Month: April 2020

Knowledge and contentment

विद्या ददाति विनयं विनयाद्याति पात्रताम् । पात्रत्वाद्धनमाप्नोति धनाद्धर्मं ततः सुखम् ॥ vidyā dadāti vinayam, vinayādyāti pātratām | pātratvāddhanamāpnoti, dhanāddharmam tatah sukham || Hitopadeśa Knowledge makes one humble, humility leads to worthiness,worthiness creates wealth and enrichment,enrichment leads to right conduct, right conduct brings joy and contentment. If you studied Sanskrit in school, you would have surely …

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We are all worthy

अमन्त्रमक्षरं नास्ति नास्ति मूलमनौषधम् ।अयोग्यः पुरुषो नास्ति योजकस्तत्र दुर्लभः ॥ amantramakṣaraṃ nāsti nāsti mūlamanauṣadham ।ayogyaḥ puruṣo nāsti yojakastatra durlabhaḥ ॥ Samayocitapadyamālikā There is not a syllable which is not a mantra; there is not a root that is not a medicine. There is no person who is not able, but rare is the person who knows how to …

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We are in everything, and everything is in us

आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन | सुखं वा यदि वा दु:खं स योगी परमो मत: || ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśhyati yo ’rjuna sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ Bhagavad Gīta 6.32  I regard them to be perfect yogis who see the true equality of all living beings and respond to the joys …

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In good times and bad

उदेति सविता ताम्रस्ताम्र एवास्तमेतिच।  सम्पतौ च विपत्तौ च महतामेकरूपता॥ udeti savitā tāmras tāmra evāstameti ca |  saṃpattau ca vipattau ca mahatāmekarūpatā || Kavya Prakash 7.245 The Sun is red at the time of rising, and red at the time of setting too. Likewise, great men remain alike in both good times and bad times. In …

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Let’s celebrate the planet

ईशावास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् । तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम् ॥ īśāvāsyamidaṃ sarvaṃ yatkiñca jagatyāṃ jagat | tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasyasviddhanam || Īśopaniṣad Verse 1 Whatever exists in this Universe, is pervaded by the eternal Truth of the Self. Protect your Self through detachment. Or – Do not covet, for whose is wealth? …

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The best time to do anything

यदपि स्यादसमये यातो वनमसाविति ।अकालो नास्ति धर्मस्य जीविते चञ्चले सति ॥ yadapi syādasamaye yāto vanamasāviti |akālo nāsti dharmasya jīvite cañcale sati|| Buddhacarita 6.21, by Aśvaghoṣa Though he might be said to have gone at a bad time to the forest, in dharma, in truth, no bad time exists – life being as fickle as it is. The Buddhacarita …

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The importance of time and effort

क्षणशः कणशश्चैव  विद्यामर्थं च  साधयेत्  |क्षणत्यागे कुतो विद्या कणत्यागे कुतो धनम् || kṣaṇaśaḥ kaṇaśaḥ ca eva vidyām arthaṃ ca sādhayet । kṣaṇa-tyāge kutaḥ vidyā kaṇa-tyāge kutaḥ dhanam ॥ Subhashita Knowledge and wealth are procured with every moment and grain (respectively). If a moment is wasted, how can knowledge be accrued? If a grain is wasted, how …

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What makes us happy?

सर्वं परवशं दुःखं सर्वमात्मवशं सुखम् ।एतद् विद्यात् समासेन लक्षणं सुखदुःखयोः ॥ sarvaṃ paravaśaṃ duḥkhaṃ sarvamātmavaśaṃ sukham |etad vidyāt samāsena lakṣaṇaṃ sukhaduḥkhayoḥ ||  Manusmriti 4.160 All that is dependent on others is painful; all that is dependent on oneself is pleasing; he shall know this to be, in short, the definition of pleasure and pain. A very simple, …

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What is the recipe for success?

यशोधिगन्तुं सुखलिप्सया वा मनुष्यसंख्यामतिवर्तितुं वा |  निरुत्सकानामभियोगभाजां समुत्सुके वाङ्कमुपैति सिद्धिः || yashodhigantum sukhalipsayā vā manuśyasamkhyāmativartitum vā nirutsakānāmabhiyogabhājām samutsuke vānkmupaiti siddhih Kavya Prakasha Success itself is keen to fall in the lap of and embrace a person who is not very keen to be famous, or who is not desirous of attaining pleasure or happiness, or who …

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Possessions and contentment

यश्चेमां वसुधां कृत्स्नां प्रशासेदखिलां नृपः ।तुल्याश्मकाञ्चनो यश्च स कृतार्थो न पार्थिवः ॥ yaścemāṃ vasudhāṃ kṛtsnāṃ praśāsedakhilāṃ nṛpaḥ ।tulyāśmakāñcano yaśca sa kṛtārtho na pārthivaḥ ॥ Mahabharata Shanti Parva 17.11 A king who rules over the whole earth is not satisfied. But a sage for whom a piece of stone and gold are equal, is always content.​ …

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