Sanskrit Slokas Vol 4

With pranams from K.
V,Ananthanarayanan, IRS, Addl Commissioner of Incometax, Trivandrum
1 devotion makes god out of stone
न दे वो �वद्यते का�े न पाषणे नमृण्म

भावे �ह �वद्यते देवः तस्माद् भावो �ह का
चाणक्यनी�तशतक
na devo vidyate kāṣṭhe na pāṣaṇe na mṛṇmaye|
bhāve hi vidyate devaḥ tasmād bhāvo hi kāraṇaṁ||
caaṇakyanītiśatakaṁ
ന േദേവാ വിദ�െത കാഷ്െട ന പാഷാെണ ന മൃന്
ഭാേവ ഹി വിദ�െത േദവ: തസ്മാത് ഭാേവാ ഹി കാര
It is futile to argue that god resides only in a piece of wood, or a part of a rock
or a lump of clay. It is the mind of the devotee which attributes divinity to an
idol made of wood, stone or clay. It is his devotion that is reflected by the
idol. So the attitude of the mind is the cause of everything.
The master implies that the idols are only symbols. True, but when millions of
minds perceive sacredness in that idol the idol will definitely turn into God.
--
2water, the mother and physician
ओमानम ् आपो मानुषीर ् अमु�ं

घात तोकाय तनयाय शं योः।
यूयं �ह � �भषजो मातृतमा
�व�स्य स्थातुर् जगतो ज�नत
ऋग्वेद ६----५०--७
oomānam āpo mānuṣīr amuktaṁ
ghāta tokāya tanayāya śa ṁ yoḥ|
yūyaṁ hi ṣṭha bhiṣajo mātṛtamā
viśvasya sthātur jagato janitrī||
ṛgvedaṁ 6----50--7
waters, you are the greatest friends of human beings, please give your
unfailing protection and blessings to our sons and grandson.
For you are the most benevolent and motherly physician, no, you are the
mother of all that are moving in remaining still.
The greatness and the life sustaining nature of the water was recognized all
the time and our forefathers were aware that the existence of future
generations hinged on our earnest attempt to worship and preserve the water
resource... so they equated water to the mother, the physician etc.,
--
kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

With pranams from K.V,Ananthanarayanan, IRS, Addl Commissioner of Incometax, Trivandrum
3initiative
प्रारभ्यते न खलु �वघ्नभयेनन

प्रारभ्य �वघ्न�नहता �वरमिन्त म
�वघ्नैमुर्हुमुर्हुर्र�प प्र�तहन
प्रारब्धमु�मगुणाः न् प�रत्यज
भतृर्हरे नी�तशतकम ् धैयर्पद्ध

prārabhyate na khalu vighnabhayena nīcai ḥ
prārabhya vighnanihatā viramanti madhyāḥ|
vighnairmuhurmurhurapi pratihanyamānā ḥ
prārabdhamuttamaguṇāḥ n parityajanti||
bhartṛhareḥ nītiśatakam dhairyapaddhatiḥ
praarabhyate na khalu vighnabhayena niichaiH

praarabhya vighnanihataa viramanti madhyaaH.
vighnairmuhurmurhurapi pratihanyamaanaaH
praarabdhamuttamaguNaaH n parityajanti..
bhartR^ihareH niitishatakam dhairyapaddhatiH
Men who are by nature cowards will never think of any new initiative
because the fear of defeat, real or imaginary has taken deep roots in their
psyche.
Another category of men are those who would give a try if the environs are
propitious, but would silently backout at the sight of the slightest possibility of
a setback.
But the really bold visionaries who are the salt of the earth, would start a
project with meticulous planning and will bring it to victorious conclusion
even if they face multiple roadblocks-many of them really tough-
(of course there is a difference between people who are assiduous and who are assinine... i
can be crowned as the leader of the second group... against heavy odds.. the worst being
eccentricity, I am prodding on with these slokas for about a year now... but i have not given
up not because i am noble but I do not have anything worthy to do apart from this.)

4 Aaapadi Kim Karaneeyam...?

By ananthanarayanan vaidyanatan
Aapadi Kim Karneeyam? Smaraneeyam padyayugalam ambaayaah, tat

smaranam kim kurute ? brahmaadeenapi kimkareekurute
॥आप�द �कं करणीयं स्मरणीयं पदयुगळमम्बायाः तद् स्मरणं �क ं कुरुते ब्र�
�कंकर�कुरुते
When one faces real threat to his existence, the only way out for him is the worship of
the lotus feet of Ambaa Sree Lalithaambika. And even if one remembers her for a
fleeting second, the entire world including the Brahmadeva Himself wait on his side
prepared to obey his orders.
The worship of a male god, as the fountainhead of all virtues and strength and a female
counterpart as the source of beauty, wealth and fertility is a common thread that runs
throughout almost all the ancient civilizations in the world. The greatest ever
civilization in the world, that of India also has the same tradition. In tribal worship we
can find the presence of this, either as Sakthi and Siva, Prakriti and Purusha or
whatever format and name that appealed to the ancient mind. The remnants of
Mohanjadaro and Harappa, which according to some schorlars is the starting point of
our Hindu Tradition, and by some others is a separate culture has left the remnants of a
fatherly male god the protector with a prominent phallus and a mother goddess, the
mother from whom springs all living beings, whose symbol is yonimudra. Whether that
culture was a separate one which went into ruins by some serious and shortlived
calamity, or which gave us the prototype of the prime Indian religion in its present
form, the worship of linga and yoni representing Shiva and shakti remains for ever.
In the beginning of Vedic culture the prominence was for the male gods under the
commandership of Indra with goddesses like Ushas, Medha, etc getting only fleeting
reference. Even in those periods the names of Goddesses like Swaahaa and Swadhaa
were prominent in connection with agni (fire) and aryamaa (the god of
pitrus). However may be out of human experience that one's own mother was the
greatest source of energy and protection for each of us and also the fact that the woman
as the wife alone can make the life of a male worth living, people started giving
prominence to the female as a deity. Through passing ages, in some cults, the mother
goddess gained ascendancy over the male counterpart. The tendency was germane even
in Vedas where great mantras were always considered as representing a female
deity. Gayathri is the most prominent example.
The prominence of Devi became unquestionable because life was never easy for any
members of an evolving culture, especially when it was subjected to a great extent by
non democratic controls by stronger constituents of the society, and the
suffering human being always craved for some mercy and tenederness and the woman

was always the embodiment of these virtues while the strong male was always
domineering.
In our country the fusion of the male and female divine forces is really
wonderful. Every great thinker and philosopher has underlined the mutual
complimenting of the male and the female forces.
Maybe the evolution is like this. The Lord Parameswara carried the entire universe on
His head in the shape of a crescent representing the upper worlds. In his matted hair he
carried the entire resources for the existence of humans, in the form of Ganga. He
carried the the two most potent natural sources of energy, the Sun and the Fire, in his
two eyes and the moon took his third eye. When concentrated evil oozed out in the form
of the poison Halahalam he gobbled it up and kept it as a concentrated lump in his
throat so that it cannot harm anyone. All the demonic forces, he kept under his feet in
the form of apasmaara. Then he burned of Kamadeva who created mutual attraction
between male and female, which represented happiness and fertility. This was too
much. The Sakthi, the prakriti, challenged this. She burned herself using her own yogic
powers. The world came to a standstill. Siva the purusha could not suffer the pangs of
separation. He carried the body of the burning Sakthi and ran amuck across the whole
country running and crying half in anger and half in anguish all the time. The
diplomat that is Mahavishnu, saw the catastrophe overtaking the universe and hence
he followed the Rudra at a safe distance and tactfully cut off one part after another of
the burning body of Sakthi. The pieces fell in one hundred and eight places in our
sacred country and each place became Sakthi Stala and the presence of Siva the great
and Vishnu the protector could be seen everywhere.
The things took a beautiful turn when the Sakthi again took birth as Parvathi and
adorned the Siva with the marriage garlands and the latter, realizing that it was too
difficult for himself to bear the brunt of maintaining the whole world all alone, gifted
half of his body to Shakthi, to become Ardhanaareeswara.
Adi Sankara, who is Lord Shiva himself. knew this well and so he proclaimed in the
Soundaryalahari....Sivah Sakthya yuktho yadi bhavati sakthah prabhavithum, na ched
evem devo na khalu kushalah spandithumapi.... Shiva when in the company of Shakthi
is capable of performing all the functions of creation, maintenance and destruction, but
the same God, if Sakthi is not with him will have the capacity even to move. a little
॥�शवः शक्त्या यु�ो य�द भव�त श�ः प्रभ�वतु चेदेवं दे वो न खलु कुशलः स्पिन्दतुम�
To express our gratitude to the mother who is the source of knowledge, wealth, energy
and all that is great we celebrate the Navarathri. The greatness of the celebration is in
its uniqueness that it is the one festival which is observed all over the country in all the
temples or households irrespective of what is the favourite deity of that temple or the
househlod.
May we place our pranaams at the lotus feet of the mother.Sree Maatre
Namah ॥श्रीमात्रे

5path to eterninty
प्राणाघातािन्नवृ��ः परधनह
संयमः सत्यवाक्य
काले शक्त्या प्रदानं युव�तज
मूकभावः परे षां
तृष्णास्रोतो�वभङ्गो गुरुषु च
सवर्भूतानुकम्
सामान्यं सवर्शा�ेष्वनुपहत�व
श्रेयसामेष पन्थ
भतृर्हरेः नी�तशतकम
prāṇāghātānnivṛttiḥ paradhanaharaṇe
saṁyamaḥ satyavākyaṁ|
kāle śaktyā pradānaṁ yuvatijanakathā
mūkabhāvaḥ pareṣāṁ
tṛṣṇāsrotovibhaṅgo guruṣu ca vinayaḥ
sarvabhūtānukampā
sāmānyaṁ sarvaśāstreṣvanupahatavidhiḥ
sreyasāmeṣa panthāḥ||
bhartṛhareḥ nītiśatakam
The following actions and traits will make a person eternally famous.
1. Abstaining from causing danger to the life of all beings.
2.Lack of inclination to steal others' wealth.
3.Truthfulness in words and deed
4.Inclination to help others financially at the appropriate time according to
ones own capacity.
5.Absolute silence when it comes to the question of respectable ladies of other
families.
6.Being helpful to poor and indigent people.
7.Complete sense of surrender to preceptors.
8.Capacity to see equality in all living beings and exhibiting compassion to
them.
9.Adequate knowledge in all types of arts and sciences.
The prescription of Bharthruhari is rather very tough and costly. If we can

emulate at least a few of the qualities, our lives will be splendid.

(friends, when i give the meaning of the verses, I do not go by the word by word
translation or consideration of syntax and grammatical rules..an erudite elaboration of
the ideas of the masters is beyond my idiotic mind. )
--

6bursting at the seams?

स भारः सौम्य भतर्व्यो यो नरं नावसादये
तदन्नम�प भो�व्यं जीयर्ते यद् अना
श्रीमद्वात्मी�करामायणं आरण् ५०--२७
sa bhāraḥ saumya bhartavyo yo naraṁ nāvasādayet|
tadannamapi bhoktavyaṁ jīryate yad anāmayaṁ||
śrīmadvātmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ āraṇyakāṇḍaṁ 50--27
സ ഭാര: െസൗമ� ഭര്തവ�ം േയാ നരം നാവസാദെയ
തദ് അന്നമപി േഭാക്തവ�ം ജീര�ാെത യദ്
One should undertake to bear only that much of load that he is capable of.
Similarly one should eat food only to the extent it will maintain him without
any illness.
It is the tendency of the overly ambitious persons to undertake to perform
things far beyond their capacity. In the end they are likely to fail and lose
respectability. The tendency to overeat is the cause of almost half the
problems in this worl

7intellectual slavery
परे षां चेतां�स प्र�त�दवसमारध्य बह
प्रसादं �कं नेतुं �वश�स हृदय क्लेशक�
प्रसन्ने त्वय्यन्तः स्वयमु�दत�चन
�व�व�ः सङ्कल्पः �कम�भल�षतं पुष्य�त न
भतृर्ह� वैरग्यशतक
pareṣāṁ cetāṁsi pratidivasamāradhya bahudhā
prasādaṁ kiṁ netuṁ viśasi hṛdaya kleśakalitaṁ|
prasanne tvayyantaḥ svayamuditacintamaṇigaṇo
viviktaḥ saṅkalpaḥ kimabhilaṣitaṁ puṣyati na te||
bhartṛhari vairagyaśatakaṁ
പേരഷാം േചതാംസി ്രപതിദിവസമാരധ� ബഹുധ

്രപസാദം കിം േനതും വിശസി ഹൃദയ േ�ശകലിത
്രപസെന്ന ത�യി: സ�യമുദിതചിന്താമണിഗേ
വിവിക: സങ്കല: കിമഭിലഷിതം പുഷ�തി ന െത
Oh my mind, why do you labour hard and repeatedly to please the hearts and
moods of others? If you can make yourself calm and clear, will not very pure
and spontaneous gems of thought arise from you ? And such noble thoughts
will pave way for the attainment of all your cherished goals.
Life is quite cumbersome for people who are forced to speculate in advance
what would please the boss or the elite who are to provide for
their subsistence. Gradually it becomes a habit with the ordinary human being
to extoll rightly or wrongly the thoughts and actions of others. Such dependence
on the whims of others kills the capacity of a human being to think calmly and
clearly and take decisions for himself. Intellectual slavery is worse than the
most potent poison.

8neither near nor too far
अत्यासन्ना �वनाशाय दूरस्था न फलप्

सेव्यतां मध्यभवेन राजा व��र् गुरुः ि�
चाणक्य नी�त
atyāsannā vināśāya dūrasthā na phalapradāḥ|
sevyatāṁ madhyabhavena rājā vahnir guruḥ striyaḥ||
cāṇakya nītiḥ
If one gets too close to a king, to fire, to a preceptor or a woman, it is doom for
him. But it will be equally disastrous to keep too much distance from them. A
sensible persons will do well to keep a balanced proximity with these people.
The favour of the king and men in power are essential for our existence. But
they wield the power to finish us in toto. A lot of discretion is required to deal
with them and also save our skin. Similarly, without fire, survival for us is well
nigh impossible. It is nice to cook our food but it may not be pleasant to cook
ourselves.
The preceptor is also of the same category. If we keep close to him he will be
driving us crazy with his dicta all the time and can become a stone tied around
our necks. But without the preceptor's advise and guidance we will be
nowhere. Here again discretion is the better part of valour. ( this would apply to
mother in laws also.)
The same discretion will save the day when we deal with women. They are like
beautiful and fragrant flowers to watch from the correct distance. If you go
near, the makeup will show. If you are far off, you will see nothing,
Familiarity breeds contempt.

9character
कदित्थर्तस्या�प च धैयर्वृ
न शक्यते धैयर्गुणः प्राम
अधोमुखस्या�प कृतस्य व�े
नाऽधः �शखा यािन्त कदा�चदेव
भ�ृर्ह� नी�तशतकं
kadartthitasyāpi ca dhairyavṛtter
na śakyate dhairyaguṇaḥ pramārṣṭuṁ|
adhomukhasyāpi kṛtasya vahner
nā'dhaḥ śikhā yānti kadācideva||
bharttṛhari nītiśatakaṁ
Even when a person with innate steady character is insulted and forced to
submission, he does not lose his boldness and capitulate. It is just like a flame
of a lamp. Even if the burning wick of lamp is held upside down, the flame
holds itself directed upwards alone.
Hard times can never dampen the character of a bold man.

10 live today
गते शोको न कतर्व्यो भ�वष ्यम् नैव �चन् तय

वतर्मानेन कालेन व�र्यिन्त �वच�ण
चIणक्यनी�
gate śoko na kartavyo bhaviṣyam naiva cintayet|
vartmānena kālena varttayanti vicak ṣaṇāḥ||
caṇakyanīti
ഗേത േശാേകാ ന കര്തേവ�ാ ഭവിഷ�ം ൈനവ ചിന്ത

വര്തമാെനന കാേലന വര്തയന്തി വ):
do not grieve over what has already happened, and do not worry over what is
going to happen.
The learned and brave men live up to the present situation with utmost ability
and sincerity.
Every lifestyle consultant or author has uses this dictum to encourage people
to live their life full.
Dale Carnegie asked us to live "in day tight compartments"
Someone said, "tomorrow, do thy worst, for I have lived today"
Shelley wrote
"We look before and after,
And pine for what is not:
Our sincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought."
The advice by the master Chanakya and other greats should not lead us to
hedonism. We should be always conscious of the path we have trodden in
reaching the present state. Moreover we should have a clear-cut action plan
for the future. But while performing today's duties we should not be bogged
down by our past and future.
--

11 the supreme being
अपा�णपादो जवनो गृह�ता

पश्यत्यच�ुः सशृणत्यकण
स वे�� वेद्यं न च तस्यािस्त
तं आहुर ् अस्यं पुरुषं iन्तं
�ेता�तरोप�नषद ३-१९
apāṇipādo javano gṛhītā
paśyatyacakṣuḥ sa śṛuṇatyakarṇaḥ|
sa vetti vedyaṁ na ca tasyāsti vettā
taṁ āhur asyaṁ puruṣaṁ mahantaṁ||
śvetāśvataropaniṣad 3-19
അപാണിപാേദാ ജവേണാ ഗൃഹിതാ
പശ�ത�ചക്ഷു സ ്രശുണത�त
സ േവത്തി േവദ�ം ന ച ത)സ്തി േവ)
തംആഹൂര്‍ അo പുരുഷം മഹാന്
Without hands or feet he walks and grips, without eyes he sees everything,
without ears, he hears everything.
He knows whatever that is to be known but none knows what He is.
Him we call the almighty primordial god (purusha)
This stanza in upanishad comes from the awe and respect we have for the
unknown force whose presence we feel but whom we are not able to measure
through our sense organs.

12 Fwd: glorious deeds
द�रद्र कृतं दानं शून्य�लङ्गस्य पूजन

अनाथप्रेतसंस्कारः अस्वमेधसमं �व
सुभा�षतशतकत्र
daridrāya kṛtaṁ dānaṁ śūnyaliṅgasya pūjanam|
anāthapretasaṁskāraḥ asvamedhasamaṁ viduḥ|
subhāṣitaśatakatrayaṁ
ദരി്രദായ കൃതം ദാനം ശൂന�ലിംഗസ� പൂജന
അനാഥേ്രപതസംസ്കാരം അസ�െമധസമം വി:
In our religion and culture, performance of the Aswamedha sacrifice is
considered to be the most pious and glorious action in a successful mans life.
Such performance is supposed go bestow one with all prosperity and
suzeranity over people. Some of the philanthropic act are equated to this
great sacrifice in this sloka. To lend a helping hand to the suffering fellow
human being comes first. Sometimes the idols of some temples (here idol of
Lord Siva is cited) are left uncared due to change in the circumstance of the
inhabitants of the terrain. If one takes it upon himslelf the renovation of the
fallen temple and arranging for proprer worship of the God in the shape of
idol, the same benefits as that would enure on performance of aswamtha
yagna. A human being, however poor and helpless he is deserves a diginified
burial or cremation of his mortal remains. If a person voluntarily undertakes
to perform the final rites for the dead person, he is equal in status to one who
has performed aswamedha.
True, aswamedha is a meaningless rite today. But we should see its

importance as seen by our forefathers of four or five millenia ago.
Helping the poor, taking initiative in the renovation of a place of worship and
most important helping in giving a diginified burial to an unclaimed human
corpse are really glorious acts even today. (I have seen many
pamphlet calling for help for temple renovation...This is an appropriate sloka
which can form caption to such appeals)

13 beware of inborn enemies
कापर्ण्येन यशः क्रुधा गुणचयो दंभेन सत्यम

मयार्दा व्यसनैधर्नं च �वपदास् प्रमादै�द्व
पैशुन्येन कुलं मदेन �वनयो दु�े�या पौरु
दा�र�येण जनादरो ममतया चात्मप्रकशो ह
सुभ�षतशतकत्र
kārpaṇyena yaśaḥ krudhā guṇacayo daṁbhena satyam kṣudha
maryādā vyasanairdhanaṁ ca vipadā sthairyaṁ pramādairdvijaḥ|
paiśunyena kulaṁ madena vinayo duśceṣṭayā pauruṣaṁ
dāridryeṇa janādaro mamatayā cātmaprakaśo hataḥ||
subhaṣitaśatakatrayaṁ
A man's reputation is lost by idiotic actions. By exhibition of uncontrollable
anger he loses all his noble traits. Honesty is sacrificed at the altar of pride. A
person is forced to shed all his dignity on the face of insatiable hunger. All the
hard earned money will be squandered away through bad habits. When one
faces extreme danger, his courage drains away. A learned man is ruined by
wrong actions committed through forgetfulness. Deliberate cruelty perpetrated
by a member annihilates the entire clan. A fellow throws to winds his humility
because of excessive arrogance..
A person's manhood is ruined by wrong and immoral actions. When a person is
reduced to penury, his popularity and respect in the society reach lowest ebbs.
And a person loses all his knowledge and discretion when a sense of excessive
attachment to mundane things haunts him.
--

14 balance of convenience
वरं न राज्यं न कुराज राज्

वरं न �मत्रं न कु�मत्र�
वरं न �शष्यो न कु�शष्य�शष
वरं न दारा न कुदारदार॥
चाणक्यनी�त
varaṁ na rājyaṁ na kurāja rājyaṁ
varaṁ na mitraṁ na kumitramitraṁ|
varaṁ na śiṣyo na kuśiṣyaśiṣyo
varaṁ na dārā na kudāradāra ||
cānakyanītiḥ
വരം ന രാജ�ം ന കുരാജ രാജ�ം
വരം ന മി്രതം ന കുമി്രതമി്
വരം ന ശിേഷ�ാ ന കുശിഷ� ശിേഷ�ാ
വരം ന ദാരാ ന കുദാരദാരാ
It would be better for one to wander as a nomad than staying as a subject of a
wicked king.
It is far more beneficial for one to remain friendless than having a circle of
friends who would not hesitate to scheme against him or double-cross him.
It would give more peace of mind to a scholar or teacher if he does not have
any disciple than having unruly wicked disciples in plenty.
And it would the greatest boon for any man not to have a wife than being
bound by wedlock to a shrew

15 accountability
राजा रा�कृतम ् भुङ्�े रा�ः पापं पुरो�हतः

भतार् च �ीकृतं पापं �शष्यपापं गुरुस्
चाणक्य नी�त
rājā rāṣṭrakṛtam bhuṅkte rājñaḥ pāpaṁ purohitaḥ|
bhartā ca strīkṛtaṁ pāpaṁ śiṣyapāpaṁ gurustathā||
cāṇakya nītiḥ
രാജാ രാ്രഷ്ടകൃതം ഭുങ്ങ്െ: പാപം പുേരാഹിത:

ഭര്ത്താഷ ച സ്്രതീകൃതം പാപം ശിഷ�പാപം ഗു
The ruler has to bear the brunt of all the sins committed by his subjects. The
Royal preceptor will have to suffer for the sins of the King. The husband is
responsible for the wrong actions of his wife and will have to atone for them
and the sins of the disciples goes to the teacher.
Chanakyas logic is that the subjects tend to go wayward when the ruler is not
effective. It is the duty of the royal preceptor who is also the minister to aid and
advise the king and lead him in the right path. The lady (of the relevant period)
was under the protection and care of the husband and if there are aberrations
in her activities, the husaband was solely responsible for it. The disciple learns
all the lessons of his life from his teacher, and if the teacher imparts improper
education the disciple will lose proper direction in life and the sin should
definitely be credited to the account of the guru.
--

16 what is our worth?
न�लनीदलगतजलम�ततरलं तद्वद्जी�वतम�तशयचप
�विध्दव्याध्य�भमानग लोकं शोकगतं च समस्तं
याव�द्व�ोपाजर्नश�ः तावद् �नजप�रवारो
प�ाद् जीव�त जजर्रदे हे वातार्म् कोऽ�प न पृच्छ�त ग
यावत्पवनो �नवस�त देहे तावद्पृच्छ�त कुशलं गे
गतव�त वायौ दे हापाये भायार् �बभ्य�त तिस ्मन् का
nalinīdalagatajalamatitaralaṁ tadvadjīvitamatiśayacapalaṁ|
vidhdivyādhyabhimānagrastaṁ lokaṁ śokagataṁ ca samastaṁ||
yavadvittopārjanaśaktaḥ tāvad nijaparivāro raktaḥ|
paścād jīvati jarjaradehe vārtām ko'pi na pṛcchati gehe||
yāvatpavano nivasati dehe tāvad pṛcchati kuśalaṁ gehe|
gatavati vāyau dehāpāye bhāryā bibhyati tasmin kāye|
भजगो�वन्द शङ्करभगवत्पद
bhajagovindaṁ śaṅkarabhagavatpadāḥ
The water droplet that land up on a lotus leaf retain their globular nature and
run helter skelter and in fleeting seconds they will fall into the lake and
disappear. Likewise our life is also very fleeting and one can never guess when
the semblance of life leave our body. And this body is governed by diseases,
arrogance and anxiety. and the world is in the grip of abject sorrow
So long as we are capable of earning money everyone in our family will be very
cordial to us. Once we retire or are not in a position to bring in money to the
household, everyone will be oblivious of us. They will feign ignorance of our
existence to the extent that they will not even talk to us.
So long as the life breath lingers in our body everyone around will be making
anxious enquiries about our welfare. One the final breath is gone and the body
just falls flat, even one's own wife will be terrified of the body.
So in this world of pain and contrasts there is only one way to exists... pray
hard to Lord Govinda ..
भज गो�वन्दं भज गो�वन्दं गो�वन ्दम् भज मूढ
bhaja goivindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ govindam bhaja mūḍhamate
--

17 beautiful forests
आञ्जनगिन्धम् सुर�
ब�न्नां अकृषीवलां
प्राहंमृगाणां मात
अरण्यानीम् अशिम्सष
ऋग्वेदम१०-१४६-६
āñjanagandhim surabhiṁ
bahvannāṁ akṛṣīvalāṁ|
prāhaṁ mṛgāṇāṁ mātaraṁ
araṇyānīm aśamsiṣaṁ||
ṛgvedam10-146-6
ആന്ജനഗന്ധിംസുര
ബഹ�ന്നാം ആകൃഷിവല
്രപാഹംമൃഗാനാം മാതര
ആരണ�്ആനിം അശംസിഷം
we shower praise on Aranyaani, the beautiful goddess of forest, who is always

soothing with balms born in her trees and herbs, who spreads her fragrance far
and wide, who is self sufficient in food for her inhabitants and guests, who is the
mother of all animals who have taken shelter in her bosom, and possesses lands
untouched by ploughs.
the importance of pristine forests was always recognised by our ancestors. No

poaching.

18 goats and their king fox
स्वा�मना प्र�तकूलेन प्रजास्ती�णेन

र�यमाणा न वधर्न्ते मेष गोमायi यथi॥
वाल्मी�करामायणम आरण्यकण्डम४१-----१४
svāminā pratikūlena prajāstīkṣṇena rāvaṇa|
rakṣyamāṇā na vardhante meṣa gomāyuna yatha||
vālmīkirāmāyaṇam āraṇyakaṇḍam 41-----14
സ�ാമിനാ ്രപതികുെലന ്രപജാസ്തീക്ഷ് െണന

രക്ഷ�മാണാ ന വര്ധ്
this is again an advise from the wizened bird gransire jadayu to the arrogant
Ravana, who is in the process of abducting seethadeve. But it can easily form
the part of the preamble tp any civilized constitution
with a ruler who cares nothing for the welfare of his subject but in tern very
stern and cruel to them, the population of the country dwindles in population
as if the subjects are goats and sheep and the rule is a fox.
the contemporary siginificance of this sloka needs no elaboration. If our rulers

just glance through such great texts, even if it not our of devotion, our destiny
would have been safer in their hands

18 devotion makes god out of stone
न दे वो �वद्यते का�े न पाषणे नमृण्म

भावे �ह �वद्यते देवः तस्माद् भावो �ह का
चाणक्यनी�तशतक
na devo vidyate kāṣṭhe na pāṣaṇe na mṛṇmaye|
bhāve hi vidyate devaḥ tasmād bhāvo hi kāraṇaṁ||
caaṇakyanītiśatakaṁ
ന േദേവാ വിദ�െത കാഷ്െട ന പാഷാെണ ന മൃന്
ഭാേവ ഹി വിദ�െത േദവ: തസ്മാത് ഭാേവാ ഹി കാര
It is futile to argue that god resides only in a piece of wood, or a part of a rock or
a lump of clay. It is the mind of the devotee which attributes divinity to an idol
made of wood, stone or clay. It is his devotion that is reflected by the idol. So
the attitude of the mind is the cause of everything.
The master implies that the idols are only symbols. True, but when millions of
minds perceive sacredness in that idol the idol will definitely turn into God.
--

19 water, the mother and physician
ओमानम ् आपो मानुषीर ् अमु�ं

घात तोकाय तनयाय शं योः।
यूयं �ह � �भषजो मातृतमा
�व�स्य स्थातुर् जगतो ज�नत
ऋग्वेद ६----५०--७
oomānam āpo mānuṣīr amuktaṁ
ghāta tokāya tanayāya śaṁ yoḥ|
yūyaṁ hi ṣṭha bhiṣajo mātṛtamā
viśvasya sthātur jagato janitrī||
ṛgvedaṁ 6----50--7
waters, you are the greatest friends of human beings, please give your unfailing
protection and blessings to our sons and grandson.
For you are the most benevolent and motherly physician, no, you are the
mother of all that are moving in remaining still.
The greatness and the life sustaining nature of the water was recognized all the
time and our forefathers were aware that the existence of future generations
hinged on our earnest attempt to worship and preserve the water resource... so
they equated water to the mother, the physician etc.,
--

20 initiative
प्रारभ्यते न खलु �वघ्नभयेनन

प्रारभ्य �वघ्न�नहता �वरमिन्त म
�वघ्नैमुर्हुमुर्हुर्र�प प्र�तहन
प्रारब्धमु�मगुणाः न् प�रत्यज
भतृर्हरे नी�तशतकम ् धैयर्पद्ध

prārabhyate na khalu vighnabhayena nīcaiḥ
prārabhya vighnanihatā viramanti madhyāḥ|
vighnairmuhurmurhurapi pratihanyamānāḥ
prārabdhamuttamaguṇāḥ n parityajanti||
bhartṛhareḥ nītiśatakam dhairyapaddhatiḥ
praarabhyate na khalu vighnabhayena niichaiH

praarabhya vighnanihataa viramanti madhyaaH.
vighnairmuhurmurhurapi pratihanyamaanaaH
praarabdhamuttamaguNaaH n parityajanti..
bhartR^ihareH niitishatakam dhairyapaddhatiH
Men who are by nature cowards will never think of any new initiative because
the fear of defeat, real or imaginary has taken deep roots in their psyche.
Another category of men are those who would give a try if the environs are
propitious, but would silently backout at the sight of the slightest possibility of a
setback.
But the really bold visionaries who are the salt of the earth, would start a
project with meticulous planning and will bring it to victorious conclusion even
if they face multiple roadblocks-many of them really tough-
(of course there is a difference between people who are assiduous and who are assinine... i can be
crowned as the leader of the second group... against heavy odds.. the worst being eccentricity, I am
prodding on with these slokas for about a year now... but i have not given up not because i am
noble but I do not have anything worthy to do apart from this.)

21 path to eterninty
प्राणाघातािन्नवृ��ः परधनह
संयमः सत्यवाक्य
काले शक्त्या प्रदानं युव�तज
मूकभावः परे षां
तृष्णास्रोतो�वभङ्गो गुरुषु च
सवर्भूतानुकम्
सामान्यं सवर्शा�ेष्वनुपहत�व
श्रेयसामेष पन्थ
भतृर्हरेः नी�तशतकम
prāṇāghātānnivṛttiḥ paradhanaharaṇe
saṁyamaḥ satyavākyaṁ|
kāle śaktyā pradānaṁ yuvatijanakathā
mūkabhāvaḥ pareṣāṁ
tṛṣṇāsrotovibhaṅgo guruṣu ca vinayaḥ
sarvabhūtānukampā
sāmānyaṁ sarvaśāstreṣvanupahatavidhiḥ
sreyasāmeṣa panthāḥ||
bhartṛhareḥ nītiśatakam
The following actions and traits will make a person eternally famous.
1. Abstaining from causing danger to the life of all beings.
2.Lack of inclination to steal others' wealth.
3.Truthfulness in words and deed
4.Inclination to help others financially at the appropriate time according to ones
own capacity.
5.Absolute silence when it comes to the question of respectable ladies of other
families.
6.Being helpful to poor and indigent people.
7.Complete sense of surrender to preceptors.
8.Capacity to see equality in all living beings and exhibiting compassion to them.
9.Adequate knowledge in all types of arts and sciences.

The prescription of Bharthruhari is rather very tough and costly. If we can

emulate at least a few of the qualities, our lives will be splendid.
(friends, when i give the meaning of the verses, I do not go by the word by word translation or
consideration of syntax and grammatical rules..an erudite elaboration of the ideas of the masters
is beyond my idiotic mind. )
--

22 bursting at the seams?
स भारः सौम्य भतर्व्यो यो नरं नावसादये

तदन्नम�प भो�व्यं जीयर्ते यद् अना
श्रीमद्वात्मी�करामायणं आरण् ५०--२७
sa bhāraḥ saumya bhartavyo yo naraṁ nāvasādayet|
tadannamapi bhoktavyaṁ jīryate yad anāmayaṁ||
śrīmadvātmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ āraṇyakāṇḍaṁ 50--27
സ ഭാര: െസൗമ� ഭര്തവ�ം േയാ നരം നാവസാദെയ
തദ് അന്നമപി േഭാക്തവ�ം ജീര�ാെത യദ്
One should undertake to bear only that much of load that he is capable of.
Similarly one should eat food only to the extent it will maintain him without any
illness.
It is the tendency of the overly ambitious persons to undertake to perform
things far beyond their capacity. In the end they are likely to fail and lose
respectability. The tendency to overeat is the cause of almost half the
problems in this world.

23 test for friendship
आढ्यो वाऽ�प द�रद्रो वा दुः�खतः सु�खतोऽ�प

�नद�षो वा सदोषो वा वयस्यः परमा ग�तः
श्रीमत्वात्मी�करामायणं �किष्कन्द८---८
āḍhyo vā'pi daridro vā duḥkhitaḥ sukhito'pi vā|
nirdoṣo vā sadoṣo vā vayasyaḥ paramā gatiḥ||
śrīmatvātmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ kiṣkindākaṇḍaṁ 8---8
A bosom friend should be given protection at any cost, whether he is from a

high family or whether he is from a lowly background, whether he is in a
depressed mental condition or he is happy, whether he is innocent or is guilty of
some offence,
The basic human law is that one should not give upon his friend even when the
latter is placed in the most desparate conditions. When the friend is having a
good name and other comforts, and when there is expectation of getting
something back, all persons will be magnanimous and play the friendship card
with enthusiasm. But the litmus test for real friendship comes when one of
them is in dire strait and the other has to take bold and risky steps to provide
succour to the suffering friend.

24 humility or right perception?
आ प�रतोषाद् �वदुषां न साधु मन्ये प्रयोग�वI

बलवद�प �श��तानाम ् आत्मन्यप्रत्ययं II
का�लदास शाकुन्तल
मन्दः क�वयशः प्राथ� ग�मष्याम्युपहास
प्रांशुलभ्ये फले लोभत् उद्बाहु�रव व
का�लदास रघुवंशं
ā paritoṣād viduṣāṁ na sādhu manye prayogavijñānaṁ
balavadapi śikṣitānām ātmanyapratyayaṁ cetaḥ
kālidāsa śākuntalaṁ
mandaḥ kaviyaśaḥ prārthī gamiṣyāmyupahāsyatāṁ|
prāṁśulabhye phale lobhat udbāhuriva vāmanaḥ||
kālidāsa raghuvaṁśaṁ
Kaalidasa the greatest Indian poet ever born, declared in the opening part of
abijnana saakunthalam that he could never be confident of his capacity to
create a Nataka, till the same is staged and approved by the learned. He
quips, "even in the thoroughly learned, lack of self assuredness is very
manifest."
Again while chronicling the lives of the great monarachs of the race of Raghu in
his Mahakavyam.. Raghuvamsam, he is faced with lack of self confidence....he
says, " perhaps a dull person as I am and is in pursuit of immortal fame in
wordcraft, and my state is verily same as a dwarf standing under a tall mango
tree ladent with fruits and jumping up again and again in the hope of plucking
some fruits when the fruits are confined to the reach of really tall men
If Kalidasa felt so how should the lesser mortals feel?
--

25 raaja dharma is curious
न ृशंसमन ृशंसं वा प्रजार�णकारणात

पातकं वा सदोषं वा कतर्व्यम् र�ता सद
राज्यभार�नयु�ानां एष धमर्ः सनतI
श्रीमद्वाल्मी�करामयणम् बाल २५-१८
nṛśaṁsamanṛśaṁsaṁ vā prajārakṣaṇakāraṇāt|
pātakaṁ vā sadoṣaṁ vā kartavyam rakṣatā sadā||
rājyabhāraniyuktānāṁ eṣa dharmaḥ sanatanaḥ
śrīmadvālmīkirāmayaṇam bālakāṇḍaṁ 25-18
We find an apparent conflict between ethics and political duty even in the first
ever Kaaya in Sanskrit.
The first and foremost duty of a ruler is to look after the welfare of his subjects,
this the the eternal duty ordained to him. In the process of ensuring the welfare
of his own people the king may do things which are praiseworthy and
acceptable to all or at times he may have to do things which may not be popular
at all. The action may involve committing sin in the general sense, the action
may be condemnable in the eyes of the onlookers. but the superior dharma of a
king that will overshadow and act in conflict with the copybook virtues is to
ensure the welfare of his own subjects.
The laws of governance are quite complicated. The government may have to
use cruel tricks and heavy punitive measures to shatter rebellious moves against
the integrity of his Nation. In diplomacy it may be forced to tell utter lies
and resort to colourable means like espionage to safeguard the Nations
interest. It may be forced to be tough and intolerant against groups whose
ideas may be noble but pedagogic especially when dry principles may cut deep
at the root of the sovereignty of the Nation. Every country will have its own
secret sins but such sins committed to safeguard the welfare and unity of the
Nation usually become symbols of national pride. When it comes to one's own
country nothing can be wrong if it is done for its welfare.
--

26 no labour when the stomach is empty
काल�तक्रमणाच्चैव भ�वेतनोयोभृर्
भतुर्ः क ुप्यिन्त दुष्यिन्त सोऽनथर्ः सुमहान

श्रीमत्वाल्मी�करामयणं अयोध्याका१००-३४
kālatikramaṇāccaiva bhaktavetanoyorbhṛtāḥ|
bhartuḥ kupyanti duṣyanti so'narthaḥ sumahānsmṛtaḥ||
śrīmatvālmīkirāmayaṇaṁ ayodhyākannḍaṁ 100-34
കാലാതി്രകമണാത് ൈചവ ഭക്തെവതനേയാര്ബ്

ഭര്ത കുപ�ന്തി ദുഷ�ന്തി േസാനര്ത്ഹ സുമഹാ
A great principle of strategic importance is envisaged in the aadikaavayam. If a

king makes inordinate delay in providing adequate food and salary to his
troops, the warriors get angry with the master, and in time start to speak about
him in abusive terms and such a situation is the harbinger of future disaster.
It is a universal fact that everyone works for others under the expectation that
he will be adequately rewarded with salary in time. The workers dreams and
expectations all rally round the pay packet. If the salary is not forthcoming at
the appropriate time no one will have any motivation to go further. This
situation has led to many a revolution in human history. All wage earners are
vulnerable when in comes to salary, but the soldiers are more so. They have to
keep themselves fit to defend the ruler, and simultaneously they have to look
after their near and dear who are living far away, counting days in expectation
of financial supplies from the soldier.

27 account is not yet closed
ननु सद्योऽ�वनीतस्य दृश्यते कमर्ण

कालोऽप्यङ्गीभवत्यत्र सस्याना�मव
श्रीमद्वाल्मी�करामायणं आरण्यक४१--२७
nanu sadyo'vinītasya dṛśyate karmaṇaḥ phalaṁ|
kālo'pyaṅgībhavatyatra sasyānāmiva paktaye||
śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ āraṇyakānḍam 41--27
The evil effects of committing sinful acts do not manifest immediately. Like
seed sowed in a field the effects of sin also take time to germinate and grow
strong enough.
But there a huge difference. The sins committed take the gestation period to
grow strong and hit back at us.. But the seed grow(if the seeds are good) to give
us the wealth of grain.
The slow and sure behaviour of Fate often lulls us into a state of false
security. We commit unpardonable sins without any immediate backlash. So
we get bolder under the notion that nothing will happen and we can get away
with anything. But be sure, we will get it back with principal and penal interest.

28 time - space combination never reapeats
दे शकाल�वह�ना�न कमार्�ण �वपर�तवत्

�क्रयमाणा�न दुष्यिन्त हवींष्यप्रय
श्रीमद्वाल्मी�करामायणं युद्६३--६
deśakālavihīnāni karmāṇi viparītavat|
kriyamāṇāni duṣyanti havīṁṣyaprayateṣviva||
śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ yuddhakāṇṭaṁ 63--6
േദശകാലവിഹീനാനി കര്മdണി വിപരീതവത

്രകിയമാനാനി ദുഷ�ന്തി ഹവീമ്ഷി അ്രപയെ
Even a very noble act performed without considering the location and time may
not yield the desired result but can boomerang on us. Comparison can be
drawn from the sacred offering for a yajna prepared meticulously being kept in
a dirty pot getting rotted.
For everything there is a time. To cite one glaring example found among the neo
rich, and neo prominent leading lights of the society. They may have their
parents and other dear ones suffering in poverty and ailment in the remotest
places. But when they die, a lot of noises are made.. The dead body is decked
in silk and exhibited in air conditioned environment. Sandals and unguents
rinsed in crocodile tears abound. Sycophants and so called friends throng
around the affluent son or daughter and blow sonorous conches, but had a
very little portion of this attention been devoted to the departed soul in his
lifetime, the calamity would not have happened at all. We appear to be
excellent undertakers(who look after the dead body) but not good in
performing what we undertake.

29 till when the soil is damp and fertile
यावत ् स्वस्थो�यं दे
यावत ् मृत्यु� दूरतः
तावदात्म�हतं कुयार ्
प्राणान्ते �कं क�रष्
चाणक्यनी�
yāvat svasthohyayaṁ deho
yāvat mṛtyuśca dūrataḥ|
tāvadātmahitaṁ kuryāt
prāṇānte kiṁ kariṣyati||
cāṇakyanīti
യാവത് സ�സ്േതാഹ�യം േദേ
യാവത് മൃത�ുശ്ച്ച ദ
താവദ് ആത്മഹിതം കുര
്രപാണാേന്ത കിം കരിഷ
ചാണക�നീതി
One should perform all good and fruitful deeds to enhance his own status on
this earth and beyond it, when he is in the peak of physical and mental health
and can presume with reasonable assurance that death is far away. What can
be done for a person once his lifespan is over?
This terse advice is given by all the philosophers, gurus and lifestyle consultants
all the time. May be the words and sentences would be couched in hyperbole.
It is a truth everyone should realize and tell others also. The great master
Chanakya naturally included this in his treatise.

30 the unbreakable knot
पूषा त्वेतो नयतु हस्तग

अि�ना त्वा प्र् वहतां र
गृहान ् गच्च गृहप�ी यथास
व�शनी त्वम् �वदथं आ वदा�
ऋग ् १०-७५-२६
सुमङ्गल��रयं वध
इमां समेत पश्य
सौभाग्यम् अस्यै द�वा
ऽथास्तं �व परेत
ऋक् १०-८५-३३ अथ १४--२--२७
सम्राजी �शुरे
सम्राजी ��वां
ननान्द�र सम्राजी
सम्राह� अ�ध देवृ
ऋग ् १०-८५-४६ अथ १४-२-४४
समञ्जन्तु �व�े देव
सं आपो हृदया�न न
सं मात�र�ा सम ् धाता
समुद्रे�ी दधातु
ऋक् १०-८५-४७
द�घार्युरस्तु मे प�तर् जीवा�त शरदः शतम

अथ ् १४-२-६३
इहे मा�वन्द्र सं नुद चक्रवाक ेव
अथ ् १४-२-६४
इहैव स्तम् मा �व यौ�

�व�ं आयुर ् व्य�ुत

क्र�ळन्तो पुत्रै र् न�
मोदमानौ त्वे गृह
ऋग ् १०-८५-४२
पु�त्रणा ता कुमा�र
�व�ं आयुर ् व्य�ुत
उभा �हरण्यपेशस
ऋग ् ८-३१-८
pūṣā tveto nayatu hastagṛhya
aśvinā tvā pr vahatāṁ rathena
gṛhān gacca gṛhapatnī yathāsau
vaśinī tvam vidathaṁ ā vadāsi
ṛg 10-75-26
sumaṅgalīriyaṁ vadhū
imāṁ sameta paśyata
saubhāgyam asyai dattvāyā
'thāstaṁ vi paretana
ṛk 10-85-33 atha 14--2--27
samrājī śvaśure bhava
samrājī śvaśrvāṁ bhava
nanāndari samrājī bhava
samrāhī adhi devṛṣu
ṛg 10-85-46 atha 14-2-44
samañjantu viśve devāh
saṁ āpo hṛdayāni nau
saṁ mātariśvā sam dhātā
sanudreṣṭrī dadhatu nau
ṛk 10-85-47
dīrghāyurastu me patir jīvāti śradaḥ śatam|
ath 14-2-63
ihemmamindra saṁ nuda cakravākeva daṁpatī
ath 14-2-64
ihaiva stam mā vi yauṣṭhaṁ

viśvaṁ āyur vyaśnutaṁ

krīḻanto putrair naptṛbhir
modamānau tve gihe
ṛg 10-85-42
putriṇā tā kumāriṇā
viśvaṁ āyur vyasnutaḥ
ubhā hiraṇyapeśsā
ṛg 8-31- 8
One friend had asked me to indicate some important marriage manthras and
accordingly I do it.
The procedural rituals vary from place to place and I shall try to convey the
basic rituals in a different individual message. The manthras quoted above are
tribute to all ladies who enter the conjugal vow with men..The respect given to
the woman in the house as a wife perhaps may not find any parallel in any other
culture. There may be the mother icons everywhere, but the importance as a
wife herself is underlined without room for equivocation in the hoary traditions
recorded in the Vedas. The uniformity in thought can be gauged from the fact
that the manthras get repeated in the most ancient rig veda and the
comparatively modern atharva veda.
The bride is entering the ritualistic location, her hand held by the god puushan
(one form of the sun god) the twin gods of medicine the Ashwins are
accompanying her in the chariot.. and she is going away from her house to that
of her husband and she is blessed that she may become the ruler of the
household and the main spokesperson of the assembly in her husbands place.
The nubile bride who has become sumangalii is introduced to all. 'This bride has
attained the status of a wife..she is bringing fortune to this house..come all of
you and look at her...Please wish her full happiness before you return home'.
The bride is blessed to join the supreme place in the household " May your
father in law treat you with affection as if you were a queen. May your mother
in law treat treat you with love as if you were a queen. May your sisters in law
love and respect you as if you were a queen. May your brothers in law repect
and adore you as if you were a queen"
The husband prays for conjugal unity " May all Gods and all waters unite our
hearts. Especially the gods Mathariswa, dhaata, and dheshtri, make us very
close.

The bride prays to the gods and elders " May my husband live long, and we will
live together for hundred years...bless us"
The elders pray for the couple " Join the couple here, Indra... they resemble the
chakravaka and its mate. ( The chakravaka is a symbol for mutual devotion of
the couple. if one loses its life, the mate will die in grief.)
The lifelong union of the ideal couple as expressed by elders in their blessing
"May you two dwell in this house, never parted, you enjoy the full life span as
prescribed by vedas, may you have the fotune to play together with your sons
and grandsons,"
The prayer of the couple "With sons and daughters abounding, may we live long
adorned in rich dresses an precious ornaments".

31 i hold thy hand
गृ�ा�म त्वाम् सौभगत्वाय हस

मया पत्या जरद��र् यथासः
भगो अयर्मा स�वता पुरिन्द
म�म ् त्वादुर् गाहर्पत्याय देव
ऋग्वेदं१०-८५-३६ अथवर्णवेदं१४-१-५०
gṛhṇāmi tvām saubhagatvāya hastaṁ
mayā patyā jaradaṣṭhir yathāsaḥ|
bhago aryamā savitā purandir
mahyam tvādur gārhapatyāya devāḥ|
ṛgvedaṁ 10-85-36 atharvaṇavedaṁ 14-1-50
gruhnami twaam saubhagatvaaya hastham

mayaa patyaa jaradhashtir yadasah
bhago aryamaa savitaa purandir
mahyam twaadur gaarhpatyaaya devaah
I take your hand in mine for good fortune with the prayer that you also will to
old along with me, your husband.
Deities bhage, aryamaaa savitha and purandhi have given you to me to be the
mistress of my house.
This paanigrahana mantram has united couples of India for thousand of
years. The word garhapathyam implies that the good wife becomes the real
leading spirit of the household taking the husband to her protection and
affection. There is another aaseervadahmanthram in vedas, दशास्याम् पुत्राण
अन्ते प�तमेकादशम् कृ�धdaśāsyām putrāṇam ante patimekādaśam kṛdhi, you
beget ten sons and make your husband the eleventh son.. the position given to
woman as a wife in our cuture was indedd very exalted

32 international concord
सं�ानम ् स्वे�भः सम ्ज्अनं अरणे�भ

सम्�ानं अि�ना युव
इहास्मासु �न यच्छत१॥
सं जानामहे मनसा सं �च�कत्व
मा युष्म�ह मनसा दैव्ये
मा घोषा उत स्युर् बहुले �व�नहर्
मेषुः प�द् इन्द्रस्याहन्२॥
अथवर्णवेदम्७--५२
saṁjñānam svebhiḥ samanaṁ araṇebhiḥ|
samjñānaṁ aśvinā yuvaṁ
ihāsmāsu ni yacchataṁ||1||
saṁ jānāmahe manasā saṁ cikitvā
mā yuṣmahi manasā daivyena |
mā ghoṣā uta syur bahule vinirhate
meṣuḥ paptad indrasyāhanyāgate||2||
atharvanavedam 7--52
May there be concord with our people, may there be concord with foreign
people,
Aswins (you two inseparable twins--gods of medicine) may you two create
concord amongst ourselves and concord with the foreigners
May we unite in our minds, unite in our purposes and NOT fight against the
divine spirit within us.
And may not the battle cry rise amidst many that lay slain all around
May the arrows of Indra (who defends us from foes) fall only for limited use.
It is indeed a great feel to see that many peace charters of universal peace
might have knowingly or unknowingly used the same idea while reaching the
concord. Here, the twin gods ashwins are invoked because they are inseparable
and devoid of any mutual acrimony. They are also the gods of medicine, and
indeed great role can be played by medical men in effecting unity among all
races.. the idea of not using fire against rescue teams of the Red Cross etc., are
germane in this ancient vedic mantra.
--

33 no fear when all around us are friends
अभयं �मत्र अभयं अ�मत्र

अभयं �ाताद अभयम ् पुरो यः।
अभयं न�ं अभयं �दवा नः
सवर आशा मम �मत् भवन्तु
अथवर्णवेद १९--१५--६
abhayaṁ mitrād abhayaṁ amitrād
abhayaṁ jñātād abhayam puro yaḥ|
abhayaṁ naktaṁ abhayaṁ divā naḥ
sarva āśā mama mitraṁ bhavantu||
atharvaṇavedaṁ 19--15--6
abhayam mitraad abhayam amitraad
abhyam jnaathaad abhayam puro yah
abhayam naktham abhayam dive nah
saravaa aasha mama mitram bhavanthu
(i am giving the plain english transliteration because the machine created transliteration sometimes show
as garbage in some machines.)
Let there be no fear for us from our friends. Let there be no fear for us from
those who are not our friends. Let there be no fear for us from what is known
to us. Let there be no fear for us the one who stands before us.. Let
fearlessness envelop us all along days and nighths. Let us pray that all beings
and phenomena around us become our dearest friends.
The fearlessness comes from the recognition that we have only friends all
around and that friends will ensure that we will remain fearless for ever.
Maybe a friendship day message from Atharavana Vedam.

34 from nothingness
नासद् आसीन्नो सद् आसीत् तदा

नासीद् रजो नो व्योमो परो यत
�कम ् आवर�वः कुह कस्य शम-
न्नम्भः �कम् आसीद् गहनं गभी१
न मृत्युर् आसीद् अमृतम् न त�
न रा�या अ� आसीत ् प्रकेत
आनीद् अवातं स्वध्या तद्
तस्माद्धान्यन् न परः �कं च२
nāsad āsīnno sad āsīt tadānīṁ
nāsīd rajo no vyomo paro yat|
kim āvarīvaḥ kuha kasya śarma-
nnambhaḥ kim āsīd gahanaṁ gabhīraṁ||1
na mṛtyur āsīd amṛtam na tarhi
na rātryā ahna āsīt praketaḥ|
ānīd avātaṁ svadhyā tad ekam
tasmāddhānyan na paraḥ kiṁ canāsa||2
ऋग्वेदं१०-१२९
ṛgvedaṁ 10-129
there was neither non reality, nor reality then; there was no air or the ether
beyond it; how to know what lay covered by whom and where, who gave it
shelter, whether there were the deep fathomless waters? There was no death
and there was no life immortal, there were no means to indicate day and night,
but the ONE (the supreme) breathed, without air, and apart from
THAT(supreme being) there was nothing else, whatsoever.
The above are the first two stanzas of Naasadiiya sooktham, the hymn to
nothingness, and human mind was just pondering over the state of the
universe before it evolved to the present state. Every researcher studying the
theories on evolution, must have started from this exalted gem of human

thought.
One should say Human thought never soared to dizzier heights beyond this
--

36 till your land and do not play dice
अ�ैर् मा द�व्यः कृ�षम् इत् कृषस

�व�े रमस्व बहु मन्यमान
तत्र गावः �कतव तत्र

तन ् मे �व च�े स�वतायं अयर्ः
akṣair mā dīvyaḥ kṛṣim it kṛṣasva
vitte ramasva bahu manyamānaḥ|
tatra gāvaḥ kitava tatra jāyā
tan me vi caṣṭe savitāyaṁ aryaḥ||
ऋग्वेदं१०---३४---१३
ṛgvedaṁ 10---34---13
Oh man! Do not waste your time in playing dice, go and till the soil and grow the
grains. Enjoy yourself on the gains you earn and you earn your respect also in
turn. The supreme Lord Savita says that your cows and calves, your wife and
family and your welfare are all existing there (in hard work) in safety.
Even the ancient Vedic Wisdom understood the average man's tendency to live
an idle life and earn easy money through gambling. Vedas also recognized the
fleeting nature of gains from such activities. Agriculture was the primary job of
the earliest inhabitants of the Indus--gangetic plane and it is advised that one
can have a settled and purposeful life only by engaging in purposeful work and
spending the days in the sweet company of one's wife and family.
The working of the human mind has changed very little till now.

37 pranams to Lord Ganesha
संपूजकानां प�रपालकानां िजतेिन्द्रयाणां च तपोधनान

दे शस्य र�स्य कुलस्य र करोतु �स�द्धं भगवान् गणेश
saṁpūjakānāṁ paripālakānāṁ jitendriyāṇāṁ ca tapodhanānāṁ|
deśasya raṣṭrasya kulasya rājñaḥ karotu siddhiṁ bhagavān gaṇeśaḥ||
may Lord Ganesa who is the fountainhead of all glory, ensure the welfare of the
devotees who worship Him, the noble men who look after and protect the
establishment of lofty ideas and projects, the sages who have won over their
sense organs and are rich in penance. May He also bless our region, our
beloved country, the clans and the king (the established government).
Pranams to the Supreme Lord on Chaturthi day
Lord Ganesha symbolizes knowledge, simplicity, universal love and
brotherhood, victory of virtue over evil, self control, penance, and all lofty ideas
human brain could conceive of. Millenniums ago the worship of Ganesha has
started, perhaps even before the start of codified and well defined religions. All
around the globe wherever we go we are sure to find some symbolic worship of
this great Lord..For us in India, Lord Ganesha is the symbol of our national pride
and we can never forget the role played by Ganesha worship in our struggle for
independence. Whatever we offer Him, He accepts with love and returns to us
thousandfold. The tattwa of Ganapathi transcends and will outlive all religions
and cults.
Let us offer our profound love to the most adorable Godhead represented by
Ganesha.

38 apt indicators
अभ्यासाद्धायर्ते
कुलं शीलेन धायर्ते
गुणेन �ायते त्वायर
कोपो नेत्रेण गम्य
abhyāsāddhāryate vidyā
kulaṁ śīlena dhāryate|
guṇena jñāyate tvāryaḥ
kopo netreṇa gamyate||
चाणक्य ने�तसूत
cāṇakya neetisūtraṁ
Education is entirely dependent on practice and more practice, a man's nobility

in birth is measured by his good character, the respectable preceptor is
recognized by his innate good manners and the anger exploding in the mind of a
man can be easily identified by the fire lurking in his eyes.
There are so many opinions endorsing the greatness of constant practice.."
practice makes it perfect.." "intelligence is one hour of inspiration and 23 hours
of perspiration...etc."
Only a man with an exemplary character can be credited with high birth and
caste or creed are no criteria. A guru should first develop the exemplary
manners he expects to find in his disciples. And most of us who are working
under hierarchically rigid bosses may not be able to show our anger explicitly
but the eyes will show it. Even If we have no bosses still we have wives, mothers
or sisters and may be the mother-in-law --excellent replicas of the bosses.

39 anger is the worst enemy
क्रुद्धः पापं न कुयार्त्कः क्रुद्धो हन

क्रुद्धः परुषया वाचा Iधून�ध��पेत ्॥
श्रीमद्वात्मी�कर सुन्दरकाण् ५५---५
kruddhaḥ pāpaṁ na kuryātkaḥ kruddho hanyātgurūnapi|

kruddhaḥ paruṣayā vācā naraḥ sadhūnadhikṣipet||
śrīmadvātmīkirāmayaṇaṁ sundarakāṇḍaṁ 55---5
A man under the grip of anger may commit even the most heinous crimes
because he has lost all his senses. He may murder his preceptors or parent
even. He may cause irreparable damage to himself and the noble men by
abusing the latter in harshest terms. There is no sin that is beyond him in such a
state of mind.
Maybe a man who is mad or drunk is better than a man who is in rage.
--

40 no expiation for the ungrateful
ब्र�घ्ने च सुरापे च चोरे भग्नव्रत

�नष्कृ�त�वर्�हता स�द्भः कृतघ्ने नािस्त �नस
brahmaghne ca surāpe ca core bhagnavrate tathā|
niṣkṛtirvihitā sadbhiḥ kṛtaghne nāsti niskṛtiḥ||
श्रीमद्वात्मी�करामायणं �किष्कन् ३४----१२

śrīmadvātmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ kiṣkindhākāṇḍaṁ 34----12
The learned sages have prescribed suitable expiation for the grave sins like
murdering of a learned man, consuming hooch, burglary or breaking of holy
vows. But no expiation is prescribed for the sin of being ungrateful.

41 colleagues or enemies?
उपायकुशलं वैध्यं भृत्यसंदूषणे रत

शरमै
ू �यर्कामं च यो न हिन्त स वध्य
श्रीमद्वात्मी�करामायणं अयोध्य १००----३०
upāyakuśalaṁ vaidhyaṁ bhṛtyasaṁdūṣaṇe rataṁ|
śūramaiśvaryakāmaṁ ca yo na hanti sa vadhyate||
śrīmadvātmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ ayodhyākāṇḍaṁ 100----30
If a person does not restrain a colleague who is (1) not responsive to the advice
of the learned, (2) who is taking extra pleasure in constantly maligning and
teasing his own subordinates and servants (3) who is bold but extremely
avaricious in the matter of material wealth, he will be visited with ruin.
In fact the sloka in the epic would suggest that if a person does not annihilate a
colleague with the above three qualities, the former would lose his life. But
contextually we cannot imply death or murder here. It is clear that
the qualities mentioned above are inborn in persons who are ambitious but
immature. The problem with such people is that they can not only ensure their
own downfall but also drag even innocent associates to ruin.

42 all alone
कः कस्य पुरुषो बन्धुः �कमाप्यं कस्य केन

यदे को जायते जन्तुर ेक एव �वनश्य�
श्रीमद्वाल्मी�करामायणं अयोध्या१०८----३
kaḥ kasya puruṣo bandhuḥ kimāpyaṁ kasya kenacit|
yadeko jāyate jantureka eva vinaśyati||
śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ ayodhyākāṇḍaṁ 108----3
43 retaliate and be ruined
न परः पापमाद�े परे षां पापकमर्णां

समयो र��तव्यस्तु सन्त�ा�रत्रभू
�श्रमद्वाल्मी�करामायणं युद्११६---४२
na paraḥ pāpamādatte pareṣāṁ pāpakarmaṇāṁ|
samayo rakṣitavyastu santaścāritrabhūṣaṇāḥ||
śrimadvālmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ yuddhakāṇḍaṁ 116---42
Noble men do not waste their time in dwelling upon and retaliate the insults
and slightings they receive at the hands of the mean people. For them time is
very precious and has to be saved with care to maintain their own character and
purity.
One of the greatest psychological truths is describes with such ease in the
aadikaavya. If one is to think of retaliation and revenge in respect of the wrong
action on the part of others, his own mind will be vitiated and he will be left
with hardly any time of good sense to mind his own better business.
--

44 sin of the subject catches the king
यो �धमर्काय� वा �वषये पा�थर्वस्य

करो�त चाश्रीमूलं तत्पुरे वा दुमर्�तन
��प्रं च नरकं या�त स च राजा न संशय
yo hyadharmakāryaṁ vā viṣaye pārthivasya tu|
karoti cāśrīmūlaṁ tatpure vā durmatirnaraḥ||
kṣipraṁ ca narakaṁ yāti sa ca rājā na saṁśayaḥ|
श्रीमद्वाल्मी�करा उ�रकाण्डं७४---२९
śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇaṁ uttarakāṇḍaṁ 74---29
A wicked man committing an unlawful and condemnable act, of course invites

for himself incarceration in the worst hell. He does not stop with this. He
attaches the sin committed by him on the ruler of the kingdom and duly drags
the innocent monarch also to the hell to enjoy the privileges of the original
sinner.
Even though democracy was not a widely accepted political theory in India of
yore, accountability of the ruler towards his subject was a well established
idea. It was the duty of the king to prevent any sin being committed by anyone
in his kingdom.
--

44 forward march
प्रेता जयता नर इन्द्र वः शमर्

उग्रा वः सन्तु बाहवोऽनाधृष्या यथ
ऋग्वेद१०---१०३--१३ सामवेद १८६२ यजव
ु �द वाजसने�य सं�हत १७--४६ अथवर्वेद३-
-१९--७
pretā jayatā nara indra vaḥ śarma yacchatu|
ugrā vaḥ santu bāhavo'nādhṛṣyā yathāsatha||
ṛgveda 10---103--13 sāmaveda 1862 yajurveda vājasaneyi saṁhita 17--
46 atharvaveda 3--19--7
this is a song of victory.. wishing success to all in their endeavours, though

symbolically it is a war song.
Go forward and conquer, you heroes! May God give you protection. Valiant be
your arms, so that you may remain unconquered.
The intrinsic character of our ancestors was to be bold and worship heroism.
They never allowed fear or hesitation to mar their march to victory.
The greatest significance of this mantra is that it is universal in nature, it finds its
place in all the four vedas.

45 Saraswathi
यस्ते स्तनः शशयो यो मयोभू

येन �व�ा पुष्य�स वायार्�
यो र�धा वसु�वद् यः सुदत
सरस्व�त तं इह धातवे कः
ऋग्वे---शुक्लयजुव�--अथवर्णवे
yaste stanaḥ śaśayo yo mayobhūr
yena viśvā puṣyasi vāryāṇi|
yo ratnadhā vasuvid yaḥ sudatraḥ
sarasvati taṁ iha dhātave kaḥ ||
ṛgveda---śuklayajurveda--atharvaṇaveda
O mother Sarawathi ( the goddess as well as the river) Your breast is the source
all well-being. You feed and nourish all that is good with your breast. They are
the source of all treasures, wealth and gifts to your children... Mother you lay
them bare for our nourishment.
The supreme power of intellect is portrayed as mother here. Also, the eternal
source of life, namely the water borne by the river has also the status of
mother.

46 krishna, my sweet krishna
अधरं मधुरं वदनं मधुरं

नयनं मधुरं ह�सतं मधुरं।
हृदयं मधुरं गमनं मधुर
मथुरा�धपतेर�खलम ् मधुरं॥
मथुरा�कं ----वल्लभाचाय
adharaṁ madhuraṁ vadanaṁ madhuraṁ
nayanaṁ madhuraṁ hasitaṁ madhuraṁ|
hṛdayaṁ madhuraṁ gamanaṁ madhuraṁ
mathurādhipaterakhilam madhuraṁ||
mathurāṣṭakaṁ----vallabhācārya
His lips are sweet, His face is sweet, His eyes are sweet, His smile is sweet, His
heart is sweet, His gait is sweet, everything that relates to the Monarch of
Mathura is sweet and sweet alone.
Today is celebrated as the birthday of the greatest ever myth and reality human
mind has ever created or felt...Krishna. What are we to call him.. a living being,
a phenomenon, an school of thought incarnate, a tribal deity, a consummate
teacher, a benevolent despot... like his innumerable names, his qualities are
also innumerable. Human life, at least Hindu life and its culture could not have
been sustained without the idea of Krishna. In other religions He is existing
in different names, perhaps.
When a sannyasi who has renounced everything worldly, Vallabha, is recalling
the sweetness of the lips, face, eyes, smile, heart and the gait of this wonderful
Child, one can feel how deeply the lovely tattwa of Krishna has mesmerized
even the most mature minds of all times.

47 like father like son
ज्ये�ो भ्राता �पता चैव य� �वद्यां प्

त्रयस्ते �पतरो �ेया धम� प�थ �ह व�तर
यवीयानत्मनः पुत्रः �शष्य�ा�प गुणो�
पुत्रव�े त्रयि�न्त्या धमर्�ेदत
वात्मी�करामायणम् �किष्कन्धाका १८ १३--१४
jyeṣṭho bhrātā pitā caiva yaśca vidyāṁ prayacchati|
trayaste pitaro jñeyā dharme pathi hi vartinaḥ||
yavīyānatmanaḥ putraḥ śiṣyaścāpi guṇoditaḥ|
putravatte trayaścintyā dharmaścedatra kāraṇaṁ||
vātmīkirāmāyaṇam kiṣkindhākāṇḍaṁ 18 13--14
Our elder brother and the great preceptor who imparts knowledge to us are to
be given respect equal to our own father, yes, all of them are our fathers.
Likewise, the younger brother and the virtuous disciple are to be treated by us
with equal affection as is due to our own sons, yes all of them are our own
sons.
--

48 kaamokaarshiid manyurakaarshiid namo namah
कामोऽकाष�न्नम नमः। कामोऽकाष�त्काम करो�त नाहं करो�म कामः कतार् नाहं कता
कामः कार�यता नाहं कार�यता एष ते काम कामाय स्वाहाः
मन्युरकाष�न्न नमः। मन्युरकाष�न्मन्युः क्रो�त नाहम् करो�म मन्युः कतार्ना
मन्युः कार�यता नाहं कार�यता एष ते मन्यो मन्यवे स्वा
महानरायणोप�नषत ् ६१ ६२
kāmo'kārṣīnnamo namaḥ| kāmo'kārṣītkāma karoti nāhaṁ karomi kāmaḥ
kartā nāhaṁ kartā kāmaḥ kārayitā nāhaṁ kārayitā eṣa te kāma kāmāya
svāhāḥ|
manyurakārṣīnnamo namaḥ | manyurakārṣīnmanyuḥ kroti nāham karomi
manyuḥ kartā
nāhaṁ kartā manyuḥ kārayitā nāhaṁ kārayitā eṣa te manyo manyave svāhāḥ|
mahānarāyaṇopaniṣat 61 62
Salutations to the gods. Desire performed the act. Desire did the act. Desire is
doing the act, not I. O Desire, fascinating in for, let this oblations be offered to
thee, Hail
Salutations to the gods. Anger performed the act. Desire did the act. Anger is
doing the act, not I. O anger, let this oblation be offered to thee.
These mantras as from Taittariya Aranyaka of Krishna Yajurveda. The latter is
found in rgveda also. Brahmins belonging to the Krishna yajurveda school,
chant a shortened form of this manthra every day once during the oblations
to Sandhya three times a day. On the upakarma day, this year it falls on today,
this manthra in shortened form is repeated 1008 times as expiation by way of
confession that many of our acts are instigated by desire and anger over which
we have little control most of the time, and, therefore we are trying to
propitiate them so that they will get out of our way.

49 shadow of friendship
आरम्भगुव� ��यणी क्रम

लघ्वी पुरा वृ�द्धमती च प�ा
�दनस्य पूवार्द्धर् पराद्धर
च्छायेव मैत्री खलसज्जन ान
ārambhagurvī kṣayiṇī krameṇa|
laghvī purā vṛddhimatī ca paścāt||
dinasya pūrvārddha parārddha bhinnā|
cchāyeva maitrī khalasajjanānām||
भतृर्ह� नी�तशतकं ४९
bhartṛhari nītiśatakaṁ 49
The friendship with a silly idiotic person will appear to be very serious and
weighty in the beginning but slowly the relation will get thinner and thinner
with time to disappear into obscurity. However the friendship of a noble person
may look insignificant at the start but as time progresses and the understanding
is fortified, it progresses from strength to strength
The two phenomena are like the disappearance and the growth of a shadow in
step with the movement of the Sun from dawn to midday and midday to
dusk. The shadow at sunrise will be very long but by midday it will be very
small or inexistent. This phase is compared to the friendship with an idiot. From
midday to sunset, the shadow gets longer and longer..and this is compared to
the friendship with noble souls.
--

50 Lord Dhanwantari in human form
गुरोरधीता�खल वैद्य�व
पीयूषपा�णः कुशलः �क्रयास
गतस्पृहो धैयर्धरःकृपा
शद्धोऽ�धकार
ु � �भषगीदृशः स ्य
guroradhītākhila vaidyavidyaḥ
pīyūṣapāṇiḥ kuśalaḥ kriyāsu|
gataspṛho dhairyadharaḥ kṛpālu
śuddho'dhikārī bhiṣagīdṛśaḥ syāt|
The ideal doctor is described here.
He should have acquired abundance of education from the Masters in the field
and also have training . He should be so learned and beloved that he should be
considered the living form of the Lord Sree Dhanwantari with the pot of
Nectar, He should be dexterous in absolute terms while engaged in
profession.. While on his profession he should be bereft of personal likes or
dislikes and the removal of the distress of the patient alone should be his
concern. He should be and should appear to look very bold and confident while
giving treatment. His compassion should know no bounds. He should be clean
physically and mentally... The candidate for this profession should be
slected from the most eligible.
The doctor trained in Allopathy is expected to take the following oath and
follow it to his end.
THE OATH OF HIPPOCRATES
I SWEAR by Apollo the physician and Æsculapius, and Health, and All-heal,
and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment,
I will keep this Oath and this stipulation — to reckon him who taught me this
Art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and
relieve his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring in the same footing
as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they shall wish to learn it,
without fee or stipulation; and that by precept, lecture, and every other mode of
instruction,
I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own sons, and those of my teachers,
and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the law of

medicine, but to none others.

I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and
judgement, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever
is deleterious and mischievous.
I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel;
and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion.
With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art.
I will not cut persons labouring under the stone, but will leave this to be done by
men who are practitioners of this work. Into whatever houses I enter, I will go
into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of
mischief and corruption; and, further, from the seduction of females or males, of
freemen and slaves. Whatever, in connection with my professional service, or not
in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be
spoken of abroad,
I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret. While I
continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and
the practice of the art, respected by all men, in all times. But should I trespass
and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot.
Do we find any difference between the Indian expectation spelt out in a simple
sloka and the above oath in the name of Apollo?
And to the great credit of professionals in this field, the Doctors world
over have alway lived up to the expectations of the patients except perhaps for
small and rare aberrations .
They as a class have been the greatest boon from God and have kept the world
blessed by their presence.

51 young or old, lion is lion
�ुत ् �ामोऽ�प जराकृशो�प �श�थलप्रायोऽ�प क�ां दशा

आपन्नोऽ�प �वपन्नद��ध�तर�प प्राणेषु नश्यत
म�ेभेन्द्र�व�भन्नकुंभ�प�शतग्रासैकबद्
�कं जीण� तृणम�� मानमहतामग्रेसरः केसर
kṣut kṣāmo'pi jarākṛśopi śithilaprāyo'pi kaṣṭāṁ daśāṁ|
āpanno'pi vipannadīdhitirapi prāṇeṣu naśyatsvapi||
mattebheendravibhinnakuṁbhapiśitagrāsaikabaddha spṛhaḥ|
kiṁ jīrṇaṁ tṛṇamatti mānamahatāmagresaraḥ kesarī||
भ�ृर्ह� नी�तशतकं २१
bharttṛhari nītiśatakaṁ 21
Will the lion eat the sun dried grass in the forest, even if he is emaciated with
hunger, even if he is dogged by old age, even if he is facing very difficult times,
even if he has lost all his vigour and ebullience of his prime youth, what to say,
even if he is facing a real threat of losing his own life?
The food for the king of the forest can be only the hard pieces of flesh he has
extracted from the forehead of a rowdy elephant by splitting it with his
powerful hits. The lion is very proud of his eminence and valour and his own life
is not very important to it in comparison.
The master poet is explaining how a person with true self respect should
behave. Bad times, poverty, ill health, and even the possibility of imminent
death should not deter him from his upright and bold attitude, because death
overtakes everyone one day or the other, but the really great people outlive the
death of the physical body.

52 character is the charm
�मत्रं स्वच्छततया �रपुं नयबलैलुर्ब्धं धनै

काय�ण �द्वजमादरेण युव�तं प्रेम्णा समैबार
अत्युग्रं स्तु�त�भर् गुरुं प्रण�त�भमूर्ख� कथा
�वद्याभी र�सकं रसेन सकलम् शीलेन कुयार्द
mitraṁ svacchatatayā ripuṁ nayabalairlubdhaṁ dhanairīśvaraṁ|
kāryeaṇa dvijamādareṇa yuvatiṁ premṇā samairbāndhavaṁ||
atyugraṁ stutibhir gururṁ praṇatibhirmūrkhaṁ kathābhirbhudhaṁ|
vidyābhī rasikaṁ rasena sakalam śīlena kuryādvaśaṁ||
�हतोपदे शम ्
hitopadeśam
One can always maintain intimacy with a bosom friends by being just natural.
With appropriate strategy and show of strength one can keep his enemy at bay.
A miser can be kept pleased only by supply of more funds,( so also every officer
superintendent)
One's favourite God can be propitiated through service ( to all humans).
A beautiful young lady can be made happy through romance (not for old uncles
like me....I just quote hitopadesam). One's relatives will be happy if one shows
the sense of equality and identity with them. We lose many close relations by
flaunting our own so called status. For the parents we are just the sons and
daughters and for the siblings we are only brothers or sisters.( for them does it
make any difference that you are a top bureaucrat or a stinkingly rich
businessman?)
To keep a ferocious being away from attacking us is only by vocal praise in
place or out of place ( the ferocious thing can appear in so many forms....wife,
boss. mother in law, to cite a few examples) .
The only way the preceptor can be kept happy is by prostrating at his feet (it
will do more good to the disciple than the teacher..especially when the disciple
is prostrating to just pull the master down).
The learned person will be pleased when one shares his knowledge and
erudition with humility. .
One can keep an inveterate idiot only by engaging him with silly talk.
A connoisseur in fine arts will be pleased when the art is performed to

perfection.
And everyone in the world will be pleased with one's good manners and
character.
--

53 let me blow the conch even if it is on deaf ears.
धम� भजस्व सततं त्यज लोकधमार

सेवस्व साधुपुरुषाञ्ज�ह कामतृष्
अन्यस्य दोषगुण�चन्तनमासु मुक
सेवाकथारसमहो �नतरां �पब त्वं
dharmaṁ bhajasva satataṁ tyaja lokadharmān
sevasva sādhupuruṣāñjahi kāmatṛṣṇāṁ|
anyasya doṣaguaṇacintanamāsu muktvā
sevākathārasamaho nitarāṁ piba tvaṁ||
श्री �शल्हण�मश्रस्य शािन ्

śrī śilhaṇamiśrasya śāntiśatakāt
follow the virtuous path with staunch determination, give up the silly mundane
functions, seek out and serve the noble men , give up for ever carnal
desires, give up the habit of always contemplating and elaborating on the faults
and foible of others and praise the service of others and engage yourself in
fruitful service.
I think the first step in the pathway to virtue is giving up telling about the
wrong deeds of others and starting to interpret how bad you yourself are. Then
giving up on Carnal desires.. every person nowadays wants to look at
and craves to being looked upon as a don juan or venus...how to give up that
habit? And seeking out the noble man to serve... in an atmosphere where
leaders of our society would expect us that if we see a seer and a serpant
together, to kill the seer first,, And again how can anyone survive without
shifting the blame of others.. a man running carelessly along a slippery path
falls down and breaks his head but blames the sight of a cat or a widow in the
morning as the cause, one committing a mistake in office starts blaming
everything right from printing paper, computer keyboard, the absence of peon
or the bald head of his boss, but not anything about his own inefficiency..
I am really wasting my morning sleep, but it is not a big deal because I am an

incurable insomniac...

And one will see a consummate idiot in me when I repeat the same thing, but
again it is a fact

54 life is fleeting
प्राणं वा�प प�रत्यज्य मानमेवा�भ

अ�नत्यो भव�त प्र मानमाचन्द्रता
prāṇaṁ vāpi parityajya
mānamevābhirakṣatu
anityo bhavati
prāṇaḥ mānamācandratārakaṁ
്രപാണം വാപി
പരിത�ജ� മാനെമവാഭിരക്ഷ
അനിേത�ാ ഭവതി ്രപാണ മാനം
ആച്രന്ദതാ
do not hesitate even to lay down your life to

uphold your rectitude and unblemished
name. This life is flleeting but ones good
name survives so long as the moon and sun
last.

55 worst sins
अकायर्कायर्वक�ण� स्तेनो भ्रूणह गुरु

वरुणोऽपामघम्रषणस् तसात् पापात् �मुच
akāryakāryavakīrṇo steno bhrūṇaha gurutalpagaḥ|
varuṇo'pāmaghamraṣaṇastasāt pāpāt prmucyate||
महानारायणोप�नषत ् १-----६८
mahānārāyaṇopaniṣat 1-----68
the Lord of Waters and the destroyer of Sins Varuna, will expiate one who
worships the gods of water, of even the five mahaapatakas or most heinous sins
, (1) working contrary to the dictates of the scriptures, (2) being disloyal to ones
own promises out of cowardice (3) causing destruction to the human foetus in
the womb (4) indulging in robbery or coveting the wealth of others and (5)
causing disrepect to the preceptor by entering his bed .
This mantra has twin purpose. First, to extoll the greatness of water... it is said
to release one from the panchamahapaatakas themeselves. It should not be
taken as a licence to commit sins. One should not think that he can gleefully
commit all the sins and wash off his hand. Secondly the moral standards of our
ancestors. Absolute faithfulness to the Vedas, one can understand. Our
ancestors strongly believed that if solemn promises made by the constituents of
the society are not kept it would lead to imbalance even in the working of
natural forces. When Yudistira lied even once partially, it is said that his chariot
which always moved floating about one foot above the ground suddenly
dropped down to earth with a thud. Now our society is very permissive about
termination of pregnancies but our ancestors could not ondone it. They belived
more in continence. In fact sexual copulation was ordained to be limited only
for the furtherace of the race. The fate of Aswathaam who directed the
Brahmasiraastram on the womb of Uttara to annihilate the foetus of
abhimanyus son growing there is well known. And entering the Guru,s bed has
more serious meaning to it.... it is not mere sleep.

56 they keep us alive
अमृतं सद्गुणा भायार्अमृतं बालभा�ष

अमृतं राजसम्मनं अमृतम् मानभोजनं
amṛtaṁ sadguṇā bhāryā amṛtaṁ bālabhāṣitaṁ|
amṛtaṁ rājasammanaṁ amṛtam mānabhojanaṁ||
The following are like elixir for a man's life. A wife rich in adorable qualities,
presence of small children at home with their endearing talks, obtaining
honours and respects from the king or the government, and the capacity to
have daily meals in a respectable way.
Once a schism develops between a man and his wife, the lives of both are lost
for ever. At present we are trying to find many alternate remedies for it but it
would appear definite that for the human race the pairing of one male and a
female for a lifetime is the happiest thing . Without children with their plays
and pranks, every house is empty..The children may be sons and daughters,
grandchildren or great grandchildren. In fact our affection for them increases
exponentially with advancing generation. To be honoured for the services
rendered for ones own country is the proudest achievement any human being
can aspire for. And if a man reaches a stage in life where he has to search for
food even abandoning his dignity, he is more dead than alive.

57 food for thought
अन्नदानात् समं नािस्त �वद्यादानं ततोऽ�

अन्नेन ��णका तृ��ः यावज्जीवं तु �वद्
annadānāt samaṁ nāsti vidyādānaṁ tato'dhikaṁ|
annena kṣaṇikā tṛptiḥ yāvajjīvaṁ tu vidyayā||
There is no gift as great as gift of food. But the gift of education is even greater.
The satisfaction derived by enjoying food is short lived. But education once
imparted properly remains beneficial so long as the recipient is alive.
The ultimate thing that keeps a living being alive is food. In fact the food is given
as a gift by nature, the ultraviolet rays from the sun, the heat, the carbon
dioxide chlorophyll and water, all being His own free creation. The stronger
living things either prey on the weaker ones or simply hoard the means of food
using brutal force. Hunger, the lack of food was the real creator of history full of
revolutions, battles and heroes.
To day starts the Holy month of Ramzan.. The message of Ramzan is a saga of
control of resources and mindset through regulating the intake of food. It is
also a month of gift of food. During the daytime our muslim brothers and sisters
fast, but they partake in the food during nights, and the hearty part of it is that
they all ensure no human being who has fasted during daytime goes hungry
during the night also.
Of course the continuous physical existence is achieved by eating and digesting

food. In fact all the living creatures somehow manage to get food at periodical
intervals and if food is absent for a reasonably long time, they cease to live. (At
this moment we have think of the mother...she supplies food for the foetus in
her womb and after the child is born ensures that it is fed and kept alive, until it
has learned enough skill to eke out its own food.. every mother does it even at
the cost of sacrificing their own lives in the process.)
But mere exiistnce and a vegetation is achieved by this food. But a meaningful
existence will be in place only if the food for the brain, that is, vidya (education)
is imparted. Here also every living being through some biological promptings
which one may call intelligence, instinct, or by any other name acquire some

habits which sustain them and ensure their safe livelihood. However, the
human beings go one step ahead and learn things much more than what is
required for an ordinary existence. The quintessence of knowledge which has
been evolved through generations and kept pure through perhaps repeated
process of evaporation and distillation lies with the guru...that knowledge when
imparted to the disciple through education makes the world what it is for us the
human beings. We consider the faculty to impart and receive education as the
mother intellect, and the teacher who is the medium of imparting the
knowledge as the embodiment of God himself.

58 He is the doctor
yes,
शर�रे जजर्र�भूते व्या�धग्रस्ते क
औषधम ् जा�वी तोयम ् वैद्यो नारयणो ह�
śarīre jarjarībhūte vyādhigraste kalebare

auṣadham jāhnavī toyam vaidyo nārayaṇo hariḥ.
(when the human body is afflicted with old age and
diseases, the only medicine is the holy waters of Ganga and
the solitary doctor in the Lord Narayana himself)
In fact one has to say it is not disease but death that has no
cure.. because it is a natural process like birth.. and it is only
a state of the jeeva for a pre ordained period decided by the
blessed lord. One need not worry about the cancer that
afflicts the body, there is another sort of cancer, may be we
call it arrogance, ill will to others, anger and so one
which afflicts the psyche and it neither kills nor allows us to
live in gods blessed state.
I forwarded a message on cancer I received only because it
is a prayer for our fellow human beings...I dont know for
myself whether there is real cure for cancer, but I have seen
people succumb to worry when they are aware of this
malady and the worry sometimes is more dangerous than
the disease itself.

I had an elderly friend who was the embodiment of

happiness, and he spread his optimism and goodwill
wherever he went. A large number of friends used to call
him ammavan (uncle). The man was not affluent but very
rich in love for others. Suddenly for some days he was
having sore throat and when it persisted, he went to a
speciality hospital and was diagnosed of throat cancer. The
man's mirth simply disappeared. He went into a shell. All
words of comfort were in vain. On my part, all I could do
was to hand over a picture of Guruvayurappan which I was
keeping with myself for a long time. When he took it I saw
a light on his eyes which was not of this world. Of course
the disease is cruel and the worry is still more cruel and
without much warning he passed away within a
fortnight. But the light I saw in his eyes when he saw the
picture of Guruvayurappan still lingers in my mind after
three decades. The lord is the vaidya because He can keep
company to our soul and lead it away peacefully when the
ordained day comes.
What are we before His divine will?
Namaskarams. Krishnaarpanam.

59 schedule for rage
उ�मे �णकोपो स्यात् मध्यमे घ�टकाद्

अधमे स्यात् अहोरात्रं पा�प�े मरणान्
uttame kṣaṇakopo syāt madhyame ghaṭikādvayaṁ|
adhame syāt ahorātraṁ pāpiṣṭhe maraṇāntakaṁ||
ഉത്തേമ ക്ഷണേകാേപാ സ�ാത് മധ�േമ ഘടിക
അധേമ സ�ാത് അേഹാരാ്രതം പാപിഷ്െട മരണാ
for people with excellent charater, the anger even though provoked,
will remain with them for a split second, for the people of average and
mundane character, the anger will linger for about 48 minutes (two ghatikaas),
for persons with inferior character, the anger may continue for a full day and
night, but for the wretched sinner, the anger will remain with him as long as he
lives.
The comparative time limits are only poetic liberty, but it is evident that a man
with an unbiased mind might get angry when provoked but can regain his calm
in a jiffy. But for the black mind the spark of anger once provoked will start
burning him and persist with him till the body reaches the graveyard.
I am not able to trace the source for this old piece of wisdom because sanskrit
language is too full with such anonymous quotes and anyone from Kalidasa to
Kanfusion can claim copyright for them

60 only one difference
आहार�नद्रा भयमैथुनं च सामान्यमेतद् पशु�भनर्र

धम� �ह तेषाम�धको �वशेषः धम��वह�नः पशु�भस्सIनः॥
āhāranidrā bhayamaithunaṁ ca sāmānyametad paśubhirnarāṇāṁ|
dharmo hi teṣāmadhiko viśeṣaḥ dharmovihīnaḥ paśubhissamanaḥ||
Eating food, going to sleep, fear of others and copulation are all common
factors for human beings and other animals. In addition to these the man is
capable of having the sense of righteousness (dharma) . If he is bereft of
dharma, then there is no difference between him and the animals
61 tribute to mother of muses 2
त्वया जु� ऋ�षभर्व�त दे�व त्वया ब्र�ागतश्रीर

त्वया जु�ि�त्रं �वन्दते वसु सा नो जुषस्व द्र�वणे
tvayā juṣṭa ṛṣirbhavati devi tvayā brahmāgataśrīruta tvayā|
tvayā juṣṭaścitraṁ vindate vasu sā no juṣasva draviṇena medhe||
महानारायणोप�नषत ् ४१------------२
mahānārāyaṇopaniṣat 41------------2
this is the second manthra praising the mother of muses.

Oh Mother, one who has the fortune of having a glimpse by your sacred eyes
becomes a seer, he becomes the knower of Brahma, blessed by you he comes
into possession of bounteous riches,,, Therefore, Mother Intellect, please be
kind on us.
This manthra again is a reinforcement of the staunch belief of the vedic man
that knowledge flows from the godhead and wealth and fame flows from such
knowledge. The loftiest intellectual of the period must have discovered such
manthras but he is humble enough and bereft of any arrogance... he

acknowledges the source of what he has very sincerely.. a full and true
disclosure.

62 tribute to the mother of muses
मेधा दे वी जुषमाणा न आगा�द्व�ाची भद्रा सुमनस्यI

त्वया जु�ा जुषमाणा दुरु�ान्बृहद्वदेम �वदथे सुवII
महानारयणोप�नषत ् ४१ १
medhā devī juṣamāṇā na āgādviśvācī bhadrā sumanasyamānā
tvayā juṣṭā juṣamāṇā duruktānbṛhadvadema vidathe suvīrāḥ
mahānārayaṇopaniṣat 41 1
േമധാ േദവി ജുഷമാണാ ന ആഗാദ് വിശ�ാചി ഭ്രദാ സുമനസ�മാ

ത�യാ ജുഷ്ടാ ജുഷ്ടമാണാ ദുരുക്താന്്രബുഹദ�േദമ വിദെ
:
മഹാനാരായേനാപനിഷത
May the all embracing goddess of intellect who is always showering benefits on
us, who is always pleased with us and who is delighted by us her children, be
with us. Oh Goddess of muse and supreme intellect, may we the silly humans
who spend our days recklessly in worthless talk till you visit us and kindle our
intellect, as a result of your affection and compassion to us which is manifested
by your visit to our mind, become enlightened and also capable of expressing
and sharing the Supreme Truth along with our heroic sons and disciples.
This is a prayer every guru makes to the goddess of intellect to kindle his
intellect so that he is weaned away from meaningless harangue and is visited
with Supreme Wisdom... He wants to share the wisdom with his disciples and
sons.
The most important aspect we have to notice is that the learned guru is well
aware that his wisdom is flowing from the sweet grace of the Goddess of
Knowledge and that he will be worthy of only empty speech if the Goddess is
not in his company.
The vedas (this mantra will be found in rgveda and atharvaveda also) have
recognized the goddess, a woman, as the embodiment of all knowledge, even
though we worship Krishna , Dakshinaamoorthi and Sankara as the preceptors
of the world. The personification of Mother Gayatri as a woman is another
tribute to their lofty thoughts. The woman embodies the knowledge and the
man disseminates the knowledge through the blessing of that great mother. The
idea that prakruti the woman and purusha (male) the doer compliment each

other to turn the wheel of universe is delightfully acknowledged by our

ancestors. No male chauvinism.
For the preceptor his own son and his disciple are on equal footing. He prays for
the acquisition of knowledge so that he can impart the same to his own sons
and his disciples. The gurus eagerness to attain brilliant disciples is also a
glorious feature of our ancient traditions. Vide taittareeyopanishad...आमायन्तु
ब्र�चा�रणः स्वा...
āmāyantu brahmacāriṇaḥ svāhāḥ .... etc.,
Finally one can notice with awe the complete lack of arrogance on the part
of the Guru... he simply attributes all that is great to the bounty of the Goddess
of Muse.
This manthra along with one more mantra following it is worshipfully chanted
like the Holy Gayatri by the devotees of Knowledge
[my learned friends must forgive me if I have skirted the terse interpretation of the greats like
Sayana because a manthra from vedas (the Mahanarayanopanishad is for all practical purposes a
part of Yajurveda..) if translated verbatim may carry little meaning to the non-pedantic readers of
our generation.. but the essence is not lost, I hope]

63mass and energy
Brahmajajnaanam prathamam purastaad..

the two of a large number of vyakhyanams of this I give below
the full mantra is
brahmajajnaanam prathamam purstad viseematha surucho vena aapah sa
buddhniya upama asya vishtaa satascha yonim asatascha vivah.
Vena, the noon sun who was born at the beginning of the creation as the first
effect of the Supreme Reality, Brahman, and who is of excellent brilliance
spreads over the whole world up to its boundary. He illuminates also the
heavenly bodies.. He remains manifoldly in his own limited forms which are like
himself. He also spreads over and permeates the causal substance out of which
the visible and invisible universe emerges// Mahanarayanopanishat
You see the sun is recognised as the source of all energy, and the quantum
manifestations of the energy as from the sun, the relativity of energy and mass,
the medium of ether, the sun giving light to other heavenly bodies, are all given
in this mantra..which is also appearing in taittariya samhita of Krishna
yajurvedam and atharva vedam also
Sayana interprets it differently.He takes this mantra as a glorification of

Paramaatma the ground of universe and the cause of the energising and
illuminating sun through which He functions (More in line with my view in the
para immediately above.
As a scientist the quantum mechanical and relativistic aspects should interest

you. What our culture envisaged millennia ago, when put to words by the
westernised stamps gained popularity. This was written thousands of years
before Einstein and Max Planck. The germans took away many valuable texts
from India and learned Sanskrit, it is said. How do you feel about it?

64 the supreme virtues and vices
लोभ�ेद् वद गुणेन �कं �पशुनता यद्यिस्त �कं पा

सत्यं चेत् तप्सा च �कं शु�चमनो यद्यिस्त तीत्थ�
सौजन्यं य�द चेत् बलेन म�हमा यद्यिस्त �कम् मण
स�द्वद्या य�द �कं धनैरपयशो यद्यिस्त�कम् म
lobhaśced vada guṇena kiṁ piśunatā yadyasti kiṁ pātakaiḥ
satyaṁ cet tapsā ca kiṁ śucimano yadyasti tīrtthena kiṁ|
saujanyaṁ yadi cet balena mahimā yadyasti kim maṇḍanaiḥ
sadvidyā yadi kiṁ dhanairapayaśo yadyasti kim mṛtyunā|
If one is greedy he is doomed even without other nasty traits in his character. If
one is a professional scandalmonger, why should he have any other sin to ruin
himself? If one is absolutely devoted to truth, other penances may not be very
significant for him. If one's mind is devoid of all evil thoughts, pilgrimmages
will have nothing to add to his glory. If one is having sterling character, brutal
physical strength need not come to his rescue. If ones standing in the society
and fame are very high, what is he to do with ordinary embellishments and
jewellery? If one has in depth knowledge wealth may be superfluous to
him. And for a man with selfrespect, if he is involved in a scandal or a
blemishful action, it is worse than death for him.
The poet in his mood of exaggeration has highlighted certain virtues and
vices, but it is true that especially when vices are concerned they come united
like a herd of wild elephants.. and vitues are seen in isolation.

65 read for yourself and dont send me curses.
पूर�षस्य च रोषस्य �हंसायाः तस्करस

आद्या�रा�ण संगृ� वेधा�क्रे पुरो
pūrīṣasya ca roṣasya hiṁsāyāḥ taskarasya ca
ādyākṣarāṇi saṁgṛhya vedhāścakre purohitaṁ
പൂരിഷസ� ച േരാഷസ� ഹിമ്സായ തസ്കരസ ച

ആദ�ാക്ഷരാണി സംഗൃഹ� േവധാ ചേ പുേരാഹിതം
how to trace the source....this sloka would be reverberating in the minds of all
who have had some experience with a priest for some pooja or pitru karma..and
may be the mindset of a priest transgresses the religious barriers also...A priest
is a priest whether he is a hindu, christian or muslim, parsee, or aadhivaasi or
buddhist.
The simple meaning of the sloka is that "taking the first word 'Pu' from
puurisha (stinking excreta) 'R(o)' from rosha( uncontrallable anger), 'hi' from
himsa (tendency to hurt others by all means possible) and 'tha' from thaskara (
the highwayman or looter or trained thief) the creator made the word and form
of purohita... the priest.
May be this is said in a lighter vein, but we cannot ignore our sufferings at the
hands of this kind of demigods. May be they take some sprinkling of water
which may be called a bath but in their run for sharing the spoils be it a
marriage or death, he has no time to clean himself(hence the aroma). He is
always angry because he is never satified with any amount of Dakshina or Tythe
....and for all other fellow humans he harbours only vilolence and given a
chance he will not shy away from beating out the guts out of you, and by
profession he is a wonderful bundle of all the thieves either born or to be
born...see how a man of this species give a list of all things under the sun for
even a small cermony( the list has more relevance to what the man is not
having in his house than to the ceremony at hand) and bundles away all unused
thing and carries them with elan in his bike or Car, according to his seniority as
a plunderer.
Apologies to the genuine sincere preceptors, but I feel sorry the majority of the
priests were so avariocious in every slice of time....they caused mishaps in vedic

and upanishadic episodes, there were rasputins, they presided over the
precipitation of Revolution in France...they brought out the best in seers Like
Adi shankara because they had the temerity to put hassles even in the path of
such a great man.. see one episode, the death of his mother.

66 anxiety the killer
�चता �चन्ता तयोमर्द्ध्ये �चन्तानाम गर

�चत दह�त �नज�वं �चन्ता प्राणयुतां वप
citā cintā tayormaddhye cintānāma garīyasī|
cita dahati nirjīvaṁ cintā prāṇayutāṁ vapuḥ||
सुभा�षतं
subhāṣitaṁ
ചിതാ ചിന്താ തേയാaെധ� ചിന്താനാമ ഗരീയ
ചിതാ ദഹതി നിര്ജ്ജീവം ചിന്താ ്രപാണയു:
When compared to the funeral pyre, nagging anxiety is a more potent means of
burning. A dead human body alone is burned to ashes at the funeral, but when
a living human being is tormented by sad and depressing thoughts, his living
body itself is getting burnt, perhaps in a slow but effective way.
When I came across this sloka of ancient wisdom, though very simple but
precise, I was awed at the insights our forefathers have gained in human
psychology millenia ago. The slogan of" healthy body can only exist with a
healthy mind" was dished out by modern pep writers and psychologists of
western breed only in the last century or at best by some in the earlier
century. But Indian thought always underlined the effect of anxiety in the
holistic health of a human being. We can see the thoughts reflected in may
ancient writings.. In Ramayana the thoughts of separation from Rama could be
seen as the cause of death of his father Dasaratha. The same thought is
reflected in Jayadeva's astapadi, when the bard sings about Radaha' plight at
the separation with Madhava... Saa virahe tava diinaa, madhava manasija
visikhabhayadiva bhavanaya twayi leena....that Radha is sick just because of the
thought of separation from you.. the pathos of Radha's separaation from
Krishna can be read in all its vividity in this legend of love everywhere. One can
also read about the excessive jubliliation of Radha and Hari when they are
united ultimately. The yoga aphorisms of Patanjali starts with the admonition
to chaannelise the activities of the mind... yogah chithavrittinirodhah.. because
the master knew well than anything worthwhile can be perfomed by this human

body only if it divested of anxious thoughts. It is an acknowledged fact that the

whole world is now unanimous in the view that the regulation of anxiety and
stress through the oriental prescriptions of yoga and meditation alone can
sustain the human race in a healthy shape.

67 justification for Incometax
हालहलो नैव �वषं �वषं रमा

जनाः परं व्यत्ययमत्र मन
�नपीय जाग�तर् सुखेन तं �शव
स्पृशिन्नमां मु��त �नद्रया ह
hālahalo naiva viṣaṁ viṣaṁ ramā
janāḥ paraṁ vyatyayamatra manyate|
nipīya jāgarti sukhena taṁ śivaḥ
spṛśannimāṁ muhyati nidrayā hariḥ||
सुभI�षतम ्
subhaṣitam
ഹാലാഹേലാ ൈനവ വിഷം വിഷം രമാ
ജനാ പരം വ�ത�യമ്രത മന�ാെ
നിപീയ ജാഗര്ത്തിമ സുേഖന തം :
സ്്രപുശന്നിമം മുഹ�തി നി്രദയ:
Among many things that came out of the milky ocean when it was churned by
the gods and demons, two remarkable products are the most
destructive poison Halahalam which was gobbled up by Bagavaan Siva so that
the universe would be saved. Subsequently the goddes of wealth Rama also
appeared. Lord Vishnu embraced her and married her. People talk hig of Rama
and fear Halahalam as a killer poison. But the fact is just the opposite. Rama
(wealth) is the real poison. One can see the evidence. Siva is always staying
awake and healthy in spite of the poison. But from the moment Vishnu touched
Rama, He is in deep sleep, oblivious of anything else.
Here the important message of the subhashitam is that when people come by
large wealth they simply forget everything else in the world and enter into a
state of stupour where they are blind to everything other than amassing
wealth. Even the most potent venom cannot change people to this extent.
Maybe that is the reason why we collect the incometax ... to take away the
excessive wealth and cure people of their sleepy habits.

we want all people to be fully awake.. What better shock treatment can be
there?

68 tough nut to crack
ना�ळकेरसमाकाराः दृश्यन्तेऽ�प �ह सज्

अन्ये बद�रकाकाराः ब�हरेव मनोहरा
nāḻikerasamākārāḥ dṛśyante'pi hi sajjanāḥ
anye badarikākārāḥ bahireva manoharāḥ
सुभI�षतशतकत्र
subhaṣitaśatakatrayaṁ
നാളിേകരസമാകാരാ; ദൃശ�േന്തപി ഹി സജ:

അേന� ബദരികാകാരാ: ബഹിേരവ മേനാഹരാ:
The genuinely noble persons are like the coconut fruits. They will look crude
outside, you have to tear off the external fibres and break the intervening hard
shell to reach at the nourishing sweet core and the elixir inside. The great ones
will never show off their innate virtues, but one has to get near them and
understand them and then the soft and benevolent heart will be
understood. On the contrary the hypocrites are like the Badari fruits ( we call
them ilanthippazham, ilanjippazham or lanthappazham in tamil and malayalam)
which look very beautiful on the skin but when the colurful skin is peeled off
only the hard unbreakable and useless seed will be found inside.
--
।श्रीकृष्णो र�
|śrīkṛṣṇo rakṣatu|
Have a nice and happy day
with profound respect and warm regards
K V Ananthanarayanan
(kanfusion)
blog http://kanfusion.blogspot.com/
त्यजन्तु बान्धवाः सव� �नन्दन्तु गुरवोI
तदा�प परमानन्दो गो�वन्दो मम जीवII
let all my relatives abandon me, let the great people insult me, still I am in supreme bliss since my
life is GOVINDA alone.
Iकृ ष्णात् परं �कम�प तत्वं अहं न जा"I
लोकाः समस्ताः सु�खनो भवन्त
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu|

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With pranams from K.

V,Ananthanarayanan, IRS, Addl Commissioner of Incometax, Trivandrum

1 devotion makes god out of stone

न दे वो �वद्यते का�े न पाषणे नमृण्म

2water, the mother and physician

ओमानम ् आपो मानुषीर ् अमु�ं

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

प्रारभ्यते न खलु �वघ्नभयेनन

भतृर्हरे नी�तशतकम ् धैयर्पद्ध

bhartṛhareḥ nītiśatakam dhairyapaddhatiḥ

praarabhyate na khalu vighnabhayena niichaiH

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

4 Aaapadi Kim Karaneeyam...?

Aapadi Kim Karneeyam? Smaraneeyam padyayugalam ambaayaah, tat

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

The prescription of Bharthruhari is rather very tough and costly. If we can

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

6bursting at the seams?

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

പേരഷാം േചതാംസി ്രപതിദിവസമാരധ� ബഹുധ

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

8neither near nor too far

अत्यासन्ना �वनाशाय दूरस्था न फलप्

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

गते शोको न कतर्व्यो भ�वष ्यम् नैव �चन् तय

ഗേത േശാേകാ ന കര്തേവ�ാ ഭവിഷ�ം ൈനവ ചിന്ത

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

11 the supreme being

अपा�णपादो जवनो गृह�ता

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

12 Fwd: glorious deeds

द�रद्र कृतं दानं शून्य�लङ्गस्य पूजन

True, aswamedha is a meaningless rite today. But we should see its

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

13 beware of inborn enemies

कापर्ण्येन यशः क्रुधा गुणचयो दंभेन सत्यम

kvananthanarayanan@gmail.com mob 09446508855

वरं न राज्यं न कुराज राज्

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राजा रा�कृतम ् भुङ्�े रा�ः पापं पुरो�हतः

രാജാ രാ്രഷ്ടകൃതം ഭുങ്ങ്െ: പാപം പുേരാഹിത:

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16 what is our worth?

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we shower praise on Aranyaani, the beautiful goddess of forest, who is always

the importance of pristine forests was always recognised by our ancestors. No

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18 goats and their king fox

स्वा�मना प्र�तकूलेन प्रजास्ती�णेन

സ�ാമിനാ ്രപതികുെലന ്രപജാസ്തീക്ഷ് െണന

the contemporary siginificance of this sloka needs no elaboration. If our rulers

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18 devotion makes god out of stone

न दे वो �वद्यते का�े न पाषणे नमृण्म

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19 water, the mother and physician

ओमानम ् आपो मानुषीर ् अमु�ं

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प्रारभ्यते न खलु �वघ्नभयेनन

भतृर्हरे नी�तशतकम ् धैयर्पद्ध