भर्तृहरिसभभाषरभान

(BHARTŖHARI SUBHĀŚITĀNI)

 Subhaasita: - Its a Sloka or poetry, which teaches morals and show the right path
to the peoples. Basically its an advise or thoughts of ancient sages for the people
to live a disciplined and happy life.

Bhartṛhari was a Sanskrit writer during period of 5th century CE. He is

famous for his two influential Sanskrit texts:

 Vākyapadīya:- A book on Sanskrit grammar and linguistic philosophy, a

foundational text in the Indian grammatical tradition, explaining numerous
theories on the words.

 Śatakatraya:- The three śatakas or hundreds consisting of three thematic

compilations on:-

1. Shringaraśataka (Love)

2. Vairagyaśataka (Dispassion)

3. Niti śataka (Moral)

There was a king named Bhartruhari ruling the city of Ujjaini, situated in
the middle of present day India. He was a wise and loving ruler, but his mind was
always on Love and Romance, he had around 100 beautiful women for his wives as
stories say, obviously there wasn't much time left for him to look after the Kingdom,
his younger step-brother Vikramaditya was looking after the whole of kingdom,
and was unhappy with his brother for not taking responsibilities.

Bhartruhari was so much immersed in romance and sex, that he wrote 100
stanzas on 'the art of romance and sex', now famously called 'Shrungara Shataka'.
All the stanzas are on sensuality and sexual pleasure.

King Bhartruhari was obsessed with his youngest wife Pingala, she was
beautiful and charming. Once king's brother complained to the king about the affair
of queen with king's charioteer and advised him to banish her for the sake of the
kingdom. King was too obsessed with her to heed to his brother, in fact when the
queen heard of this from her sources, she manipulated the king and banished his
brother from the kingdom.

One day a yogi came to his court and presented the king with an apple,
which he said would bless one with 'youth and longevity' on eating (stories say that
the ascetic got the apple as a boon from the gods and that the apple was from the
Kalpavruksha- 'wish fulfilling tree').

The king wanted queen Pingala to have the apple, so that she would always
look young for him.
 भर्तृहरिसभभाषरभान
(BHARTŖHARI SUBHĀŚITĀNI)

Queen Pingala gave the apple to the charioteer. She wanted him to be young
and strong.

The charioteer was in love with a prostitute, he gave her the apple to eat.

The prostitute thought 'it would be better if someone deserving ate this', she
always liked the king, he was noble and pious, his long living also meant the peace
and stability of her kingdom, so she took the apple to the king and give it to him.

King Bhartuhari was surprised to see the apple with her, and inquired how
she got it. She told him how she got it from the charioteer, king sent men to bring
the charioteer, he told the king that he got it from the queen, and confessed of his
affair with the queen.

Bhartruhari realized the fleeting nature of the pleasure from worldly objects,
he wrote a poem about the incident which changed him in his Niti Shataka. (100
stanzas on Moral conduct)

Deep Vairagya (dispassion) arose in him, he gave up the desire for his wife,
realizing his mistake he brought his brother back and crowned him, renouncing the
world he lived rest of his life as an ascetic. Bhartruhari wrote Niti-Shataka and
Vairagya Shataka during his later years.
 There are four ways to understand a Sloka:-
1. पद ािभभग :- Split the word
2. अन् :- Its an arrangement of words in a systematic way. To understand a sloka
first we need to change or convert the sloka into a sentence or prose form.
3. शबभदत :- Meaning of the words
4. भभिभदत :- Meaning of the Sloka

अज: सुखमाराध: सुखतरमाराधतय विशयषज: ।

जाञािलु विरलवि ब्ाव् ञरि ञ रि जयवत ॥

 पद ािभभग :-
सुखमाराधतय - सौखि + आराधतय
सुखतरमाराधतय - सुखतर + आराधतय
जाञानलु विरलवि - जाञानलु : + विलवि
ब्ाव् - ब्ा + अव्
 अन् :-
सुखमाराध: अज: विशयषज सुखतरमाराधतय, ब्ाव् जाञानलु विरलवि ञरि ञ रि जयवत ।
 शबभदत :-
सुखमाराध: -Guiding
अज: - Ignorant
विशयषज - Wise man
सुखतरमाराधतय- Easily Guiding
 भर्तृहरिसभभाषरभान
(BHARTŖHARI SUBHĀŚITĀNI)
ब्ाव् - Even Supreme Lord Brahma
जाञानलु विरलवि - Half Learned Person
ञरि - Man
रि जयवत- Influence
 भभिभदत :-
The man who is entirely ignorant can easily guided; the wise man is still easily
led but even the supreme being Bramha can't influence the half learned person.

कुसुमस्कमयि दयव िृव्मरञ्मञ ।

मूव्र िा सिरालकम शवयरतय िञि एि िा ॥
 पद: ािभभग :-
कुसुमसिक - कुसुम + सिक
िृव्मरञ्मञ - िृव्: + मञ्मञ
सिरालकम - सिर + ालकम
 अन्: -
कुसुमसिकम इि मञ्मञ: दयव िृव्, सिरालकम मूव्र िा शवयरतय िञि एि िा ।
 शबभदत :-
कुसुम - Flower
स्क - Garland
मञ्मञ - Wise man / Philosophers
मूव्र - Top
सिरालक - All People
शवयरतय - Wither
िञ - Forest
 भभिभदत :-
There are two uses both for garlands of flowers and also for a wise man- they
may be exalted on the head or wither in the forest.

लाञि भलगल ञाश्सतल गतय भि्् वि्म ।

यल ञ ललावत ञ भुिकय तम तृतवया गवतभरिवत ॥
 पद ािभभग :-
ञाश्सतल - ञाश: + वततल
गवतभरिवत - गवत: + भिवत
 अन् :-
लाञ भलगल ञाश: वततल गतय भि्् वि्म, य: ञ ललावत ञ भुिकय तम तृतवया गवत:
भिवत ।
 शबभदत :-
लाञ - Donation
भलगल - Enjoyment
ञाश:- Loss
वततल - Three states
वि्म - Wealth
ललावत - Giving/ Donating
भुिकय-Enjoy
 भर्तृहरिसभभाषरभान
(BHARTŖHARI SUBHĀŚITĀNI)
तृतवय - Third
 भभिभदत :-
Giving, consuming and loss, are the three ways by which wealth is diminished.
The men who never gives nor spends has yet the third way open to him.

लु जरञ: ्ररहतरतल विदयायािकृतलयव् सञ् ।

मविञाािकृत: स्र: वकमसौ ञ भयिकर: ॥
 पद ािभभग :-
विदयायािकृतलयव् :- विदया + अािकृत + अव्
मविञाािकृत: - मविञ + अािकृत
वकमसौ :- वकम् + असौ
 अन् :-
विदाया: अािकृत अव् लु जरञ: ्ररहतरत, स्र: मविञ आािकृत सञ् वकम् असौ ञ
भयिकर ।
 शबभदत :-
लु जरञ - Evil/ Vicious Person
्ररहतरत - Avoid
विदया - Knowledge
अािकृत - Decorated / Adorn
मवि - Jewels/ Gem
स्र : - Snake/ Serpent
भयिकर - Fearful/ Dangerous
 भभिभदत :-
The evil man should be avoided though he be adorned with learning; is a
snake less feared because it is ornamented with jewels.

सि्तु महताि वि्ि भितुयाकलमाम् ।

आ्तु ि महाशैावशाासिघातककरशम् ॥
 पद: ािभभग :-
सि्तु - सि्ल् + सु
भितुयाकलमाम् - भिवत + उया + कलमाम्
आ्तु - आ्ल् + सु
वशाासिघातककरशम् - वशाा + सिघात + ककरशम्
 अन् :-
महताि वि्ि सि्तु कलमाि उया एि भि्् ि आ्तु महाशैा वशाासिघात ककरशम् ।
 शबभदत :-
सि्तु - Prosperity
वि्ि - Mind
महता - Great man
उया - Lotus
कलमाम् - Soft
आ्तु - Misfortune
महाशैा - Rocks
 भर्तृहरिसभभाषरभान
(BHARTŖHARI SUBHĀŚITĀNI)
ककरशम् -Firm/ Hard
 भभिभदत :-
The mind of a great man becomes soft as a lotus in the time of prosperity but
in misfortune hard as a ridge adamantine rocks.
The heart of a wise is soft as a lotus flower in prosperity, but in adversity it is as
firm as a mountain rocks.

शलरि शुतयञैि ञ कुणायञ लाञयञ ्ाविरञर तु किकियञ ।

विभावत काय: करिा्रािाि ्रल्कारै ञर तु िनञयञ ॥
 पद: ािभभग :-
शुतयञैि - शुतयञ +
्ाविञर - ्ावि: + ञ
्रल्कारै ञर - ्रल्कार: + ञ
 अन् :-
विभावत शलरि शुतयञ एि ञ कुणायञ, ्ावि लाञयञ ञ तु किकियञ, काय: ्रल्कारय
करिा्रािाि ञ तु िनञयञ ।
 शबभदत :-
शलर - Ear
कुणा - Earrings
लाञयञ - Gift / Giving
्ावि - Hand
किकि - Armlets
्रल्कार - Good to other / Helping others
िनञ - Sandal
काय - Body
 भभिभदत :-
The ear is beautified by hearing the Shastras not by wearing earrings, the hand
is beautified by the gifts and not by armlets the body is beautified by doing good to
others and not by painting sandals.
्ररिवतरवञ सिसारय मृत: कल िा ञ जायतय ।
स जातल ययञ जातयञ यावत ििश समुनवतम् ॥

 पदािभभग:-

 अन् :-
्ररिवतरवञ सिसारय मृत: कल िा ञ जायतय , स जातल ययञ जातयञ यावत ििश समुनवतम् |
 शबभदत :-
्ररिवतरवञ -Resoving
सिसार - World
मृत - Dead
जायतय - Rebirth
ििश - Clan
समुनवतम् - Glorify
 भर्तृहरिसभभाषरभान
(BHARTŖHARI SUBHĀŚITĀNI)
 भभिभदत :-
In this resolving world, is any dead person not reborn ? only that person’s
birth is worthy, who glorify his family’s honor.