September 25th

Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
न भार्यया समं मित्रं न च धर्मो दयासमः ।
न स्वातन्त्र्यसमं सौख्यं गार्हस्थ्यान्नाश्रमो वरः ॥
- पद्मपुराण

Transliteration:
na bhāryayā samaṃ mitraṃ na ca dharmo dayāsamaḥ ।
na svātantryasamaṃ saukhyaṃ gārhasthyānnāśramo varaḥ ॥
- padmapurāṇa

Meaning of the subhAShita:

There is no friend equal to the wife; there is no dharma (ordinance) that equates to compassion; there is no comfort parallel to freedom; there is no āśrama (stage of life) more blessed than that of a householder.

Commentary:

Unparalleled aspects of life -

• One cannot find a friend better than a spouse.  There are many stages of life and one leans on different people at different times for different requirements.  He eventually does outgrow them all.  One depends on parents in childhood, but then, the parents pass on... One may think children, but, they grow their wings and move on...  Friends come and go.  It is only the spouse that hops on the wagon during the prime of one's life and stays on till the end - be it good times or bad!  The most intimate and longest relationship one can possibly share throughout his life is with the spouse.  Hence, there is no friend better than the wife/husband!
• The essence of all scriptures preaches one chosen ordinance - compassion.  If that is learnt and imbibed, there is no need for reading or chanting any religious/spiritual texts.  Whether one is literate in the various practices or not, if one can have compassion towards all beings just the same, his spiritual training has already excelled.
• One can have the best of comforts.  But, if he is imprisoned in the shackles of a jail cell, or even inside the walls of a palatial mansion for that matter, he can't be happy!  The sense of liberation one feels in freedom is second to none and all beings always long for that complete freedom.
• The householder's stage has been deemed the best of all stages of life!  The technical definition of a gṛhastha (householder) is a person who is married and is undertaking the responsibilities of the family.  Why is this stage considered as the best of all stages of life?  It is because he is in the prime years of his life.  His schooling is completed, his body is hale and healthy, and his children and elders alike look for support from him.  He is the one who helps sustain all the other 3 stages of life in the society, namely - student-hood; retirement; old age.

Nothing equals the happiness of the person who performs his deeds to the best of his abilities and knows the value of these privileges when he has them.

pada vigrahaH:
न भार्यया समं मित्रं न च धर्मः दया-समः ।
na bhāryayā samaṃ mitraṃ na ca dharmaḥ dayā-samaḥ ।

न स्वातन्त्र्य-समं सौख्यं गार्हस्थ्यात् न आश्रमः वरः ॥
na svātantrya-samaṃ saukhyaṃ gārhasthyāt na āśramaḥ varaḥ ॥

Alternate Transliteration:
na bhaaryayaa samaM mitraM na cha dharmo dayaasamaH ।
na svaatantryasamaM saukhyaM gaarhasthyaannaashramo varaH ॥
- padmapuraaNa

na bhaaryayaa samaM mitraM na cha dharmaH dayaa-samaH ।
na svaatantrya-samaM saukhyaM gaarhasthyaat na aashramaH varaH॥