Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Signs of the interested - मुखं प्रसन्नं विमला च दृष्टिः

मुखं प्रसन्नं विमला च दृष्टिः कथाऽनुरागो मधुरा च वाणी |
स्नेहोऽधिकः सम्भ्रमदर्शनञ्च सदानुरक्तस्य जनस्य लक्ष्म ||

mukham prasannam vimalA cha dRiShTiH kathA~nurAgo madhurA cha vANI |
sneho~dhikaH sambhramadarshana~ncha sadAnuraktasya janasya lakShma || [ITRANS]

mukhaṃ prasannaṃ vimalā ca dṛṣṭiḥ kathā'nurāgo madhurā ca vāṇī |
sneho'dhikaḥ sambhramadarśanañca sadānuraktasya janasya lakṣma || [IAST]

Happy face, pleasant gaze, interested in conversation, sweet speech, lot of affection, to see again and again (eager to see) - these are the characteristics of one who is always interested in you. [Hitopadesh 1.115]

This shloka comes in Hitopadesh when 'hiraNyaka' (हिरण्यक) the golden mouse was telling his past to his friends the pigeon king 'chitragrIva' (चित्रग्रीव) and the crow 'laghu-patanaka' (लघुपतनक). He said that he used to live in the hut of a ascetic (sannyAsI). One day his friend came to him. During conversation, the ascetic was not paying attention, because he was on the lookout of the mouse who would come and eat his food or cut his cloths.

His friend then said, 'O friend, you don't seem to be paying attention, where is your focus? As they say - Happy face, pleasant gaze, interested in conversation, sweet speech, lot of affection, to see again and again (eager to see) - these are the characteristics of one who is always interested in you.'

The story goes on, but this is a gem of study in human behavior.

When we are interested in some one or like someone very much - lover, friend, relation, employee - we are eager to meet them. This was specially true before the communication revolution (phone, internet, webcam etc.) but it is still true. We are social animals and we always like to meet people. Relations are the key to social life, its richness or poverty. They can be blood relations or otherwise.

When we meet someone we like very much, just the sight of them makes us happy, ear to ear smile, eyes moisten with joy! As if we will drink them up with our eyes! And we are not satisfied with just one gaze, we keep looking at them. We keeping looking out for them, and when we see them, we want to keep looking at them. And we want to talk a lot, there is extra sweetness in the voice as well as the words. Affection is dripping like syrup!

Surely, this must be true when people who traveled out, won't be keeping contact often. And when they came back, they had months to catch up on! And hopefully, even in this mad rush world of today, we have someone in life that we want to meet so eagerly!


Meet people with intensity! Make them feel special. Pay attention to the moment.

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and now the language aspects of the shloka -

मुखं = mukham = face

प्रसन्नं = prasannam = happy

विमला = vimalA = pure, without malice
vi-mala = without (vi-) impurity (mala)
vimalA is feminine.

च = cha = and

दृष्टिः = dRiShTi = gaze

कथाऽनुरागो = kathA-anurAgaH = interest in conversation (kathA)
kathA = story. from kath = to say
rAga = affection
anurAga = interest, affection, attachment

मधुरा = madhurA = sweet. (feminine)
madhura is masculine (the trailing -a or -A/-aa does make the difference)

वाणी = vANI = speech (fem.)

स्नेहोऽधिकः = snehaH-adhikaH = lot of affection
snehaH = oil, affection. both reduce friction!
adhikaH = excess, plenty

सम्भ्रमदर्शनञ्च = sambhram-darshanam-cha = eager to see
bhrama = wandering
sambhrama = wandering a lot
darshanam = sight, vision, glimpse of something/someone
this phrase means that the gaze is wandering a lot to get a glimpse, so eager is the mind to see it doesn't rest without seeing. Always looking out.

सदानुरक्तस्य = sadA-anuraktasya = of (-sya) the one who is always (sadA) attached (anurakta)

जनस्य = janasya = of (-sya) the person (jana)

लक्ष्म = lakShma = mark, characteristic.

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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Avoid the evil person - दुर्जनेन समं सख्यं

दुर्जनेन समं सख्यं वैरञ्चाऽपि न कारयेत् ।
उष्णो दहति चाङ्गारः शीतः कृष्णायते करम् ॥

durjanena samaM sakhyaM vaira~nchA~pi na kArayet |
uShNo dahati chA~NgAraH shItaH kRRiShNAyate karam ||(ITRANS)

durjanena samaṃ sakhyaṃ vairañcā'pi na kārayet ।
uṣṇo dahati cāṅgāraḥ śītaḥ kṛṣṇāyate karam ॥(IAST)
 




Do not make a friend or an enemy of an evil person. [Because] a burning coal burns, cold [coal] blackens the hand. (Hitopadesh 1:79)

How should we deal with an evil person? Maybe if we are friends with them, we may get benefits of their evil schemes? Or should we be enemy to them?

A piece of burning coal, cinder, will burn our hands. But a cold coal blackens the hand, makes it dirty. Similarly, making enemy of an evil person will cause us harm. Making friends with them will give us ill-repute. So we should avoid them altogether as much as possible.

This advice is in generic situations. It is not always possible or right. For example, someone has to confront the wrong doer. Someone has to stand up for the right thing. When we are able to, we should. Those who are in position of power and to do something, should indeed use it to get rid of evil. But, it is not always possible.

So, ordinarily, it is best to just avoid evil people. Don't ask favors, don't do favors, just avoid and do your work. Life is too short to makes evil enemies or make dirty one's own reputation.

[Check out Attitude Shift.]

Another variation is found as:
दुर्जनेन समं वैरं प्रीतिं चापि न कारयेत् ।
उष्णो दहति चाङ्गारः शीतः कृष्णायते करम् ॥

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and now the language aspects of the shloka -

दुर्जनेन = durjanena = duH + jana + -ena = bad + person + -by
= by evil person

समं = samam = equal

सख्यं = sakhyam = friendship (sakhI = friend)

वैरञ्चाऽपि = vaira~nchA'pi = vairam + cha + api = animosity + and + also
= and also animosity

न = na = not

कारयेत् = kArayet = should do

उष्णो = uShNo = uShNaH = hot (due to burning)

दहति = dahati = burns

चाङ्गारः = chA~NgAraH = cha + a~NgAraH = and burning coal

शीतः = shItaH = cold
कृष्णायते = kRiShNAyate = blackens (kRiShna = black)

करम् = hand

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(c) shashikant joshi । शशिकांत जोशी । ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः ।
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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Target-missing marksman - अपराद्धेषोरिव धानुष्कस्य

aparāt-hi-iṣhoḥ-iva dhānuṣhkasya
अपराद्धेषोरिव धानुष्कस्य

“Empty boasting of an archer whose arrow always misses the mark.”


“The chatter
of a talkative person who knows not the matter,
is useless like target-missing-archer's swagger.” (Māgha)
 

The loudest chatterers are usually the ones who are not proficient in their expected domain, and want to cover up. Rather than covering up, maybe we should find our true skills and spend energies there. If we are in the 'wrong side of the town' for some reason, we should at least not boast about our own shortcomings as strengths. Rather, we should try to improve upon them.

Falsehood does not last long. And when the water-balloon of fakeness bursts, it wets our own head. Humility itself is the best cover for shortcomings. People do not mind a nice person with some flaws, but they dislike a constipated ‘expert’.

Pride goes forth on horseback, grand and gay; but comes back on foot, and begs its way.

Do a job so good that other people talk about it! Use that free publicity. Let our actions speak for themselves. Usually they speak louder than words anyways.

Let your work do the talking.

Language notes:
अपराद्धेषोरिव धानुष्कस्य कण्ठाडम्बरः
= अपरात्-हि-इषुः-इव धानुष्कस्य कण्ठ-आडम्बरः
= aparāt-hi-iṣhoḥ-iva dhānuṣhkasya kaṇṭha-āḍambaraḥ |
= offmark-surely-arrow-like_such bowsman's throat-showoff

iṣhuH = arrow.
iva = like (as in 'like this way')

dhanuH = bow
dhānuṣhka = archer.
kaṇṭha = throat.
āḍambara = show off


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(c) shashikant joshi । शशिकांत जोशी । ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः ।
Practical Sanskrit. All rights reserved. Check us on Facebook.