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)