alpākṣaraṁ ramaṇīyaṁ yaḥ kathayati niścitaṁ sa khalu vāgmī |
bahu-vacanam alpa-sāraṁ yaḥ kathayati vipralāpī saḥ ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 3197)
“One who explains [a subject] in a few pleasing words is certainly eloquent. One who explains [a subject] with many words of little substance is a prattler.”
alpākṣaraṁ ramaṇīyaṁ yaḥ kathayati niścitaṁ sa khalu vāgmī Read on →
aṣṭādaśa-purāṇeṣu vyāsasya vacana-dvayam |
paropakāraḥ puṇyāya pāpāya para-pīḍanam ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 3587)
“Throughout the eighteen Purāṇas, Vyāsa has [just] two [fundamental] statements: benefiting others leads to merit (puṇya) and troubling others leads to sin (pāpa).”
aṣṭādaśa-purāṇeṣu vyāsasya vacana-dvayam Read on →
asāre khalu saṁsāre sukha-bhrāntiḥ śarīriṇām |
lālāpānam ivāṅguṣṭhe bālānāṁ stanya-vibhramaḥ ||
(Samayocita-padya-mālikā; Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 3742)
“In verily essenceless saṁsāra, the embodied have a false impression of happiness (sukha), just as a child sucking its thumb has the misperception of a breast.”
asāre khalu saṁsāre sukha-bhrāntiḥ śarīriṇām Read on →
antas-timira-nāśāya śābda-bodho nirarthakaḥ |
na naśyati tamo nāma kṛtayā dīpa-vārtayā ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1661)
“Knowledge of words [i.e., grammar, śāstra] is useless for dispelling inner darkness, as darkness is not dispelled just by engaging in discussion of a lamp.”
antas-timira-nāśāya śābda-bodho nirarthakaḥ Read on →
anyāyopārjitaṁ dravyam artha-dūṣaṇam ucyate |
apātra-dānaṁ pātrārtha-haraṇaṁ tasya lakṣaṇam ||
(Mahābsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1806)
“An object acquired unjustly is called polluted wealth. Its characteristics are giving [wealth] to an underserving person and taking away the wealth of a deserving person.”
anyāyopārjitaṁ dravyam artha-dūṣaṇam ucyate Read on →
anirloḍita-kāryasya vāg-jālaṁ vāgmino vṛthā |
nimittād aparāddheṣor dhānuṣkasyeva valgitam ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
“The net of words [i.e., verbosity] of a speaker who has not thoroughly deliberated on the subject [meant to be addressed] is as vain as the swaggering [alt., boasting] of an archer who has missed his mark.”
anirloḍita-kāryasya vāg-jālaṁ vāgmino vṛthā Read on →
apsu plavante pāṣāṇā mānuṣā ghnanti rākṣasān |
kapayaḥ karma kurvanti kālasya kuṭilā gatiḥ ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
[Rāvaṇa:] “[In time] Stones float on water, men destroy fiends (rākṣasas), and monkeys perform duties. The course of time is crooked [i.e., no one can predict what will happen].”
apsu plavante pāṣāṇā mānuṣā ghnanti rākṣasān Read on →
aneka-saṁśayocchedi parokṣārthasya darśakam |
sarvasya locanaṁ śāstraṁ yasya nāsty andha eva saḥ ||
(Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha, Hitopadeśa: 1.10)
“The remover of numerous doubts and revealer of the invisible, śāstra is the eye of everyone. One without it is certainly blind.”
aneka-saṁśayocchedi parokṣārthasya darśakam Read on →
api sahavasatām asatāṁ jalarūha-jalavad bhavaty asaṁśleṣaḥ |
dūre’pi satāṁ vasatāṁ prītiḥ kumudenduvad bhavati ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2078)
“Even by living together with the impious, like water on a lotus leaf, there is no connection [i.e., no real bond or friendship], yet even by residing afar from the sādhus, like a lily afar from the moon, amity [i.e., friendship, affection, love, and joy] develops.”
api sahavasatām asatāṁ jalarūha-jalavad bhavaty asaṁśleṣaḥ Read on →
upakāriṣu yaḥ sādhuḥ sādhutve tasya ko guṇaḥ |
apakāriṣu yaḥ sādhuḥ sa sādhuḥ sadbhir ucyate ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 7031)
“What sort of quality is the goodness of one who is good [only] to those who are helpful [to oneself]? One who is good [even] to those who are harmful [to oneself] is said to be good [i.e., a sādhu] by the wise.”
upakāriṣu yaḥ sādhuḥ sādhutve tasya ko guṇaḥ Read on →
