Wishful thinking is not enough - आशामोदकतृप्त न्यायः

laDDu

आशामोदकतृप्त न्यायः
= AshA-modaka-tRipta nyAyaH
= wishful-sweets-content maxim

Who doesn’t like sweets? Imagine you want to eat a laDDu (लड्डू) or a gulAba-jAmuna (गुलाब जामुन) or a cake. And I tell you to close your eyes, imagine you are eating the finger-smacking, tongue-tingling, syrup-dripping sweet thang called a gulAba-jAmuna – would that suffice? Won’t you, don’t you right now, just want to eat one as well?

If you are satisfied with just the hope or wish of the thing, what motivation will you have to get it? Wishes are not sufficient. You have to follow through and act upon them as well. Well, most of our wishes, the ones that are legal and moral!

आशा-मोदक-तृप्ता ये, ये चोपार्जित-मोदकाः ।
रस-वीर्य-विपाकादि तुल्यं तेषां प्रसज्यते ॥
AshA-modaka-tRiptA ye, ye chopArjita-modakAH |
rasa-vIrya-vipAkAdi tulyam teShAm prasajyate ||
(nyAya-kandalI, न्याय-कन्दली)


Those who enjoy merely imaginary sweets and those who eat real sweets, would [they really] have comparable experiences of flavor, strength, nutrition value etc.?

In kathA-sarit-sAgara (ocean of rivers of stories, largest collection of stories in one place) comes a wonderful reference to modaka. modaka can also be split as mA + udaka = not water.

tara~Nga (chapter) 6, 114-115
sA jalairabhiShi~nchantam rAjAnamasahA satI |
abravIn-modakairdeva paritADaya mAmiti || 114
tachchhrutvA modakAnrAjA drutamAnAyayadbahUn |
tato vihasya sA rAGYee punarevamabhAShata || 115

सा जलैरभिषिञ्चन्तं राजानमसहा सती ।
अब्रवीन्मोदकैर्देव परिताडय मामिति ॥ ११४
तच्छ्रुत्वा मोदकान्राजा द्रुतमानाययद्बहून् ।
ततो विहस्य सा राज्ञी पुनरेवमभाषत ॥ ११५

Where the king 'sAtavAhana' सातवाहन) while playing with his queen in water, misunderstood her 'modaka' to be the sweets rather than mA + udaka (no water)

GET REAL. WISHFUL THINKING IS NOT ENOUGH.

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and now the language aspects -

AshA = hope.
modaka = a sweet shaped somewhat like an onion, a laddu.
tRipta = content.

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