Tomorrow's stuff today - श्वः-कार्यमद्य कुर्वीत

How many times have we cribbed about not having the 25th hour in the day? Time management is such an important thing, with lot of budget on corporate training.

A wonderful advice I heard about time management is - "Finish it off the first time." E.g. handling email, or filing papers, paying bills etc. When you first get the email, immediately do what should be done - reply, delete, file etc. When you get a bill, immediately pay it. When an important paper passes through your hands, immediately file it appropriately.

There are many saying to this effect in Hindi and other Indian languages.
काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब्ब |
पल में परलय होयगी, बहुरि करेगा कब्ब ||'

'kaal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so abb |
pal me paralay hoyegee, bahuri karegaa kabb ||'

i.e. What you have to do tomorrow, do today, what [you have to] do today, do it now. Catastrophe may happen in a moment, when will you do so many [things that you have to do]'

Here is an almost verbatim source of these saying from an ancient source, the 'mahAbhArata' [shAnti-parva]. I was pleasantly surprised to see this. It also reinforced the notion that the two epics of 'rAmAyaNa' and 'mahAbhArata' have had a profound impact on everything India - drama, poetry, polity, sayings, stories, metaphors, names of places, people. But to see couplets of Kabir verbatim in Sanskrit, also shows how well read Kabir was or how common the Epics were among common wisdom of the land.

श्वः-कार्यमद्य कुर्वीत, पूर्वाह्णे चापराह्णिकम् |
न हि प्रतीक्षते मृत्युः, कृतं वास्य न वा कृतम् ||

shvaH-kAryamadya kurvIta, pUrvAhNe chAparAhNikam |
na hi pratIkShate mRityuH, kRitam vAsya na vA kRitam ||

Which translates to -
Tomorrow's work, should do it today, and afternoon's [work] in forenoon.
Death does not wait [for] whether [work] has been done or not done.

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and now the language aspects of the shloka -
shvaH = [that which is for] tomorrow

kAryamadya = kAryam + adya
kAryam = work
adya = today

kurvIta = should do

pUrvAhNe = in forenoon
chAparAhNikam = cha + aparAhNikam = and + [that which is for] afternoon

na = not
hi = surely, for emphasis

pratIkShate = waits
IkSha = eye
prati + IkSha + A = pratIkShA = wanting to see with eyes, have eye to eye, wait.

mRityuH = death

kRitam = done, completed
vAsya = vA + asya
asya = of this [person]
na = not
vA = or
kRitam = done

asya kRitam vA, na kRitam vA = his [work] done or not done

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

Small but many can still add up - वधू-माष-मापन

As was the tradition, a man used to give alms to any one who came to his door, a beggar or two or an occasional monk. Usually his wife was the one who would give a handful of mASha (माष) beans. This was a daily morning routine.

The man also had a son, who one day grew old enough to get married. As was the custom in earlier days, the bride was comparatively younger. One day while the daughter-in-law came to serve him food, the man saw that she had much smaller hands compared to his wife's. So he thought of a novel idea to save some money and yet not be seen as a miser.

Next day, he told his wife to let the daughter-in-law give the alms. The young lady gave out alms of one fistful of beans, and indeed it was a much smaller fist. The man was really happy, that even though he is technically giving out a fistful of grain in charity, the fist is smaller and he is saving while building credit of good deeds! What a jackpot.

But, soon, he found that the number of beggars and monks coming to his house increased substantially. News of the new bride, a beautiful young damsel had spread, and now the young villagers were disguising themselves as beggars and monks just to get a chance to see the daughter-in-law.

So the man, even though giving smaller portion of grain, ended up giving more, since there were more people at his door.

For this the saying goes -
वधू-माष-मापन न्यायः = vadhU-mASha-mApana nyAyaH
= daughter-in-law measuring the [fistful of] beans [to give as alms]

It is used when one tries to reduce the loss by being smart, but actually ends up spending more. That is due to the fact that many smalls can add up to be more than a few bigs.

In modern times, the 'Profit at the bottom of the pyramid' theory, works on similar principle that less margin but high volume can also give you high profits. So serving the lower economic classes can also make huge profits, if you reach to a larger mass. Prahlad? CK?


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and now the language aspects of the shloka -
वधू-माष-मापन न्यायः
= vadhU-mASha-mApana nyAyaH

vadhU = bride. daughter-in-law
(groom = vara , that who is worthy of accepting, taking)
mASha = a kind of beans
mApana = act of measuring
nyAyaH = maxim


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

The misunderstood Swastika

Recently a news caught my attention, that a Pretend City Children's Musuem decided to put back the Swastika they had on display on a model Hindu home. The swastika was part of a decoration that is hung on the doors of many Hindu families. After protest from a few locals, they pulled it down. How could they have a model Hindu home, without this really ancient symbol?

Swastika is such an auspicious symbol in India that it is drawn (with hand) at every important occasion, wedding, prayer, festival. Every religious book or calendar has it. In any drawing of a deity, the swastika is a must. Shopkeepers have it on either sides of the shop entrance!

But thanks to one event some 60 years back in Europe, this symbol that was revered and held dear all over the world has become the most tabooed word. To dispel this misunderstanding, here are two pictures from an American greeting card that speaks fondly of this symbol. I had found these almost a decade back, but now the internet is providing many more images of its abundant and peaceful use in Western world as well.

Four Ls make a swastika. But that is NOT the real meaning :)

Birthday wish swastika.

The word Swastika, स्वस्तिक, is made from Sanskrit words su + asti = well + being (सु + अस्ति = स्वस्ति) or all be well. the -ka suffix makes it a symbol, i.e. swastika is one that symbolizes well being, brings well being, good fortune.

Next to OM ॐ, swastika is the most ubiquitous and revered symbol in one of the oldest living tradition of India.

Below, on the boon and fearlessness-bestowing right hand of "lord ganesha" (गणेश) is the swastika. On his trunk is the symbol OM. Lord Ganesh is the most revered and first-prayed-to god (Adi-pUjyam आदि-पूज्यम्) among the various manifestations of the divine force.

Lord Ganesh - first-prayed-to bestows well-being through swastika

The symbol is so ingrained in the art and culture of India, that it is even mingled with the next most 'artified' symbol, that of Lord Ganesh himself. Lord Ganesh is made from so many variety of things and in so many ways that it amazes the mind of any artist. A simple lump of clay, or a beetle-nut can signify Ganesh. So can a coconut. Ganesh have been made of banana leaves, or artfully in simple black and white with Swastika as below.

Lord Ganesh and Swastika combined artfully.

The word 'swasti' appears even the Vedas and Upanishads. It is found in many shAnti-pATha-s (शान्ति-पाठ), including e.g. in the Mudaka Upanishad (muNDaka-upaniShad मुण्डक-उपनिषद्) -

Which roughly translates -
May we hear good with the ears, and see good with the eyes. May our body be strong and healthy, may we sing praises. Indra, who is well-praised, is good for/to us. Pusha (pooShaa, pUShA, पूषा), the all knowing, is good for/to us. Tarkshya (tArkShya, तार्क्ष्य), the all saving is good for/to us. Brihaspati (bRihaspati, बृहस्पति) is good for/to us. Let there be three fold peace.

Here the word 'swasti' is used four times, in lines 3 and 4, as the first word of each half - स्वस्ति

It is good that the Pretend City Children's Museum has woken up to the possibility of dire ignorance, and chosen to honor a tradition that predates script, not just scriptures. For the Vedas were not written, but composed and remembered and preserved and transmitted orally.

Rejoice the symbol of good wishes, well being and favorite of all cultures till about half a century back. Let not our blinding ignorance due to one man take out the anger on this millennia old symbol. After all, the inquisition and witch-hunt of European Dark Ages has not led to any hatred or ban for the cross.

If you do step in India, swastika will of course be in your face all over - from the front of an auto rickshaw to the back of a truck, and even at your office on a festival occasion. Smile,, when you see it, for the well wishes of the universe, from all eight (four arms, and four diagonal corners) directions is being bestowed on you.

Swastika with four diagonal corners.

Some more references to the symbol. These images have been collected from various sites on the internet. Many thanks to the owners -

coronado naval base, san diego

It is only a sign from good luck land.

Good luck sign of a hundred lands - sky and sunset glow!

Even the US flag!!

Kuber yantra with OM and swastika border.

Welcome sign

Dalai Lama

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

fickle as the mongoose on a hot surface

long time ago i had seen a nature documentary where they showed a desert scene, and a lizard running across the vast ocean of hot sand. the lizard would walk or practically run over the sand for some time, then rest. but the sand was so hot it could not put all its feet on it at the same time.

so it would put down two feet, and keep two opposing ones up. quickly, it would change positions and keep the other two feet up, to save from the heat.

it reminded me of an interesting nyAyaH, situational observation in sanskrit. it is called mongoose on a hot surface. just the animal has changed, idea is same.

अवतप्ते-नकुल-स्थितम्
= avatapte-nakula-sthitam
= mongoose on a hot [road].

this situation is used for someone who is as fickle-minded as a mongoose on a hot surface.

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and now the language aspects of the shloka -

avatapte = in very hot [situation]
tap = heat
tapta = hot
ava-tapta = very hot
ava-tapte = in very hot [situation, surface, road, path]
-e suffix makes "in, on" etc.

nakula = mongoose. brave and cunning like a mongoose, who can defeat even a snake or cobra. name of one of the pANDava-s as well

sthitam = situated.

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