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Friday, May 07, 2010

I should know my limitations

यदा किञ्चित्ज्ञोऽहं द्विप इव मदान्धः समभवं
तदा सर्वज्ञोऽस्मीत्यभवद् अवलिप्तं मम मनः
यदा किञ्चित् किञ्चिद् बुधजन-सकाशाद् अवगतं
तदा मूर्खोऽस्मीति ज्वर इव मदो मे व्यपगतः ॥८॥
नीतिशतकं   भर्तृहरि
yadā kiñcitjño'haṁ dvipa iva madāndhaḥ samabhavaṁ
tadā sarvajño'smītyabhavad avaliptaṁ mama manaḥ
yadā kiñcit kiñcid budhajana-sakāśād avagataṁ
tadā mūrkho'smīti jvara iva mado me vyapagataḥ  ||8||
nītiśatakaṁ   bhartṛhari
when I was rendered  blind to the reality just like an elephant in rut  I became arrogant without realizing the  fact  that my knowledge is very little.   In that state of   mind I assume that I knew all  that one should know in this world. 
But when I started taking lessons little by little  from the really learned persons, the truth dawned upon me   that I am an idiot having very  little knowledge and then and there, my arrogance fled  away  from me as if it was only a hallucination while I had fever.


How true it is!
Often we come by some little  knowledge and perhaps in a limited circle we could even  give the false impression  that we are very learned. The the arrogance which is the bane of a man of letters catches up with us invariably.
 Our state of mind is like that of an elephant in rut...we become oblivious to  our limitations.
 But  when we are thrown into the ocean of knowledge of the really learned and accomplished persons, we realise that we are idiots with little knowledge and  for any person with some sense, the arrogance vanished mmediately  just like hallucinated thoughts which are generated in us   while we are  suffering from fever all disappear when we are cured of  the fever itself
--
श्री कृष्णो रक्षतु
with profound respect and warm regards
K V Ananthanarayanan

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