Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
शनैरर्थः शनैः पन्थाः शनैः पर्वतमारुहेत् ।
शनैर्विद्या च धर्मश्च व्यायामश्च शनैः शनैः ॥
Transliteration:
śanairarthaḥ śanaiḥ panthāḥ śanaiḥ parvatamāruhet ।
śanairvidyā ca dharmaśca vyāyāmaśca śanaiḥ śanaiḥ ॥
Meaning of the subhAShita:
Wealth (is accumulated) steadily, travel (is done) slowly, a mountain is climbed step-by-step, knowledge (is accrued) progressively and so is dharma, and exercise too, (is done) slowly.
Haste makes waste!
In many aspects of life, speed is irrelevant; what truly matters is that we keep moving forward, without retreating. There’s a reason this wisdom endures: it’s not about how fast we accomplish things, but how deeply we immerse ourselves in the process.
Wealth isn’t built in a day. It’s the quiet outcome of saving, little by little, over time. Traveling in a hurry may fill a checklist of destinations, but it robs us of the joy of soaking in the culture, the heartbeat of each place. Rushing to scale a mountain only exhausts the climber at the base, leaving no energy for the summit.
Knowledge, too, is not something to skim over; it requires time to settle into the folds of our understanding. Dharma—living a virtuous life—can’t be achieved in one swift moment. It’s not a task to be ticked off a list but a lifelong pursuit, a process that demands continuous effort.
Exercise teaches us the same truth: it isn’t just a matter of bending the body but straightening the mind. It’s a harmony between breath and movement. Strength doesn’t come from a sudden burst of effort but from gradual, mindful practice.
Patience is the essence of life itself. Nature works at her own deliberate pace. A seed takes its time to sprout. A sapling grows little by little, gaining strength before it flowers. Those flowers eventually transform into seeds once more—step by step, the cycle renews.
When we rush, we miss the scenery—and worse, we lose sight of our destination and purpose. The temptation to skip steps often overwhelms us, making the task seem insurmountable and tempting us to give up. So, taking time is a necessary skill.
Work steadily and with purpose—never backward. In the end, it’s not the swift who prevail, but those who persevere, slow and steady. After all, that’s the only race worth winning.
शनैः अर्थः शनैः पन्थाः शनैः पर्वतमारुहेत् ।
śanaiḥ arthaḥ śanaiḥ panthāḥ śanaiḥ parvatam-āruhet ।
शनैः विद्या च धर्मः च व्यायामः च शनैः शनैः ॥
śanaiḥ vidyā ca dharmaḥ ca vyāyāmaḥ ca śanaiḥ śanaiḥ ॥
shanairarthaH shanaiH panthaaH shanaiH parvatamaaruhet |
shanairvidyaa ca dharmashcha vyaayaamashcha shanaiH shanaiH ||
shanaiH arthaH shanaiH panthaaH shanaiH parvatamaaruhet |
shanaiH vidyaa cha dharmaH cha vyaayaamaH cha shanaiH shanaiH ||
I enjoy reading a few of your sanskrit pearls every morning...helps me learn some sanskrit besides imparting age old wisdom. Would be more interesting if you could add the source and word meanings
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