B. R. Suhas - Immortal Sayings: From Indian Scriptures and Classics

Immortal

Sayings

From Indian Scriptures and Classics

Completed and annotated by

Dr B.R. Suhas

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Copyright:
ISBN 978-935-05725-7-3
Edition: November 2012

The Copyright of this book, as well as all matter contained herein (including illustrations) rests with the Publishers. No person shall copy the name of the book, its title design, matter and illustrations in any form and in any language, totally or partially or in any distorted form. Anybody doing so shall face legal action and will be responsible for damages.

Dedicated to my Father,

Er. B.G. R AMESH .

A great writer and an

inspiration for my writing.

S anskrit is one of the oldest languages of the world. Its rich heritage includes epics, religious and devotional scriptures, poetic works, dramas and other literary works. Subhashitas form a special feature of Sanskrit literature. Subhashitas are equivalent to proverbs and sayings found in other languages.

Subhashitas means words of wisdom. Subhashitas are short verses or shlokas that convey thoughtful messages through elegant examples. As dry preaching does not hit the mark, Subhashitas preach through interesting examples in rhythmic poems. Such preaching is appreciated just as a sugar-coated bitter medicine is liked. The matter dealt in these Subhashitas is variegated and include such topics like appraisal of scholars, value of knowledge, money, good and bad, fools and the intelligent, moral lessons, courage, fear, self-respect, endeavour, enthusiasm, love, happiness and sorrow, laziness, truth, righteousness, friendship, sense control, God, devotion and many more. These Subhashitas consist of day-to-day experiences that everyone enjoys.

Subhashitas are present in large numbers throughout. Sanskrit literary works The Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, Panchatantra and the celebrated works of poets such as Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti, Kalhana, Bhartrihari etc are full of Subhashitas. Besides, there are individual works dedicated to a collection of Subhashitas like Suktimuktavali, Subhashita Sudhanidhi, Subhashita Ratnabandagara, Samayochita Padyamalika, Narabharana and many more Scholars are collecting Subhashitas even today and many such collections like Subhashita Manjari, Subhashita Ratnavali, Subhashita Samputa, Nitya Neeti etc are in Kannada and English translations.

In this compilation of Sanskrit Subhashitas, I have made a sincere effort to convey the meaning of these Subhashitas. The translations are free and not literal. Short explanations have been added to each verse to appreciate the meaning and message of the Subhashita. I owe my thanks to many different sources. I have referred to in preparing this compilation. I hope readers enjoy this book. I would like to receive feedback from readers via e-mail at: brs_doc@yahoo co in.

Dr B.R. Suhas

Obeisance unto the Lord, who is not bound by space and time, who is Infnite, whose form is knowledge personifed, who is effulgent, peaceful, and who can be realised only by ones own experience.

Neeti Shataka - 1

It is always customary to start any work with a prayer to the Almighty Lord. This shloka appears in a composition called Neetishataka, a collection of 100 moral sayings composed by King Bhartrihari. In his prayer, he also describes the nature of God, saying that He is not bound by time and space. All of us have a limited body that is bound by space and time. The body is subject to time, and it has a beginning and an end. But God is Eternal; so also the Atma, but for the illusion. Thus, the body limits the Jiva. But God is Omnipresent. He is called Vishnu, which means all-pervading. Therefore, He is unlimited.

God is Omniscient. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, From all the Vedas, I am to be known. He is Sat (Truth), Chit (Knowledge) and Ananda (Bliss). He is self-effulgent, like the sun. He is peaceful and never gets afficted by any situation. God can be realised only by ones own experience, through devotion and perseverance. It is not possible for anyone to show Him. It is often said that the taste of sugar can be realised only by tasting it!

Obeisance to the Lord.

Among all the languages, Sanskrit is the sweetest, most important and divine. And in this Sanskrit literature, poetry is sweeter, and among poetry, Subhashita or good word is the sweetest.

Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara

It is said that Sanskrit is the mother of all languages. It is the most ancient language. Historians say that the ancient Aryans transacted in this language, and tradition maintains that it is the language of Gods. The words Geervani Bharati in verse refers to this. The works composed in Sanskrit are all beautiful and many of the religious and literary works of India, like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, Vedas, and Upanishads, are composed in Sanskrit. Many great poets like Kalidasa, Magha, Bhavabhuti, Dandi