ।
dhruvāṇi tasya naśyanti adhruvaṃ naṣṭameva ca ॥
- cāṇakya nīti
Meaning of the subhAShita:
He who gives up the 'certain' and pursues the 'temporary' (attributes), his stable (attributes) shall perish, and his impermanent ones will certainly be lost.
Commentary:
It is like trying to catch a shadow! Enticed by the shape of an object, what if one puts his best efforts and works hard to capture its shadow? Would he ever be able to fulfill his desire? With sunlight, an object naturally casts a shadow. Instead of retrieving the object, if one were to put effort into catching its shadow, he would not only fail in his endeavor, but he would lose precious time! Meanwhile, time will pass and the sun will set. The shadow will certainly be gone and in the process, the true object of desire is lost too, because he would have run out of time to even try to obtain the object. In the end, he neither gets the shadow nor the object!
This verse reflects a much deeper issue! It is said, 'Life is a mirage; it comes from no visible rain and falls into no recognizable sea.' Winning over the mirage of māyā is no easy task! If one digresses and chases the material world, the focus will be lost, and life's purpose forgotten. In pursuing fleeting material pleasures, he becomes entangled in māyā (illusion) and loses his goal. All the while, life is slipping away!
This verse reflects a much deeper issue! It is said, 'Life is a mirage; it comes from no visible rain and falls into no recognizable sea.' Winning over the mirage of māyā is no easy task! If one digresses and chases the material world, the focus will be lost, and life's purpose forgotten. In pursuing fleeting material pleasures, he becomes entangled in māyā (illusion) and loses his goal. All the while, life is slipping away!
The purpose of life is to attain eternal knowledge about our true nature. Each of us has to go on our own quest to realize the Supreme.
By going on a quest to catch the shadow (material pleasures), do not lose the object (purpose of life)!
pada vigrahaH:
यो धुर्वाणि परित्यज्य अ-ध्रुवं परिसेवते ।
yo dhurvāṇi parityajya a-dhruvaṃ parisevate ।
ध्रुवाणि तस्य नश्यन्ति अ-ध्रुवं नष्टम् एव च ॥
dhruvāṇi tasya naśyanti a-dhruvaṃ naṣṭam eva ca ॥
By going on a quest to catch the shadow (material pleasures), do not lose the object (purpose of life)!
pada vigrahaH:
यो धुर्वाणि परित्यज्य अ-ध्रुवं परिसेवते ।
yo dhurvāṇi parityajya a-dhruvaṃ parisevate ।
ध्रुवाणि तस्य नश्यन्ति अ-ध्रुवं नष्टम् एव च ॥
dhruvāṇi tasya naśyanti a-dhruvaṃ naṣṭam eva ca ॥
yo dhruvaaNi parityajya adhruvaM parisevate ।
dhruvaaNi tasya nashyanti adhruvaM naShTameva cha ॥
- chaaNakya nIti
yo dhurvaaNi parityajya a-dhruvaM parisevate ।
dhruvaaNi tasya nashyanti a-dhruvaM naShTam eva cha ॥
Wonderful! I really enjoyed this post.
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