June 3rd


Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
उद्यन्तु शतमादित्याः उद्यन्तु शतमिन्दवः ।
न विना विदुषां वाक्यैः नश्यत्याभ्यन्तरं  तमः ॥

- सभारञ्जन शतक

Transliteration:
udyantu śatamādityāḥ udyantu śatamindavaḥ ।
na vinā viduṣāṃ vākyaiḥ naśyatyābhyantaraṃ tamaḥ ॥
- sabhārañjana śataka

Meaning of the subhAShita:
May a hundred suns rise, may (there) rise a hundred moons.  (But) without listening to the words of the wise men, the internal darkness cannot be annihilated!

Commentary:
They say, 'there isn't enough darkness in the world to put out the light of one little candle'.  At the same time, at the other end of the spectrum, 'there isn't enough light in this world to eradicate an ounce of the darkness within, without listening to the wise words of wisdom from the learned'!

Humans are in a unique situation than any other living beings.  He is the only 'animal' blessed with the faculty of speech and understanding.  He is the only being who has been blessed with a thinking mind and an intellect to make choices!  Ever since the dinosaur era, has anyone heard of a more intelligent animal than a human?  Why on earth did God give that facility, if He did not mean to set us apart from the rest of the creatures?  Would the Lord create even a strand of hair without a purpose?!!  Similarly, why did He create such an elaborate and complicated structure of language and thought processes exclusively for the human race?!!  Obviously, there was a specific and essential purpose for it!  Would it be to show the supremacy of humans over other animals?  Definitely not!  Dominion and surrender aren't natural to any being.  That which doesn't come naturally, cannot be dharma.  That which is not dharma, CANNOT be the purpose in the Lord's mind!  Then, what could it be?  The only possible reason could be - to spread the knowledge..., the knowledge of the ultimate truth.

The poet says, the ignorance within (which is equated to darkness), can be eradicated only through listening to the wise words of the learned.  Even if a hundred suns rise at once and a hundred moons emerge along with them, all that collective light is not sufficient to decimate the ignorance within!  The one and only ray of hope to cure that internal murkiness is, 'listening to the teaching of the great masters and seers'.  No other choice!

Isn't it better to light that candle of knowledge than curse the darkness?!

May the quest of finding the light within bring us to our gurus.  May each of us find our guiding light and tread with ease towards attaining our goal. 

pada vigrahaH:
उद्यन्तु शतम् आदित्याः उद्यन्तु शतम् इन्दवः ।

udyantu śatam ādityāḥ udyantu śatam indavaḥ ।

न विना विदुषां वाक्यैः नश्यति आभ्यन्तरं तमः ॥
na vinā viduṣāṃ vākyaiḥ naśyati ābhyantaraṃ tamaḥ ॥

Alternate Transliteration:
udyantu shatamaadityaaH udyantu shatamindavaH ।
na vinaa viduShaaM vaakyaiH nashyatyaabhyantaraM tamaH ॥
- sabhaara~njana shataka

udyantu shatam aadityaaH udyantu shatam indavaH ।
na vinaa viduShaaM vaakyaiH nashyati aabhyantaraM tamaH ॥

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