August 5th

Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
घटं भिद्यात् पटं छिन्द्यात् कुर्याद्रासभरोहणम् ।
येन केनाप्युपायेन प्रसिद्धः पुरुषो भवेत् ॥

Transliteration:
ghaṭaṃ bhidyāt paṭaṃ chindyāt kuryādrāsabharohaṇam ।
yena kenāpyupāyena prasiddhaḥ puruṣo bhavet ॥

Meaning of the subhAShita:

Destroy a pot, tear up a cloth(banner), (or) mount a donkey (too)!  By one means or another, become a famous person!!

Commentary:

"By hook or crook, achieve thy goal" - this seems to be the tagline that some people ardently believe in!  

The poet sarcastically says, to become famous, some will resort to any measure.  This could mean breaking things and making noise, tearing stuff and attracting attention, or even riding a donkey to make it to the headlines!  

This is appalling to some, whereas it comes naturally to a few others.  They create all kinds of melodrama to get the spotlight onto themselves.  People whose pictures make it to the newspaper are either famous or infamous. So, to claim fame of any type, one can choose to be either a good cop or a great thief. Pictures of both people shall be published!­! 

 
It is up to each individual to choose their path to becoming famous or infamous. Fame, they say, is merely the advantage of being known to people you neither know nor care about. Both fame and famous people are fleeting. So, why compromise honesty and morality for the sake of illusion? Should we chase something so transient and unreal?

Make your pick!

pada vigrahaH:
घटं भिद्यात् पटं छिन्द्यात् कुर्यात् रासभ-रोहणम् ।
ghaṭaṃ bhidyāt paṭaṃ chindyāt kuryāt rāsabha-rohaṇam ।

येन केन अपि उपायेन प्रसिद्धः पुरुषः भवेत् ॥
yena kena api upāyena prasiddhaḥ puruṣaḥ bhavet ॥

Alternate Transliteration:
ghaTaM bhidyaat paTaM Chindyaat kuryaadraasabharohaNam ।
yena kenaapyupaayena prasiddhaH puruSho bhavet ॥

ghaTaM bhidyaat paTaM Chindyaat kuryaat raasabha-rohaNam ॥

yena kena api upaayena prasiddhaH puruShaH bhavet ॥