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)