Hanuman – the Destroyer of Demons

Saturday

Wherever Raghava’s praises are sung, there He is ever present, with palms clasped overhead and eyes flooded with tears of joy. Let us meditate on Him – Maruthi – the destroyer of demons.

yathra yathra raghynAthakIrthanam thathra thathra krthamasthakAnjalim |
bASHpavAriparipUrNalOchanam mAruthim namatha rAksasAnthakam ||

यत्र यत्र रघुनामकीर्तनं तत्र कतमस्तकाञ्जलिम् |
बाष्पवारिपरिपूर्णलॊचनं मारुतिं नमत राक्षसान्तकम् ||

Good People and Bad People

Thursday

There is just one difference between people who are good and those who are not. The thoughts, words and deeds of the bad do not match one another. The thoughts, words and deeds of the good people are all identical.

manasyEkam vachasyEkam karmaNyEkam dhurAthmanAm |
manasyEkam vachasyEkam karmaNyEkam mahAthmanAm ||

मनस्येकं वचस्येकं कर्मण्येकं दुरात्मनाम् |
मनस्येकं वचस्येकं कर्मण्येकं महात्मनाम् ||

Good Speech – A Hint from the ‘Panchatantra’

Monday

Some people speak words of wisdom, simply repeating the same like parrots; some others are inherently wise, but do not express themselves; there are a few whose speech sparkles, the wise words flowing eloquently from their hearts.

[Note: This quotation is from Vishnu Sharma's 'Panchatantra', an ancient Indian classic on the art of winning friends and influencing people.]

एकेषां वाचि शुकवदन्येषां हृदि मूकवत् |
हृदिवाचि तथान्येषां वल्गु वल्गन्ति सूक्तयः ||

EkESHAm vAchi shukavadh anyESHAm hrdhi mUkavath |
hrdhivAchi thaTHAnyESHAm valgu valganthi sUkthayaha ||

Advice to Parents

Friday

Indulge a child for the first five years of his life, for the next ten years deal firmly with the child. Once the child is sixteen, treat him as a friend.

lAlayEth pancha varSHANi dasha varSHANi thAdayEth |
prApthE thu SHOdashE varSHE puthram mithravadh AcharEth ||

लालयेत् पञ्च वर्षाणि दश वर्षाणि ताडयेत् |
प्राप्ते तु षोडशे वर्षे पुत्रं मित्रवदाचरेत् ||

A Father’s Sorrow

Since Shakunthala is leaving today, my heart is turbulent, unshed tears constrict my throat and anxiety blurs my sight. If affection causes such agitation in a person like me who lives in the forest, how much will the sadness of separation from a just married daughter trouble a householder?

yAsyathyadhya shakunthalEthi hrdhayam samsprSHtam uthkaNTayA kaNTaha sthambithabASHpavrththikaluSHashchinthAjadam dharshanam |
vaiklavyam mama thAvadhIdhrsham idham snEhAdh araNyaukasaha pIdyanthE grhiNaha kaTHam nu thanayAvishlESHadhuhkhairnavaihi ||

यास्यत्यद्य शकुन्तलेति हृदयं संस्पृष्टमुत्कण्ठया कण्ठः स्थम्बितबाष्पवृत्तिकलुषैश्चिन्ताजडं दर्शनम् |
वैक्लव्यं मम तावदीदृशमिदं स्नेहादरण्यौकसः पीड्यन्ते गृहिणः कथं नु तनयाविश्लेषदुःखैर्नवैः ||

(Note: This slokam is from Kalidasa's play Abhignyana Shakuntalam. Sage Kanva says these words to himself before Shakuntala's departure to her husband Dushyanta's kingdom.)

Let Us Go Home!

Tuesday

The birds have returned to their homes; the sages have entered the waters [to offer their evening prayers]; the fires are burning bright wherever they have been lit; the smoke is meandering through the forest as if trying to discern the way; the distant sun too has diminished in size – he has withdrawn his rays, turned his chariot around and is now slowly entering the sunset mountain.

[Says the man-servant to Vasavadatta as he leads her away in the last verse of Act I of poet and dramatist Bhasa's most famous play of six Acts, Svapnavasavadattam (स्वप्नवासवदत्तम्)

खगा वासॊपॆताः सलिलमवगाढॊ मुनिजनः प्रदीप्तॊ s ग्निर्भाति प्रविचरति धूमॊ मुनिवनम् /

परिभ्रष्टॊ दूराद्रविरपि च संक्षिप्तकिरणॊ रथं व्यावर्त्यासौ प्रविशति शनैरस्तशिखरम् //]

[khagA vAsOpEthAha salilamavagADO munijanaha pradhIpthOgnirbhAthi pravicharathi DHUmO munivanam / paribhraSHtO dhUrAdhravirapi cha sankshipthakiraNO raTHam vyAvarthyAsau pravishathi shanairasthashikharam //

Who is a Good Friend?

They will help you overcome bad qualities and inspire you to take the right path; they will keep your secrets but advertise your good qualities; they will not desert you when you’re in trouble and give of themselves in your time of need – such is the nature of good friends say the wise.

पापान् निवारयति योजयते हिताय गुह्यानि गूहति गुणान् प्रकटीकरोति |
आपद्गतम् च न जहाति ददाति काले सन्मित्रलक्षणमिदम् प्रवदन्ति सन्तः ||

pApAn nivArayathi yOjayathE hithAya guhyAni gUhathi guNAn prakatIkarOthi |
Apadhgatham cha na jahAthi dhadhAthi kAlE sanmithralakSHaNamidham pravadhanthi santhaha ||

The Inherent Purity of Language

How can a tongue [or language] be defiled? Like a noble woman, so is language. Only uncouth people talk about their defilement.



सर्वथा व्यवहर्तव्यं कुतॊ ह्यवचनीयता |
यथा स्त्रीणां तथा वाचां साधुत्वॆ दुर्जनॊ जनः ||


sarvaTHA vyavaharthavyam kuthO hyavachanIyathA |
yaTHA sthrINAm thaTHA vAchAm sADHuthvE durjanO janaha||


[Note: This verse is from Bhavabhuti's Sanskrit play, Uttararamacharitham.]

A King vs A Scholar

Monday

Scholarship and kingship can never become equal. A king is respected in his kingdom; a scholar is revered everywhere. [From Vishnu Sharma's Panchatantra - 'Mitrasampraptikam' verse 57]

विद्वत्त्वं च नृपत्वं च नैव तुल्यं कदाचन |
स्वदेशे पूज्यते राजा विद्वान् सर्वत्र पूज्यते ||

vidhvaththvam cha nrpathvam cha naiva thulyam kadhAchana |
svadhEshE pUjyathE rAjA vidhvAn sarvathra pUjyathE ||

The Witnesses

Day and night, dusk and dawn, and the Law of Right Conduct are witness to man’s every action.

अहश्च रात्रिश्च उभे च सन्ध्ये धर्मोऽपि जानाति नरस्य वृत्तम् |

ahashcha rAthrishcha ubhE cha sanDHyE DHarmOpi jAnAthi narasya vrththam |