Coconut island people - न हि नारिकेल-द्वीप-वासिनः

COCONUT-ISLAND PEOPLE

na hi nārikéla-dvīpa-vāsinaḥ
न हि नारिकेल-द्वीप-वासिनः

“The people of Coconut Island get no understanding (or visions) of the hump when they hear the unfamiliar word cow.”

A tourist had wandered off into a remote village. There he found he had run out of money. He asked someone for an ATM machine. No one knew. He said, ‘Debit card, you know, to get cash?’ And no one was any wiser. Mentioning further strange words related to an ATM did not add anything to the knowledge base of the villagers.

When one has no idea of a thing, mentioning of one aspect does not give any more information on other aspects. Hint to the wise is enough. But that too works when something is of common, familiar or known background.

In his memoirs from his India visit around 630 CE, the Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang refers to some islanders north of Sumātrā island, maybe the Anḍamān and Nicobār Islands, who lived only on coconuts. The reference seems to be to these island people. Prashastapāda mentions them in Vaishéṣhika-bhāṣhya and says that the people of southern India are as unaware of camels as these islanders of cows.

Be on the same page with your audience, team and people. Take them from the known to the unknown. Else, you can keep babbling about the unknown and they will wonder where you lost your marbles.

>> Communicate effectively.

Read more such sayings in the book of Sanskrit Maxims (print) or e-book on Kindle

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And now the language aspects  -

Language notes:
न हि नारिकेल-द्वीप-वासिनः अप्रसिद्ध-गो-श्रवणात्ककुदादिमदर्थ-प्रतिपत्तिर्भवति
= na hi nārikéla-dvīpa-vāsinaḥ aprasiddha-go-shravaṇāt-kakuda-ādi_mat-artha-pratipattiḥ bhavati |

na = not.
hi = surely.
nārikéla = coconut.
dvīpa-vāsinaḥ = island-dwellers.
aprasiddha = not famous.
go = cow.
shravaṇāt = upon hearing.
kakudādimat = of awareness (mat) about bovine hump (kakuda) etc. (ādi).
artha = meaning.
pratipattiḥ = acquiring, gaining, knowledge.
bhavati = happens.


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