Education

na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ

na hāyanair na palitair na vittena na bandhubhiḥ |
ṛṣayaś cakrire dharmaṁ yo’nūcānaḥ sa no mahān ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.47; Manu-smṛti: 2.154)

“[The youthful Sārasvata Muni says to an assembly of elder ṛṣis who had requested him to teach them the Vedas after they had neglected to study them for many years during a prolonged famine and thus forgotten how to recite the Vedas in full and proper completion:] Neither by years, nor by grey hairs, nor by wealth, nor by relations have ṛṣis performed dharma. One who is devoted to learning [i.e., one who is well-versed in the śāstra so as to be able to read, repeat, and teach it to others] is the great one amongst us [i.e., a ṛṣi’s performance of dharma is constituted principally of learning, understanding, and teaching the śāstra].”

Read on →

yo hy adharmeṇa vibrūyād gṛhṇīyād vāpy adharmataḥ

yo hy adharmeṇa vibrūyād gṛhṇīyād vāpy adharmataḥ |
hīyetāṁ tāv ubhau kṣipraṁ syātāṁ vā vairiṇāv ubhau ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.46)

“One who shall teach undharmicly [i.e., without accepting the student as a disciple] and one who shall acquire [knowledge] undharmicly [i.e., without acceptance of discipleship to the teacher]—both shall quickly abandon one another or become enemies of one another.”

Read on →

vācyaṁ śraddhā-sametasya pṛcchateś ca viśeṣataḥ

vācyaṁ śraddhā-sametasya pṛcchateś ca viśeṣataḥ |
proktaṁ śraddhā-vihīnasya araṇya-ruditopamam ||
(Pañcatantra: 1.424)

“Advice should be given to one who has trust [in you] and who has asked in particular [for it]. Speaking to someone who has no trust is like crying in the forest [i.e., it is futile].”

Read on →

upadeśo na dātavyo yādṛśe tādṛśe nare

upadeśo na dātavyo yādṛśe tādṛśe nare |
(Pañcatantra: 1.421)

“Advice should not be given to any sort of person [i.e., it should not be given to anyone indiscriminately without consideration regarding what is suitable for that person in particular].”

Read on →

svabhāvo nopadeśena śakyate kartum anyathā

svabhāvo nopadeśena śakyate kartum anyathā |
sutaptam api pānīyaṁ punar gacchati śītalam ||
yadi syac chītalo vahniḥ śītāṁśur dahanātmakaḥ |
na svabhāvo’tra martyānāṁ śakyate kartum anyathā ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-bheda, 280–281)

“The svabhāva cannot be changed by instructions. Although [it may be made] very hot [for a certain period of time], water again [inevitably] goes cold. [Even] If fire were to become cold, and the moon [lit. ‘that which has cool rays’] were to become fiery, [still] the svabhāvas of mortal beings in this world could not be changed.”

Read on →

anuṣṭhānaṁ hy upadeśāpekṣaṁ

anuṣṭhānaṁ hy upadeśāpekṣaṁ, prema tu tat-prasādāpekṣam iti |
(Tattva Sandarbha: 46)

“Practice [i.e., sādhana-bhakti] is dependent on instruction, but prema [i.e., prema-bhakti] is dependent on his [i.e., Bhagavān’s] grace.”

Read on →

yadā kiñcij-jño’haṁ dvipa iva madāndhas samabhavaṁ

yadā kiñcij-jño’haṁ dvipa iva madāndhas samabhavaṁ
tadā sarvajño’smīty abhavad avaliptaṁ mama manaḥ |
yadā kiñcit kiñcid budhajana-sakāśād avagataṁ
tadā mūrkho’smīti jvara iva mado me vyapagataḥ ||
(Nīti-śatakam: 8)

“When I had a little knowledge
and became blinded with pride
like an elephant [in rut],
then my mind became arrogant,
as I thought, ‘I know everything.’
When I understood a little something from wise persons,
then I thought, ‘I am a fool,’
and my pride faded away like a fever.

Read on →

mātā śatruḥ pitā vairī bālo yena na pāṭhitaḥ

mātā śatruḥ pitā vairī bālo yena na pāṭhitaḥ |
na śobhate sabhā-madhye haṁsa-madhye bako yathā ||
(Unknown source)

“A mother by whom a child is not educated is an enemy, and such a father is a foe, as such a child, like a crane among swans, will not shine in an assembly [i.e., will have no means of accomplishing anything in human society].”

Read on →

anna-dānaṁ mahādānaṁ vidyā-dānaṁ mahattaram

anna-dānaṁ mahādānaṁ vidyā-dānaṁ mahattaram |
annena kṣaṇikā tṛptir yāvaj jīvaṁ tu vidyayā ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1713)

“Giving food is a great gift, but giving education is even greater. With food, satisfaction is momentary, whereas with education, it is lifelong.”

Read on →

naratvaṁ durlabhaṁ loke vidyā tatra sudurlabhā

naratvaṁ durlabhaṁ loke vidyā tatra sudurlabhā |
kavitvaṁ durlabhaṁ tatra śaktis tatra sudurlabhā||
(Agni Purāṇa; cited in Sāhitya-darpaṇa: 1.2)

“In this world, human life is rare, and therein [i.e., among human beings] education is very rare. Therein [i.e., among the educated], being poetic is rare, and therein [i.e., among the poetic], prowess [in poetics] is very rare.”

Read on →

Type your query and press enter