Subhashita #0030

The guru or the spiritual master has a very serious responsibility on his shoulders. Unless he properly trains his disciples in the science of bhakti, the disciples cannot overcome their anarthas and cross over the ocean of birth and death. It is therefore recommended by śāstra that the guru should be strict with the disciple. When the guru is strict, the disciples immediately show many good qualities without much effort.

In the past, children in gurukul would be taught by teachers who were compassionate in their hearts but were very strict externally. The sage Patañjalī says in the introductory part of his mahā-bhāṣya — "yaḥ udātte kartavye anudāttam karoti khaṇḍikopādhyāyaḥ tasmai capeṭām dadāti anyat tvam karoṣi iti" — "If any student incorrectly utters a mantra in a low-pitch where a high-pitch is expected, the teacher immediately slaps him and says — utter it properly!"

This merciful chastisement by the guru immensely helps the disciple later in life. A subhāṣita-verse specifies the importance of such strictness:

gīrbhir gurūṇāṁ paruṣākṣarābhis

tiraskṛtā yānti narā mahattvam

alabdha-śāṇotkaṣaṇā nṛpāṇāṁ

na jātu maulau maṇayo vasanti

"[While giving instructions], the disciple who is chastised by the guru by using harsh words attains immense greatness later in life. Its true! A diamond which has not been severely tested, polished and subjected to stress does not find itself on top of the king's crown."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, sāmānya-nītiḥ, page 173, verse 760)

Subhashita #0029

When Krishna and the gopīs attained pre-adolescence, the parents of the gopīs were forced by society to marry off the gopīs to other cowherd men. After the marriage was performed, the gopīs did not go immediately to the homes of their in-laws. They stayed at the homes of their parents but were severely restricted in going out anywhere.

These conditions were already intolerable, and on top of that the scorching summer season arrived. The days would be scorching, but the nights would be even worse, for these nights burnt the gopīs even more in the fire of viraha (separation). On one particular night, Sri Radha in her mood of separation experienced a burning sensation throughout her body and looking at the moon, she started talking to herself in a fit of madness as follows:

sāyaṁ nāyam udeti vāsara-maṇis candro nu caṇḍa-dyutir

dāvāgni katham ambare kim aśaniḥ svacchāntarīkṣe kutaḥ?

hantedaṁ niraṇāyi pāntha-ramaṇī-prāṇānilāśāśayā

dhāvad ghora-vibhāvarī viṣadharī bhogasya bhīmo maṇiḥ

"[Why is this bright moon-like orb burning me? Sri Radha argues with herself as follows:] Is this the sun? No it can't be, because the sun doesn't rise in the night. Is it the moon? It can't be, because the moon would never burn my body. Is it a forest fire? Can't be, because there can't be a forest fire in the sky. Is it some flash of lightning? Can't be, because the sky is completely clear. How can there be a lightning in a clear sky?

Oh yes! Now I understood! This must be a big sparkling jewel on the hood of a large snake eagerly running in my direction to snatch away my life!"

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Page 302, Verse 117).

Subhashita #0028

Proper enjoyment is not possible in this material world. It is full of varieties of fear at each moment. Bhartṛhari describes the entire situation in a beautiful subhāṣita-verse:

bhoge roga-bhayaṁ kule cyuti-bhayaṁ vitte nṛpālād bhayaṁ

māne dainya-bhayaṁ bale ripu-bhayaṁ rūpe jarāyā bhayam

śāstre vādi-bhayaṁ guṇe khala-bhayaṁ kāye kṛtāntād bhayaṁ

sarvaṁ vastu bhayānvitaṁ bhuvi nṝṇāṁ viṣṇoḥ padaṁ nirbhayam

"[Life is fearful at each and every step] — In enjoyment there is fear of disease; in noble birth there is fear of falling from its high standards; in earning wealth there is the fear of kings and governments; a person having great respect in society has the fear of infamy; even powerful armies fear their enemies; beautiful people fear old-age; in becoming a learned scholar there is always the fear of someone knowing better than us; and people with good qualities always have to fear the rascals.

And [if all these fears are kept aside] the fear of death is a constant companion. [What a damned world] where everything is fraught with fear! Lord Viṣṇu's abode alone is free of fear."

— (Vairāgya-śataka of Bhartṛhari, Verse 31, Haridāsa-variation)

Subhashita #0027

Vaishnava culture and Indian culture in general is famous for its hospitality towards guests. As devotees, we are expected to feed our guests royally, sumptuously and without any reservations. If we act in a miserly way while feeding guests who come to our home or to the temple, it reflects badly on vaiṣṇava culture and annoys the Lord. A guest is a representative of all the gods, and especially a vaiṣṇava guest is considered as the representative of the Supreme Lord.

On a particular day, a temple organized a feast where varieties of rice, dāl, vegetables etc. were being served. One particular devotee was in-charge of serving pure golden colored ghee on the rice.

Now since pure ghee is an expensive food-item, this devotee wanted to save as much ghee as possible. Thus, he would serve only a few drops on each plate.

A poet was sitting in one of the rows. When the poet saw the tiny amount of ghee being served on his plate, he quickly composed the following witty Sanskrit poem:

sañcāriṇī kāñcana-vallarīva
vidyul-latā vā patitā nabhastaḥ
ghṛtasya dhārā patitā na jāne
divaṁ gatā vā 'tha bhuvaṁ gatā vā

"[The poet said to the ghee-server]: O my goodness! What was that? Was that a golden chain running away from me? Or was that a golden flash of lightning falling from the sky? That stream of golden ghee, where did it go? Did it disappear in the sky or did it enter the earth? [Wherever it went, I am pretty sure that it did not fall on my plate of rice] :-) ".
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— (Composed by an unknown author. Inspired from a Marathi poem composed by Keśava-suta).

Subhashita #0026

When Srila Rupa Goswami retired from government service, he saved a part of his retirement pension for his personal emergency. This is a good practice for sādhūs because in times of emergency, one should not have to borrow a loan from someone. A sādhu who doesn't have any creditors is a happy sādhu, and such a sādhu can perform bhajana peacefully.

The last thing a sādhu would want is to see the angry face of a demanding creditor. Therefore, intelligent souls save enough money so that they may not have to borrow a loan ever in life. The following subhāṣita-verse illustrates this point:

loka-dvaya-prati-bhayaika-nidānam etad-

dhik prāṇinām ṛṇam aho pariṇāma-ghoram

ekaḥ sa eva hi pumān param asti loke

kruddhasya yena dhanikasya mukhaṁ na dṛṣṭam

"Alas! Taking a loan is one of the most disturbing acts in the world. It spoils this life [because one is always in anxiety about paying it back] and [if not paid back] it spoils one's next life [because one gets a severe reaction]. A truly fortunate person in this world is one who never has to see the frowny face of an angry creditor."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Ṛṇam, page 98, verse 3)

[PS: If one does not pay back a loan, one has to pay multiple times the same amount in his/her next life. Therefore śāstra suggests that if someone dies while a loan is pending, the son should take responsibility and try to pay it back. This will avoid the sinful reaction for the father.]

Subhashita #0025

One of the most important lessons to be learnt by a devotee in spiritual life is to not be carried away too much by the uncharitable opinions of others. This may also include the uncharitable opinions of devotees who are not like-minded to oneself. The world has become full of people who don't hesitate to find faults in others yet are extremely sensitive when someone finds a fault in them.

We perform Krishna-bhakti for our own purification, and anyone who tries to bring down our enthusiasm for sevā is a person fit to be ignored. Various people have various insecurities in their lives and they may vent it out on us in order to feel secure. The intelligent devotee learns early in spiritual life never to be influenced by any unwanted remarks made by others.

Bhartṛhari — one of the most expert Sanskrit grammarians of all times has framed the following subhāṣita-verse:

jāḍyaṁ hrīmati gaṇyate vrata-rucau dambhaḥ śucau kaitavaṁ

śūre nirghṛṇatā munau vimatitā dainyaṁ priyālāpini

tejasviny avaliptatā mukharatā vaktary aśaktiḥ sthire

tat ko nāma guṇo bhavet sa guṇināṁ yo durjanair nāṅkitaḥ

"[Some people have a way of finding faults in everyone] — they perceive gentle behavior as weakness of character; they perceive a strict follower of rituals/vows as a proud pretender; an honest person as a hypocrite; a brave person as cruel; an introvert as a fool; a sweet talker as a bootlicker; an influential person as haughty; an extrovert as overly talkative and a peaceful sage as incompetent of material progress. Name one good quality that these rascals have not maligned with their fault-finding!"

— (Nīti-śataka of Bhartṛhari, Verse 54)

Subhashita #0024

Association of rogues always brings about a humiliating and distressful situation for the sādhūs (the saintly souls). Sometimes an aspiring sādhu may make friends with such rogues for some temporary benefit, but it always brings upon misfortune on the aspiring sādhu. This is illustrated by the following subhāṣita-verse:

haṁso 'dhvagaḥ śramam apohayituṁ dinānte
kāraṇḍa-kāka-baka-koka-kulaṁ praviṣṭaḥ
mūko 'yam ity upahasanti lunanti pakṣān
nīcāśrayo hi mahatām apamāna hetuḥ

"A swan was tired due to traveling the entire day. [Since he had not yet arrived back to his home], he decided to relieve the fatigue by entering into flocks of ducks, crows, cranes and geese. Wherever he went they all attacked him, roughed up his feathers and laughed on him, calling him a mute. Therefore, taking shelter of rogues is always a source of humiliation for the saintly souls."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Asat-saṁgati-nindā, page 88, verse 13)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 15th April 2015).

Subhashita #0023

One can never escape his/her karma. The Purāṇas say that just as a calf is able to locate its mother among a million cows, karma is able to locate its reciever similarly and thus, one can never escape what is destined for him. Those who have nothing but bad karma written in their previous lives have no other option but to suffer the results. Bhartṛhari describes it using the following subhāṣita-verse:

khalvāṭo divaseśvarasya kiraṇaiḥ santāpite mastake

vāñchan deśam anātapaṁ vidhi-vaśāt tālasya mūlaṁ gataḥ

tatrāpy asya mahāphalena patatā bhagnaṁ sa-śabdaṁ śiraḥ

prāyo gacchati yatra bhāgya-rahitas tatraiva yānty āpadaḥ

"A bald man's head was burning by the strong rays of the sun. He decided to find some relief from the heat, and by the arrangements of providence he found shelter under a palm-tree. Even after finding relief with such great difficulty, a coconut fell on him, breaking open his head with a loud cracking noise. Truly, wherever an ill-fated person goes, his misfortunes follow him."

— (Nīti-śataka of Bhartṛhari, Verse 90)

(Originally published on Facebook on 14th April 2015).

Subhashita #0022

As a devotee, Srila Rupa Goswami expects us to be a 'kavi', or an expert in aesthetic taste. Human life is meant for tasting bhakti-rasa. It may be okay if a newcomer in Krishna-bhakti may not be immediately able to appreciate the deeper aspects of Krishna-bhakti and its rasas. However, the same cannot be said about someone who has been practicing for more than a decade or two.

If one remains an arasika — a person devoid of any taste for bhakti-rasa, one has not sufficiently utilized the human form of life.

Once, in an assembly of such expert rasika poets, there arrived a person who had no knowledge of arts, music or literature. This one person was sufficient to single-handedly bring down the entire mood of the assembly. Seeing such an arasika, Bhartṛhari composed the following verse:

sāhitya-saṅgīta-kalā-vihīnaḥ

sākṣāt paśuḥ puccha-viṣāṇa-hīnaḥ

tṛnaṁ na khādann api jīvamānas

tad-bhāgadeyaṁ paramaṁ paśūnām

"Persons devoid of any taste in literature, music or arts are verily like animals without tails and horns.

[but still there is a difference between animals and such people].

The only difference is that the animals eat grass for surviving, while such people do not, and this should be considered the supreme good fortune of the animals [for if such people started eating grass, the poor animals would have nothing left to eat]."

— (Nīti-śataka of Bhartṛhari, Verse 12)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 12th April 2015).

Subhashita #0021

kṛṣṇo devaḥ kali-yuga-bhavaḿ lokam ālokya sarvaṁ

pāpāsaktaṁ samajani kṛpā-sindhu-caitanya-mūrtiḥ

tasmin yeṣāṁ na bhavati sadā kṛṣṇa-buddhir narāṇāṁ

dhik tān dhik tān dhig iti dhig iti vyāharen nu mṛdaṅgaḥ

"Seeing that all the souls in Kali-yuga are addicted to sinful activities, Lord Krishna appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the ocean of mercy. However, to those people who do not see Mahāprabhu as Lord Krishna, does the mṛdaṅga not criticise them by saying — dhik tān, dhik tān dhik dhik?"

— (Śrī-śaci-nandanāṣṭakam by Srila Narahari Sarakāra, Verse 9)

[Import: The mṛdaṅga produces the sounds dhik tān. Another meaning of the term 'dhik' is 'fie' and another meaning of the word 'tān' is 'upon them'. So 'dhik tān' means 'fie upon them'. Thus, Sri Narahari Sarakara says that even the mṛdaṅga calls out 'dhik tān dhik tān' to those who do not accept Sri Chaitanya Mahāprabhu as Krishna."]

(Originally posted on Facebook on 11th April 2015).

Subhashita #0020

Misers are everywhere and in every field of life. Some are misers in giving money to the needy, while some others are misers in giving the gift of knowledge.

There is also a special category of devotee misers who although have received the wonderful treasure of Krishna-bhakti, do not distribute it to others. Seeing all these varieties of misers, a Sanskrit poet composed the following subhāṣita-verse:

kṛpaṇaḥ sva-vadhū-saṅgaṁ
na karoti bhayād iha
bhavitā yadi me putraḥ
sa me vittaṁ hared iti

"If a son is born to me, he will grow up to squander away all my wealth" — Thinking in this way, the miser refuses to sleep with his wife.

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Kṛpaṇa-nindā, page 71, verse 16)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 9th April 2015).

Subhashita #0019

When someone cracks a witty joke, an expert personality knows how to reply by cracking another witty joke. This is illustrated by the following subhāṣita:

kva tiṣṭhatas te pitarau
mamevety aparṇayokte pari-hāsa-pūrvam
kva vā mameva śvaśurau
taveti tāmīrayan sasmitam īśvaro 'vyāt

"[Lord Shiva does not have any parents, so Aparṇā (Pārvati Devi) jokingly said to him]: 'Do you think you have parents as good as mine?' [In other words, at least in this regard you are lesser than me]. Lord Shiva laughed and replied, 'Do you think you have in-laws as good as mine?'
May that Lord Shiva protect us all."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Śiva, Page 4, Verse 30)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 8th April 2015).

Subhashita #0018

Traditionally, before a student would begin studying the Vedas, the knowledge of the six limbs of the Vedas would be imparted to him. Vyākaraṇa or Sanskrit-grammar is the first and foremost limb of the Vedas. Pāṇini says 'mukhaṁ vyākaraṇaṁ smṛtam' — "Sanskrit Grammar is the effulgent face of the Vedas". The students first learn grammar for many years in the Gurukula before being taught the Vedas. By learning Sanskrit grammar, one learns how to pronounce words correctly. A subhāṣita-verse speaks about the importance of learning grammar:

yadyapi bahu nādhīṣe tathāpi paṭha putra vyākaraṇam
sva-janaḥ śva-jano mā bhūt sakala śakala sakṛc chakṛt

"O Son! Even if you don't study much of anything else, at least study grammar properly. By doing so, you will avoid the mistake of mispronouncing sva-jana (relatives) as śva-jana (dogs), or the mistake of mispronouncing sakala (entire) as śakala (partial), or the mistake of mispronouncing sakṛt (once) as śakṛt (stool)."

— Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Vaiyākaraṇa-praśaṁsā, page 42, Verse 2)

[Import: While singing in Sanskrit, although its true that Krishna accepts the mood of the devotee and does not consider the mistakes in pronunciation, this should not become a sorry excuse for deliberately not learning the correct pronunciation. Many times we mispronounce and say — yasya prasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi. This is incorrect and it is an offensive statement which means — "By the guru's mercy, one cannot make any advancement."

The correct pronunciation is — yasyāprasādān (with the long ā in the middle), not yasya prasādān. Sometimes we say — he rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-śūno kutaḥ — O Radha! Lalita! O fat girls of Nanda, where are you?" The correct pronunciation is nanda-sūno not nanda-śūno. As devotees, we should try to improve our pronunciations as much as possible, because the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam says that a single mispronunciation caused Vṛtāsura to be killed by Indra.]

(Originally posted on Facebook on 7th April 2015).

Subhashita #0017

Wherever there is an excessive pursuit of wealth, there will always be the struggle to maintain one's high standard of living. Thus, one will not be able to find time to study scriptures or in some cases even perform the basic devotional activities. The greater the pursuit of wealth, the lesser time one gets for svādhyāya (self-study). This is illustrated by the following subhāṣita-verse:

kuṭilā lakṣmīr yatra prabhavati na sarasvatī vasati tatra

prāyaḥ śvaśrū-snuṣayor na dṛśyate sauhṛdaṁ loke

"Wherever the crooked mother-in-law named Lakshmi (controlling deity of wealth) resides, the daughter-in-law Saraswati (controlling deity of knowledge) does not reside there. This is because usually, one cannot easily find the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law getting along with each other."

- (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Lakṣmī-svabhāva, Page 62, Verse 10)

[Import: Lakshmi devi is Lord Vishnu's wife, and Lord Brahma is born out of Lord Vishnu's navel. Thus, he is considered as the son of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi devi. The wife of Lord Brahma is Saraswati devi and therefore Lakshmi and Saraswati are related to each other as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law respectively. Usually, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law do not get along very well. This example is used to show that pursuit of wealth and pursuit of knowledge do not get along very well.

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.10) says that one should earn as much as required to maintain oneself happily and should not strive for more. One should spend the rest of his/her time cultivating bhakti, or else the valuable chance for acquiring god-realization may be lost in this human form of life.]

(Originally posted on Facebook on 6th April 2015).

Subhashita #0016

Jyotiṣa, or astrology is one of the six limbs of the Vedas. It is common practice in India to consult an astrologer after a child is born, or before a marriage is arranged. However, some individuals become too dependent on astrologers and many of these astrologers are not trained well enough.

In the recent years, many shortcut techniques to learn Jyotiṣa have been invented, and many so-called astrologers just study a book or two and start making a business out of astrology. In the śāstra, it is said — 'ati sarvatra varjayet' (too much of anything is to be avoided). This includes over-dependence on astrologers. Sometimes people end up taking an incorrect decision in life just because they did not depend on Krishna, but rather depended on an astrologer.

The Sanskrit term for astrologer is "gaṇaka". A person once went to a pseudo-astrologer on seeking some financial advice and invested some money according to the advice given. The astrologer charged a hefty fees. After a few months, the money was lost and the astrologer refused to give a refund. The person who was cheated of his money, thus composed the following subhāṣita-verse:

gaṇikā-gaṇakau samāna-dharmau

nija-pañcāṅga-nidarśanāv ubhau

jana-mānasa-moha-kāriṇau tau

vidhinā vitta-harau vinirmitau

"A gaṇaka (pseudo-astrologer) is actually similar to a gaṇikā (prostitute). Both are expert at showing pañcāṅga — The so called astrologer shows his pañcāṅga (five astrological charts) whereas the prostitute shows her pañcāṅga (five secret body parts — two breasts, two buttocks and genitals). In this way, both bewilder and deceive the ordinary simple-minded souls and have been created by Lord Brahmā for snatching away the wealth of such ordinary people."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, ku-gaṇaka-nindā, page 44, verse 2)

Subhashita #0015

When a householder is blessed with financial prosperity by Krishna, he should not be a miser and should give sufficient charity to worthy people. This will ensure that he will be blessed with similar wealth in future lives.

If not charity, he should at least spend it for enjoyment so that he will be happy in this life. A miserly person who neither gives away a share of his money in charity nor enjoys it himself will end up losing that money to others by arrangements of providence. An example of this is the story of Avantī-brāhmaṇa in the 11th Canto of the Bhāgavatam. A subhāṣita-verse illustrates the same point:

dātavyaṁ bhoktavyaṁ sati vibhave sañcayo na kartavyaḥ

paśyeha madhu-karīṇāṁ sañcitam arthaṁ haranty anye

"In times of prosperity, one should either give charity or enjoy the wealth, but one should not try to save it like a miser. [One who keeps piling up money like a miser is sure to lose it some day]. Just see how the honey stored in the hive by the bees is taken away forcibly by someone else!"

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Dāna-praśaṁsā, Page 69, Verse 17)

[Import: The honey-bees neither give away the honey stored in the hive, nor do they enjoy it themselves. It stays there only to be taken away some day by someone else forcibly. A similar fate awaits the miser who neither wishes to give charity nor wishes to enjoy his hard-earned money.]

Subhashita #0014

In times of need, everyone shows good behavior. The true test of character is when one shows good behavior even when it is not expected. A Sanskrit verse demonstrates this point:

ārtā devān namasyanti

tapaḥ kurvanti rogiṇaḥ

nirdhanā dānam icchanti

vṛddhā nārī pati-vratā

"The distressed automatically start paying obeisances to the gods [for they have no other option]. The diseased naturally perform various austerities [for they have no other option]. The poverty-stricken desire to give big donations [for they do not have the option of doing it in real life] and an old lady automatically shows devotion to her husband [for all hope of attracting paramours is lost]."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Sāmānya-nītiḥ, page 157, Verse 168)

[Import: Therefore saintly souls advise that 'dharma' or true religion must be performed even when there seems to be no selfish results being offered in return.]

Subhashita #0013

When envious people criticise us and put us to test in a severe way, all we can do is tolerate. Their only motivation in life is to pull us down, and if we try engaging with them in any sort of a dialogue, we have only fallen a victim to the traps set by them.

George Bernard Shaw once said, "I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."

Those who aspire to be sādhus therefore should try very hard to learn the quality of tolerance, even if in the process they may fail on some occasions. Slowly but surely, tolerance will win and the sādhu will be able to escape free from this world. A particular verse in this mood describes a golden ornament speaking the following words to a goldsmith:

he hema-kāra! para-duḥkha-vicāra-mūḍha!
kiṁ māṁ muhuḥ kṣipasi vāra-śatāni vahnau?
sandīpyate mayi suvarṇa-guṇātireko
lābhaḥ paraṁ tava mukhe khalu bhasma-pātaḥ

"[The golden ornament says to the goldsmith]: O Goldsmith! You are certainly fully unaware of the suffering experienced by others! Why do you test me by throwing me in fire hundreds of times?
[But even if you do so, the result is that] the brilliance of my golden color keeps increasing with every test, whereas your only achievement is that your face progressively becomes covered with more soot and ash."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Suvarṇa-kāraḥ, Page 246, Verse 23)

Subhashita #0012

One should never become a miser. On seeing a miserly rich man who does not give any charity to anyone, an expert Sanskrit-poet composed the following poem:

bhakte dveṣo jaḍe prītir
arucir guru-laṅghanam
mukhe kaṭukatā nityaṁ
dhanināṁ jvariṇām iva

Translation:

The miser and the fever-afflicted person have the following common faults in them:

1) bhakte dveṣa — Resentment towards a bhakta (The term 'bhakta' means 'servant', and the term 'bhakta' also means 'rice'. The miser shows resentment towards his servants and the fever-afflicted person shows resentment towards eating rice.)

2) jaḍe prīti — Affection towards 'jaḍa' (The term 'jaḍa' means 'object of material enjoyment'. It also means 'water'*. The miser shows affection towards objects of material enjoyment whereas the fever-afflicted person has affection only for drinking water, for he cannot digest anything else.)

3) aruci — The miser has aruci (disinterest in anything else besides money) and the fever-afflicted soul has aruci (lack of taste in eating anything).

4) guru-laṅghanam — The term 'guru-laṅghanam' means 'contempt towards one's seniors such as father, mother etc.'. Another meaning for the term 'guru-laṅghanam' is 'fasting for a long time'. The miser has contempt for one's seniors, whereas the fever-afflicted person fasts for a long time. In this way, both exhibit guru-laṅghanam.

5) mukhe kaṭukatā nityam — The miser always has his mouth filled with harsh words (mukhe kaṭukatā) whereas the fever-afflicted soul always has his mouth filled with a bitter taste (mukhe kaṭukatā).

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, dhana-nindā, page 64, verse 4)

* — 'jaḍa' changes to 'jala' by the grammar rule — 'ḍa-la-yor abhedaḥ'.

(Originally posted on Facebook on 30-March-2015).

Subhashita #0011

The more a person becomes learned, the more he/she should learn to be quiet. When a learned person starts showing off his/her skills too much too often, it becomes a source of false prestige and such a person may eventually end up as a slave to other people's desires. This is described in the following verse:

śuka tava paṭhanaṁ vyasanaṁ
na guṇaḥ sa guṇābhāsaḥ
samajani yenāmaraṇaṁ
śaraṇaṁ pañjara-vāsaḥ

"[The crow, who is flying free says to the parrot in the cage]: O parrot! Although regular study and memorization is a great quality, but in your case it is not so. In your case it only appears to be a good quality [but actually gives a bad result]. This is because your quality of singing well, memorizing and repeating keeps you in a cage until you die."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Śukaḥ, Page 227, Verse 184)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 29-March-2015).

Subhashita #0010

Sometimes in this world we make big plans to improve ourselves materially, only to realize later that it was all in vain. A popular English song says — "Life is cruel, and then you die!".

Better to perform hari-bhajana in whatever situation we find ourselves while endeavoring only as much as required to keep the body fit and happy.

Srila Rupa Goswami has also warned us against 'prayāsa' or over-endeavour in the material world. The following subhāṣita-verse describes the condition of those who dream too much about becoming happy in the material world by over-endeavor:

sva-sva-vyāpṛti-magna-mānasatayā matto nivṛtte jane
cañcū-koṭi-vighaṭṭitārara-puṭo yāsyāmy ahaṁ pañjarāt
itthaṁ kīra-vare mano-ratha-mayaṁ pīyūṣam āsvādayat-
yāntaḥ sa-praviveśa vāraṇa-karākāraḥ phaṇi-grāmaṇīḥ

"[A parrot in the cage was thinking as follows]: 'When everyone in this house will be busy in their respective work and won't be paying attention to me, I will strike the door of this cage a million times with my beak and break it. Thus I will be able to leave this prison.'
While the parrot was happily tasting the nectar of his mental speculation, a snake as fat as the trunk of an elephant entered quietly into the cage. (End of story)"

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Śukaḥ, Page 228, Verse 202)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 28-March-2015).

Subhashita #0009

Always avoid extreme familiarity with anyone, for it makes people take you for granted. Two similar sounding verses illustrate this point:

Verse 1:

atiparicayād avajñā santata-gamanād anādaro bhavati
malaye bhilla-purandhrī candana-taru-kāṣṭham indhanaṁ kurute

"Extreme familiarity leads to contempt, and visiting someone's home constantly leads to disrespect. The aborigine lady who stays in Malaya-hills [a hill consisting only of sandalwood trees] ends up using sandalwood as her cooking-fuel." (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Sāmānya-nītiḥ, page 169, Verse 723)

Verse 2:

atiparicayād avajñā santata-gamanād anādaro bhavati
lokaḥ prayāga-vāsī kūpe snānaṁ samācarati

"Extreme familiarity leads to contempt, and visiting someone's home constantly leads to disrespect. Those who reside in Prayag [an extremely holy place where Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati meet] end up bathing by pulling water from local wells." (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Sāmānya-nītiḥ, page 169, Verse 722)

[Import: The aborigine lady does not understand the value of sandalwood, and ends up using it as cooking fuel. The people residing in Prayag do not understand the value of bathing daily in the holy rivers. Better to keep a distance if we find someone disregarding us due to extreme familiarity.]

(Originally posted on Facebook on 27-March-2015).

Subhashita #0008

Never instruct a person who is foolishly proud of the little knowledge he/she has received. In the Bhakti-sandarbha, Srila Jiva Goswami uses a special term for a fool who is proud of the little knowledge that he has. The term is — 'jñāna-lava-durvidagdha'. This term literally means 'burnt out in the pride of a mere fraction of knowledge'.

There are many people who receive some higher knowledge from a senior vaishnava, and considering this knowledge to be the only and the absolute version of truth, they start preaching it vigorously. Nobody can convince them otherwise, not even if you put the plain facts in front of them. It's their way or the highway. This term 'jñāna-lava-durvidagdha' describes such a person. It was taken by Sri Jiva Goswami from Bhartṛhari's Nīti-śataka, which describes such a person:

ajñaḥ sukham ārādhyaḥ
sukhataram ārādhyate viśeṣajñaḥ
jñāna-lava-durvidagdhaṁ
brahmāpi taṁ naraṁ na rañjayati

"The completely foolish person can be convinced easily [by giving him sweet words]. The intelligent can be convinced even more easily [by speaking the plain truth]. However, even Lord Brahma cannot convince a person who has become puffed up due to little knowledge [therefore, keep far away from such people]." (Nīti-śataka, Verse 3)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 26-March-2015).

Subhashita #0007

Different individuals in the material world have different desires. This is explained with the help of a vivid example of an Indian wedding as follows:

kanyā varayate rūpaṁ
mātā vittaṁ pitā śrutam
bāndhavāḥ kulam icchanti
miṣṭānnam itare janāḥ

"[In a typical Indian wedding], the bride desires a smart and handsome man; her mother desires a financially stable man; her father desires a highly educated man; the immediate relatives desire a good family man; and all others — they simply desire to have good sweets in the wedding feast!"

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Saṁkīrṇaka-prakaraṇa, page 387, Verse 401)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 25-March-2015)

Subhashita #0006

Those absorbed in māyā will never appreciate Krishna-bhakti, even if they get the association of great souls. In fact, they continue to enjoy in this world shamelessly:

kṛmi-kulacitaṁ lālā-klinnaṁ vigandhi-jugupsitaṁ
nirupama-rasaṁ prītyā khādan narāsthi nirāmiṣam
surapatim api śvā pārśvasthaṁ vilokya na śaṅkate
na hi gaṇayati kṣudro jantuḥ parigraha-phalgutām

"A human bone devoid of flesh, filled with parasites, dripping with saliva, giving out an obnoxious smell is eaten with great delight by a dog. Such a dog considers it the greatest taste, and does not care a fig even if Lord Indra is standing in front of him. Indeed, the lowly jīvas absorbed in material life cannot understand its worthlessness [and can never appreciate spiritual life]." (Nīti-śataka, Verse 9)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 23-March-2015)

Subhashita #0005

A saintly soul is never ungrateful, and never forgets even the small favors bestowed on him/her, especially in the difficult times:

prathama-vayasi pītaṁ toyam alpaṁ smarantaḥ
śirasi nihita-bhārā nārikelā narāṇām
dadati jalam analpāsvādam ājīvitāntaṁ
nahi kṛtam upakāraṁ sādhavo vismaranti

"Remembering the little drops of water that were sprinkled on it in its childhood by a kind person, the coconut tree carries the load of coconuts for all humans and gives them nectarean water throughout its life. Indeed, saintly souls never forget even a small favor [and dedicate their lives to repaying it back]."
— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Sajjana-praśaṁsā, page 51, Verse 220)

[Import: For a devotee, the greatest favor he/she receives is the transcendental knowledge of Krishna-bhakti from a bona-fide guru. In return, if the devotee does not preach it to others by giving any excuse, then such a devotee risks being ungrateful to the guru. Not giving the gift of spiritual life to others is the greatest hypocrisy. Forgetting the favour that was bestowed on him/her, such a devotee gradually slips back into māyā and practises a relaxed and compromised version of Krishna-bhakti within his/her comfort-bubble.]

(Originally posted on Facebook on 22-March-2015)

Subhashita #0004

The aim of any system of yoga is to conquer the mind and make it favorable to the Lord. The aim is not to conquer the senses and achieve mastery over them:

jaḍās tapobhiḥ śamayanti dehaṁ
budhā manaś cāpi vikāra-hetum
śvā muktam astraṁ daśatīti kopāt
kṣeptāram uddiśya hinasti siṁhaḥ

"The fools try to conquer and pacify the senses by their austerities. The intelligent on the other hand, try to conquer the original cause — the mind. This is because the mind is the root of all material distress. Just like the foolish dogs express their anger by trying to bite the arrow that has hit them, whereas the intelligent lion finds out the hunter (the cause of distress) and slaughters him."

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Vicāraḥ, Page 375, Verse 238)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 21-March-2015)

Subhashita #0003

Depending on others materially and residing in a foreign place is always a source of distress:

śirasā dhāryamāṇo 'pi
somaḥ somena śambhunā
tathāpi kṛśatāṁ dhatte
kaṣṭaḥ khalu parāśrayaḥ

"Depending on others and accepting their shelter is certainly a cause of distress [for one cannot live freely in such situations]. Although the moon is provided a residence on his head by Lord Shiva (and Parvati), it is unable to attain its complete maturity and remains always restricted in the form of a crescent."
— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Para-gṛha-vāsaḥ, Page 96)

[Import: The moon never attains fullness on the head of Lord Shiva. It always remains a partial crescent, simply because it feels uncomfortable in a foreign place being dependent on someone else. Similar is the condition of the jīva, who cannot express itself completely in the foreign environment of the material world due to being dependent on various ungrateful entities. Only on attaining complete dependence on the Lord does the jīva find its real well-wisher and is able to express itself fully and live freely.]

(Originally posted on Facebook on 20-March-2015)

Subhashita #0002

Sādhu-saṅga can make a disqualified person achieve the impossible:

asajjanaḥ sajjana-saṅgi-saṅgāt
karoti duḥsādhyam apīha sādhyam
puṣpāśrayāc chaṁbhu-śiro 'dhirūḍhā
pipīlikā cumbati candra-bimbam

"By the association of great souls, a rascal can achieve the impossible, just as an ant in the association of a flower on the hair of Lord Shiva can actually perform the feat of touching the moon."

- (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Sat-saṅgati-praśaṁsā, page 87)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 19-March-2015)

Subhashita #0001

In an assembly of people whose only motivation is to demotivate and criticize, it is wiser to keep silent and have faith in hari-guru-vaiṣṇavas:

kolāhale kāka-kulasya jāte
virājate kokila-kūjitaṁ kim?
parasparaṁ saṁvadatāṁ khalānāṁ
maunaṁ vidheyaṁ satataṁ sudhībhiḥ

"When a loud commotion of a massive group of crows is going on, there will be no value of a cuckoos sweet voice. Similarly when rascals converse with each other, the saintly souls advise us to keep 'constantly' quiet." (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Mauna-guṇāḥ, page 86)

(Originally posted on Facebook on 18-March-2015)

A peerless lotus garland for Sri Radha (amlānāmbuja-mālā)

Seeing that Krishna is suffering pangs of separation, the mañjarīs approach Śrī Rādhe with a peerless lotus garland, and say to her:

surata-rati-rate sarasa-rasa-rase

mura-maraka-rame varatara-varade

hara hara dharaṇī-dhara-dhara-virahaṁ

sphura ca rati-rasaṁ sura-vara-turage

SYNONYMS

surata-rati-rate — O [Rādhe] engaged (rate) in amorous love (surata-rati)!

sarasa-rasa-rase — O [Rādhe], the flowing river (rase) of delightful (sarasa) conjugal mellows (rasa)!

mura-maraka-rame — O [Rādhe], the beloved (rame) of Mura’s killer (mura-maraka)!

varatara-varade — O [Rādhe] bestower (varade) of excellent benedictions (varatara)!

hara hara — Please drive away! Please drive away!

dharaṇī-dhara-dhara-viraham — The feeling of separation (viraham) of the lifter (dhara) of the great mountain Govardhana (dharaṇī-dhara);

sphura ca rati-rasam — and (ca) bring about (sphura) mellows of conjugal love (rati-rasam);

sura-vara-turage — in the heart (turage) of [Krishna], the master of all gods (sura-vara);

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

O Rādhe, engaged in amorous love! O flowing river of delightful conjugal mellows! O beloved lover of Mura’s killer! O bestower of excellent benedictions! Please drive away, drive away the feeling of separation of the lifter of the [Govardhana] hill, and bring about mellows of conjugal love in the heart of [Krishna] the master of all gods.

SANSKRIT EXPLANATION

virahākuṇṭhitaṁ kṛṣṇam ālokya mañjarī-gaṇāḥ śrī-rādhikām amlānāmbuja-mālāṁ dattvā tāṁ prati prārthayanti — ‘surata-rati-rate’ iti. surata-ratau yā ratā magna-cittā sā surata-rati-ratā. sarasa-rasasya madhura-rasasya yā rasā nadī sā sarasa-rasa-rasā. rasā nadī iti ṛg-veda-bhāṣye sāyaṇācāryeṇa likhitam. mura-marakasya murāreḥ yā ramā sā mura-maraka-ramā. marakaḥ mārī iti jaṭā-dharaḥ. varatarasya su-śobhitasya varasya yā dātrī sā varatara-varadā. nāma-catuṣṭayena sambodhayitvā mañjaryaḥ punaḥ samprārthayanti — he rādhike! dharaṇī-dhara-dharasya govardhana-dharasya kṛṣṇasya virahaṁ hara tathā sura-varasya kṛṣṇasya turage citte rati-rasaṁ sphura! turagaḥ cittam iti medinī.

READING THE LOTUS-DIAGRAM

Each lotus can be read in a peculiar fashion. For example, the first term — surata-rati-rate can be read as follows:

 

THE LOTUS DIAGRAM

 

Āryā-sapta-śatī Verse 51 — A Clever Pun

The famous poet named Sri Govardhana Acharya composed the magnum opus named ‘Āryā-saptaśatī’. The title literally means — ‘Seven hundred verses in the āryā-meter.’ The āryā is a difficult to sing meter having many variations. Many authors (Srila Rupa Goswami included) use āryā as a meter in the auspicious invocatory verses of their respective literature.

Verse 51 of the Āryā-sapta-śatī has a special play on words:

masṛṇa-pada-rīti-gatayaḥ sajjana-hṛdayābhisārikāḥ surasāḥ
madanādvayopaniṣado viśadā govardhanasyāryāḥ

—(Āryā-sapta-śatī, Verse 51)

External Meaning:
“Their words (pada) flow (gatayaḥ) in a soft manner (masṛṇa-rīti); they are the captivators (abhisārikā) of the hearts of gentlemen (sajjana-hṛdaya); they are full of suitable rasa (surasāḥ); they are like the great manual (upaniṣadaḥ) for the unparalleled god of love (madana-advaya). Indeed, the poetic āryās (verses in āryā meter) of the poet Govardhana (govardhanasya) are full of unfathomable qualities (viśadā).”

Internal Meaning:

“Their feet (pada) walk around (gatayaḥ) in a gentle manner (masṛṇa-rīti); they are the amorous lovers (abhisārikā) of the heart of the gentle soul Krishna (sajjana-hṛdaya); they are full of passionate conjugal love (surasāḥ); they are the ones who always sit near (upaniṣadaḥ) the unparalleled god of Love (madana-advaya) i.e. Krishna. Indeed, the chaste gopī ladies (āryās) belonging to the Govardhana Hill (govardhanasya) are full of unfathomable qualities (viśadā).”