Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
क्रोधो वैवस्वतो राजा तॄष्णा वैतरणी नदी।
विद्या कामदुघा धेनुः सन्तोषो नन्दनं वनम्॥
- चाणक्य नीति
krodho vaivasvato rājā tṝṣṇā vaitaraṇī nadī।
vidyā kāmadughā dhenuḥ santoṣo nandanaṃ vanam॥
- cāṇakya nītiMeaning of the subhAShita:
Anger is the Lord of the South (Yama, the Lord of death), and intense desire is hell's river, Vaitaraṇī (to be crossed over after death). Knowledge is like the wish-fulfilling cow, and contentment is heaven's paradise.
Commentary:
Both heaven and hell lie in our own reach.
Anger sits just one letter away from danger. To give wisdom over to anger is, to willingly surrender to Yama, the Lord of Death. Anger never solves anything; instead, it destroys everything good. It’s a counterfeit power—no one can be controlled by it, but will only get controlled by it. What begins in anger often ends in shame. When anger stirs, it is best to pause and consider the cost; this alone can bring the mind to calm. Otherwise, unchecked anger is a fast track to our own demise.
Equally perilous is intense desire. Desires can take any form, and once rooted, will not let the mind rest until they’re satiated—often at any cost. Strong cravings are likened to the Vaitaraṇī River from the scriptures, a filthy boundary between the living and the dead. After death, each jīva must cross it, its ease dependent on the life they led. But if one wants to create a living hell for himself here and now, having unrelenting desires is the easiest way!
By contrast, knowledge is a wish-fulfilling cow (Kāmadhenu), a source of endless bounty. One need not seek heaven to have wishes fulfilled; true knowledge guides us to a life that itself feels heavenly. Knowledge is both power and liberation.
Contentment is finding peace in the present. Cravings have no end; the verse already compared it to the river of hell. Contentment, however, is a celestial garden, Nandanavana, where peace and joy flourish. Contentment sprouts from deep satisfaction rooted in acceptance of who we are and our situations. The serenity obtained by this kind of satisfaction is nothing short of a heavenly grove!
Thus, heaven or hell is in our hands. Our minds hold the power to choose—to live in anger and insatiable desire and call it hell, or to pursue knowledge and contentment and live in heavenly bliss. The choice is ours!
pada vigrahaH:
क्रोधः वैवस्वतः राजा तॄष्णा वैतरणी नदी।
krodhaḥ vaivasvataḥ rājā tṝṣṇā vaitaraṇī nadī।
विद्या कामदुघा धेनुः सन्तोषः नन्दनं वनम्॥
vidyā kāmadughā dhenuḥ santoṣaḥ nandanaṃ vanam॥
krodho vaivasvato raajaa tRUShNaa vaitaraNI nadI |
vidyaa kaamadughaa dhenuH santoSho nandanaM vanam ||
- chaaNakya neeti
krodhaH vaivasvataH raajaa tRUShNaa vaitaraNI nadI |
vidyaa kaamadughaa dhenuH santoShaH nandanaM vanam ||
No comments:
Post a Comment