the cycles of mirth and woe...

the cycles of mirth and woe... 

कं न स्पृशन्ति पुरुषं व्यसनानि काले

को वा निरन्तरसुखी य इहास्ति लोके।

दुःखं सुखं च परिणामवशादुपैति

नक्षत्रचक्रमिव खे परिवर्तमानम्॥

महासुभाषितसङ्ग्रहे ८२७०

kaṁ na spṛśanti puruṣaṁ vyasanāni kāle

ko vā nirantarasukhī ya ihāsti loke|

duḥkhaṁ sukhaṁ ca pariṇāmavaśādupaiti

nakṣatracakramiva khe parivartamānam||

mahāsubhāṣitasaṅgrahe 8270

Mahasubhashita Sangraha is a monumental collection of Sanskrit Subhashitas.. compiled by Dr Ludwik Sternbach a Polish Scholar.. who was the Secretary General of international Studies in Sanskrit when he passed away in 1981, leaving the entire community of Sankrit lovers stunned.

He did extensive studies in the field of Subhashita literature, and culled out great nuggets found in hundreds of literary creations in Sankrit spread over twenty decades or more, and also brought to limelight the various compilations of Sanskrit Subhashitams that appeared at various junctures in the history of Sanskrit literature..

The great sloka quoted above underlines the unsure nature of human life, and the happenings in life.. 

Life is just a cycle of episodes of happiness and comfort interspersed with times of sorrow and tribulations.. Usually neither of the two conditions would persist for ever..But every human being wants to be comfortable.. that is a very tall order.. and as stiff demand to God.

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Meaning of the Sloka

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Which man can remain untouched and unaffected by sorrows at some stage or other in his life?

Which man can remain in permanent and uniterrupted comfort in this world?

The episodes or bouts of happiness and comfort as well as sorrows and tribulations visit a man perhaps in repeating cycles just like the changing positions of stars in the sky happening with passage of time.

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The uncertainties and vagaries that affect the fortunes of individuals and of groups and societies and states just continue to pose their challenges.. 

No one, however efficient and farsighted he is, woulf br able to say for sure what shape things would in the long run.. 

We just manage our affairs hoping the the basic structure of tranquility would remain in place but tolerable ups and downs..

But if an abysmal turnaround occurs, we can only watch helplessly. Our fortunes are so brittle..

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Word Analysis

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कं पुरुषं which man, which human being 

व्यसनानि sorrow 

काले in time, as time changes 

न स्पृशन्ति do not touch, do not affect

कः वा पुरुषः which indeed is the person 

निरन्तरसुखी eternally enjoying comforts 

इह लोके अस्ति remain in this worls 

दुःखं sorrow 

सुखं comforts 

च and 

खे in the sky 

परिवर्तमानं changing 

नक्षत्रचक्रमिव the cycles of stellar constellation.. the cycle of position of stars 

परिणामवशाद् due to change in time, due to change of seasons 

उपैति attain ( changes)