Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
बलाद्दत्तं बलाद्भुक्तं बलद्यच्चापि लेखितम् ।
सर्वान् बलकृतानर्थान् अकृतान् मनुरब्रवीत् ॥
- मनुस्मृति
Transliteration:
balāddattaṃ balādbhuktaṃ baladyaccāpi lekhitam ।
sarvān balakṛtānarthān akṛtān manurabravīt ॥
- manusmṛti
Meaning of the subhAShita:
That which is given forcefully, that which is possessed (enjoyed) forcefully, also that which is written forcefully; all tasks extracted by force are wretched, said Manu.
Commentary:
Any action should be performed willingly by anyone! Force should not be the driving force behind any deed, else it goes futile.
Giving should be beneficial to the receiver. Giving something for the sake of giving and forcing the other to receive it 'no matter what' is a wasteful effort. It could be a material object, monetary help or even a piece of advice for that matter - giving by force is not appreciated.
Taking by force is obviously not moral either. Nobody wants anything snatched from them for any reason! Even eating under force can come under this umbrella. No one relishes the food that he is forced to eat! Just the power struggle can put off even a hungry man from wanting to eat.
Using strength to make one write anything is not useful either. One might be given an imposition to write 'I shall not lie', a hundred times. But that forced writing does not help inculcate the value in that person. One can be forced to sign off his entire property. That, if proven, does not hold up in the court of law even. Moreover, one's true thoughts and emotions are expressed only when they are allowed freedom of expression, not due to a threat from the big and strong!
The poet (Manu) says any task that is achieved through force is wretched. No good fruits of action (karma) can be expected from such deeds. Pressurizing one to give in to others' strength will yield nothing but contempt and fear. Neither is beneficial for the betterment of either of the individuals involved. It only makes one a tyrant and the other, the threatened. Neither grows spiritually. It curtails the blossoming of the soul in both. Then, what is the purpose of showing unwanted force?
Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived! Plan long term.
pada vigrahaH:
बलात् दत्तं बलात् भुक्तं बलत् यत् च अपि लेखितम् ।
balāt dattaṃ balāt bhuktaṃ balat yat ca api lekhitam ।
सर्वान् बलकृतान् अर्थान् अकृतान् मनुः अब्रवीत् ॥
sarvān balakṛtān arthān akṛtān manuḥ abravīt ॥
Giving should be beneficial to the receiver. Giving something for the sake of giving and forcing the other to receive it 'no matter what' is a wasteful effort. It could be a material object, monetary help or even a piece of advice for that matter - giving by force is not appreciated.
Taking by force is obviously not moral either. Nobody wants anything snatched from them for any reason! Even eating under force can come under this umbrella. No one relishes the food that he is forced to eat! Just the power struggle can put off even a hungry man from wanting to eat.
Using strength to make one write anything is not useful either. One might be given an imposition to write 'I shall not lie', a hundred times. But that forced writing does not help inculcate the value in that person. One can be forced to sign off his entire property. That, if proven, does not hold up in the court of law even. Moreover, one's true thoughts and emotions are expressed only when they are allowed freedom of expression, not due to a threat from the big and strong!
The poet (Manu) says any task that is achieved through force is wretched. No good fruits of action (karma) can be expected from such deeds. Pressurizing one to give in to others' strength will yield nothing but contempt and fear. Neither is beneficial for the betterment of either of the individuals involved. It only makes one a tyrant and the other, the threatened. Neither grows spiritually. It curtails the blossoming of the soul in both. Then, what is the purpose of showing unwanted force?
Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived! Plan long term.
pada vigrahaH:
बलात् दत्तं बलात् भुक्तं बलत् यत् च अपि लेखितम् ।
balāt dattaṃ balāt bhuktaṃ balat yat ca api lekhitam ।
सर्वान् बलकृतान् अर्थान् अकृतान् मनुः अब्रवीत् ॥
sarvān balakṛtān arthān akṛtān manuḥ abravīt ॥
balaaddattaM balaadbhuktaM baladyachchaapi lekhitam ।
sarvaan balakRutaanarthaan akRutaan manurabravIt ॥
- manusmRuti
balaat dattaM balaat bhuktaM balat yat cha api lekhitam ।
sarvaan balakRutaan arthaan akRutaan manuH abravIt ॥
No comments:
Post a Comment