a person is divested of his services under the state, he becomes a big zero

अप्रधानः प्रधानः स्यात्सेवते यदि पार्थिवम्।

प्रधानोऽप्यप्राधानः स्याद्यदि सेवाविवर्जितः॥१७२ इन्द् स्प्रु पञ्चतन्त्रे

apradhānaḥ pradhānaḥ syātsevate yadi pārthivam|

pradhāno'pyaprādhānaḥ syādyadi sevāavivarjitaḥ||172 ind spru pañcatantre

When a person is employed in the service of the king or the State, he would become very important, very respected and very much noticed even if he is a person of average importance and capacity. However, once a person is divested of his services under the state, he becomes a big zero, even if he was a shining star during his service days.

समूलोन्मूलनं कुर्याद्वार्योघो मृदुशीतलः

वने प्रज्वलितो वह्निः दहन् मूलानि रक्षति।

समूलोन्मूलनं कुर्याद्वार्योघो मृदुशीतलः॥इन्दिस्चे स्प्रूचे २७१९ पञ्चतन्त्रे

vane prajvalito vahniḥ dahan mūlāni rakṣati|

samūlonmūlanaṁ kuryādvāryogho mṛduśītalaḥ||indisce sprūce 2719 pañcatantre

The advise from the classic Panchatantram is really illuminating

Even people who are very active, vigorous, intense and tough persons would spread damage while executing their avowed activities, but might spare some little portion of the booty to the victims, who, could resume their existence at least in a truncated manner. However, cold and cruel persons, who are apparently very friendly and often meek too ensure that their destructive activities are through and would see to it that nothing would be left behind in the area of their activity, and that way they would ensure that the destruction is clinically complete.

See, the wildfire spreading in the forest. The fire inundates, razes down all the tall trees with braches, leaves and trunks too.. But the fire would spare the bottom are where the roots are still there. The tree may, after sometime sprout branches and leaves and grow again.

But if the flood arrives, the water seeps into the earth, destabilized the roots of the trees, uproots the full tree with roots and washes them away to far off places. With that final strike, the life of the trees are finished once for all.

Here, the wild fire is fierce and apparently cruel too. The flood carried very cool water, looks mild and genial too.

The lesson to be learned is that we should never get carried away or lulled into confidence watching the apparent friendliness of some evil minded fellows.

k v a

वने in the forest प्रज्वलितः kindles and spread वह्निः fire दहन् in the process of violent burning, in the process of gutting मूलानि the roots (of the trees ) रक्षति spares, leaves unaffected मृदु soft शीतलः cool वार्योघः flood समूल with roots उन्मूलनं pulls out entirely upto the deep root कुर्यात् does

meaningful life...

यस्मिन् जीवति जीवन्ति बहवः स तु जीवति ।

काकोऽपि किं न कुरूते चञ्च्वा स्वोदरपूरणम् ॥ 

पंचतंत्र 

yasmin jīvati jīvanti bahavaḥ sa tu jīvati । 

kāko'pi kiṃ na kurūte cañcvā svodarapūraṇaṃ ॥ 

pañcatantraṃ 

The purpose of the very existence of great people, is reflected in this subhashitam from Panchatantram of Vishnu Sharma

If many others exists and thrive because of the presence of a person, then alone he is living a real life.. 

Otherwise, what is the meaning in existence.. ? Even a crow is just flying around and scavenging all the dirt and is filling its stomach.. 

A life that is of no use to others is here compared to the drab existence of a nameless crow.. 

യസ്മിന്‍ ജീവതി ജീവന്തി ബഹവഃ സ തു ജീവതി । 

കാകോഽപി കിം ന കുരൂതേ ചഞ്ച്വാ സ്വോദരപൂരണം ॥ 

പഞ്ചതന്ത്രം 

പഞ്ചതന്ത്രത്തില്‍ നിന്നുള്ള ഒരു സുഭാഷിതം 

ഒരാളുടെ ജീവിതം യഥാര്‍ത്ഥത്തില്‍ ആ പേരിന്നു അര്‍ഹാമാവുന്നത് അയാളുടെ ജീവിതം കൊണ്ട്, അയാളുടെ പരിശ്രമം കൊണ്ട്, അയാളെ ആശ്രയിച്ചു ഒട്ടേറെ പേര്‍ നല്ല വണ്ണം ജീവിക്കുമ്പോഴാണ്‌

അല്ലാതെ കാക്കയും പറന്നുനടക്കുന്നുണ്ട്‌. കൊക്കുകൊണ്ട്‌ കണ്ണില്‍ കണ്ടതെല്ലാം ചികഞ്ഞെടുത്ത് വയറു നിറക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നുണ്ട്. അതു പോലുള്ള ജീവിതംകൊണ്ടു എന്ത് ലാഭം?

make a show..

अप्रकटीकृतशक्तिः शक्तोऽपि जनस्तिरस्क्रित्यां लभते।

निवसन्नन्तर्दारुणि लङ्घ्यो वह्निर्न ज्वलितः॥३२

विष्णुशर्मणः पञ्चतन्त्रे मित्रभेदे--

aprakaṭīkṛtaśaktiḥ śakto'pi janastiraskrityāṁ labhate|

nivasannantardāruṇi laṅghyo vahnirna jvalitaḥ||32

viṣṇuśarmaṇaḥ pañcatantre mitrabhede--

The quote from Panchatantram is really thought provoking..

Even if a person is very strong and sturdy,

no one would take note of such strength until such power and prowess are made known in public..

The fire which is lying dormant in a piece of wood can be easily ignored..

However, when the same fire is burning with raging flames, it would scorch us and become visible and cannot be ignored.

In olden days fire was produced by rubbing two pieces of woods together. So it was believed that fire is actually present inside pieces of timber.. especially the Arani..

------------------------------------------------------

But another irony of life is that persons who do not have much power in reality, sometimes pretend to be powerful and even manage to subjugate the really strong but mild persons..

We see that happening daily especially in social media..

------------------------------------------------------------

शक्तः अपि जनः people who are very strong

अप्रकटीकृत शक्तिः if their prowess is not revealed

तिरस्क्रियां लभते get ignored.

वह्निः अन्तः दारुणि निवसन लङ्घ्यो भवति.. the fire present inside the log of a tree is can easily be ignored

स एव वह्निः ज्वलितः न लङ्घ्यः the same fire when it is burning with huge flames would really scorch and cannot be ignored..

-------------------------------------------------

sharp instinct...

उदीरितोऽर्थः पशुनापि गृह्यते

हयाश्च नागाश्च वहन्ति देशिताः।

अनुक्तमप्यूहति पण्डितो जनः

परेङ्गितज्ञानफला हि बुद्धयः॥

हितोपदेशे॥विष्णुशर्मणः पञ्चततन्त्रे मित्रभेदे

udīrito'rthaḥ paśunāpi gṛhyate

hayāśca nāgāśca vahanti deśitāḥ|

anuktamapyūhati paṇḍito janaḥ

pareṅgitajñānaphalā hi buddhayaḥ||

hitopadeśe||

A very instructive slokam from Narayana Pandita's HitopadeshaM

Meaning

=============

When the meaning and context of a situation is explained in detail, even an animal would understand it and would try to act

Given proper training, the horses and elephants carry people, burden or luggage, weapons etc..

However, the really learned and efficient person would rightly guess the course of action to be followed by him in a given situation.

The growth of intellect of a person is rightly reflected in his capacity to read the minds of others and ability to act accordingly.

With some training and conditioning almost any person or thing could be made to execute run of the mill functions.

But the really sharp and alert persons would be able to judge any situation on its merits, would be able to gauge the preferences and attitudes of people around and find out the right course of action..

Only such people would progress to high situations in life..

wealth and comforts come in search of such people

उत्साहसम्पन्नमदीर्घसूत्रं क्रियाविधिज्ञं व्यसनेष्वसक्तम्।

शूरं कृतज्ञं दृढसौहृदं च लक्ष्मीः स्वयं मार्गति वासहेतोः॥

पञ्चतन्त्रे

utsāhasampannamadīrghasūtraṁ kriyāvidhijñaṁ vyasaneṣvasaktam|

śūraṁ kṛtajñaṁ dṛḍhasauhṛdaṁ ca lakṣmīḥ svayaṁ mārgati vāsahetoḥ||

pañcatantre

The Goddess of wealth seeks for chooses the person voluntarily for her constant company..

The person who is rich in enthusiasam

The person who is not a procrastinator or slow coach

The person who is efficient and resourceful in his own line of work

The person who is not overly affected and depressed by setbacks and sorrows in life

The person who is bold and active physically

The person who is ever grateful and never forgets a favour

The person who is fast and sincere in his friendships

This is a quote from the classic Panchatantram of Vishnu Sharama

Wealth success and comforts in life come so naturally to such persons..

But the list of attributes seem to be what we all would want to possess but are endowed with very rarely..

And if a person is such an epitome of all that is good, then wealth is rather his slave rather than he being a runner after comforts..

We often aim at stars.. may be we would reach some treetop..

Still something is better than nothing..

do not invite enmity even if you feel you are strong

बहुभिर्न विरोद्धव्यं दुर्बलैरपि धीमता।

स्फुरन्तमपि नागेन्द्रं भक्षयन्ति पिपीलिकाः॥

विष्णुशर्मणः पञ्चतन्त्रे॥३-११९

bahubhirna viroddhavyaṁ durbalairapi dhīmatā|

sphurantamapi nāgendraṁ bhakṣayanti pipīlikāḥ||

viṣṇuśarmaṇaḥ pañcatantre||3-119

A very worthy advise contained in the Panchatantam of Vishnu Sharma

=======

A sensible person should never incur the enmity of a large number of people even if those people are all very weak and of little value individually..

He should remember that even a poisonous snake moving about in great form, could be attacked by a large colony of ants and these ants could even eat the snake alive although in parts..

The strong and virulent person tends to look down upon the small things with contempt.. Often he fails to appreciate the fact that when such small things join together and launch an attack, the strong person may perish..

The small people have nothing to lose by attempting to get something big.. And when they join together, their strength actually increase to levels much higher than the mere adding of the individual strengths of the small constituents.. At the same time the big person is deluded with excessive self confidence.

All these factors finally forces the big one to capitulate.

Many arrogant kings, many arrogant feudal overlords.. have fallen when small and insignificant people just joined and raised in revolt.. All the revolutions in the history of mankind happened like this..

The revolutions of democracy through ballots also happen this way..

ബഹുഭിര്‍ന വിരോദ്ധവ്യം ദുര്‍ബലൈരപി ധീമതാ।

സ്ഫുരന്തമപി നാഗേന്ദ്രം ഭക്ഷയന്തി പിപീലികാഃ॥

വിഷ്ണുശര്‍മണഃ പഞ്ചതന്ത്രേ॥൩-൧൧൯

വിഷ്ണുശര്‍മയുടെ പഞ്ചതന്ത്രത്തില്‍ നിന്നുള്ള ഏറെ കഴമ്പുള്ള ഔര്‍ ഉപദേശം.

വിവരവും വിവേകവും ഉള്ള ആള്‍ തനിക്കു ചുറ്റും ഉള്ള ഒത്തിരി ആളുകള്‍, അവര്‍ വ്യക്തിപരമായി എത്രതന്നെ ശക്തി കുറഞ്ഞവര്‍ ആണെങ്കിലും, അവരോടെല്ലാം ശത്രുത വച്ചു പുലര്‍ത്തരുത്. അവരുടെ വിരോധം ചോദിച്ചു വാങ്ങരുത്.

എപ്പോഴും ഓര്‍ക്കണം, ഏറെ ശക്തിയേറിയ, ആരെയും വകവരുത്താന്‍ ശക്തിയുള്ള, വിഷം സ്വയം കൊണ്ടുനടക്കുന്ന ഒരു സര്‍പ്പത്തെപ്പോലും ഒരു വലിയ ഉറുമ്പിന്‍ കൂട്ടം സംഘം ചേര്‍ന്ന് ആക്രമിച്ചു എന്നിരിക്കും. ആ വലിയ കൂട്ടം ഉറുമ്പുകള്‍ ഒത്തു ചേര്‍ന്ന് ആ സര്‍പ്പത്തെ കൊന്നു കുറേശ്ശയായി ആഹാരം ആക്കി എന്നും വരാം.

ഏറെ ശക്തിയും ഊര്‍ജസ്വലതയും കൈമുതലായുള്ള ഒരാള്‍ തനിക്ക് ചുറ്റുമുള്ള ചെറുതും നിസ്സാരങ്ങള്‍ എന്ന് തോന്നുന്നവയും ആയ കാര്യങ്ങളെ ഏറെ അവജ്ഞയോടെ നോക്കിക്കാണുന്നത് സ്വാഭാവികമാണ്. അയാള്‍ ഉള്‍ക്കൊള്ളാന്‍ മടിക്കുന്ന വസ്തുത ഇതാണ്. ചുറ്റുമുള്ള കൊച്ചു വസ്തുക്കള്‍ എല്ലാം ഒത്തുചേര്‍ന്നു തന്നെ ആക്രമിച്ചാല്‍ തനിക്ക് ആ സംഘടിതബലത്തോട് അടിയറവു പറയേണ്ടി വരും.

ചെറിയ, ബലം കുറഞ്ഞ ആളുകള്‍ക്ക് വലുതായ വല്ലതും കിട്ടാനുള്ള ശ്രമം നടത്തുമ്പോള്‍ നഷ്ടപ്പെടാന്‍ ഒന്നും ഇല്ല. മാത്രമല്ല കുറെ ആളുകള്‍ ഒന്നിച്ച് നിന്ന് പൊരുതുമ്പോള്‍ പലപ്പോഴും ആ ഒരുമയുടെ ബലം പൊരുതുന്ന ഓരോ വ്യക്തിയുടെയും തനിച്ചുള്ള ബലത്തെക്കാള്‍ എത്രയോ വലുതായിരിക്കും. അതേസമയം അഹങ്കാരവും സ്വന്തം ശക്തിയിലുള്ള വേണ്ടതില്‍ അമിതമായ വിശ്വാസവും ശക്തനായ വ്യക്തിയെ പലപ്പോഴും തെറ്റിദ്ധരിപ്പിച്ചു പരാജയത്തിലെയ്ക്ക് തള്ളിവിടുകയും ചെയ്യും.

ഇക്കാരണം കൊണ്ടൊക്കെ ഏറെ വലിയവന്‍ കൊച്ചു വ്യക്തികളുടെ സംഘടിതമായ പോരാട്ടത്തിനു മുമ്പില്‍ തോല്‍വി നേരിടേണ്ടി വരുന്നു.

അഹങ്കാരവും താന്‍പോരിമയും നിറഞ്ഞ രാജാക്കന്മാരും മാടംപിമ്മാരും എല്ലാം പലപ്പോഴും തങ്ങളെ എതിര്‍ക്കുന്ന പൌരന്മാരുടെയും അടിയാന്മാരുടെയും ഒത്തു ചേര്‍ന്നുള്ള പോരാട്ടങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് മുമ്പില്‍ പിടിച്ചു നില്‍ക്കാനാവാതെ പിന്തിരിഞ്ഞു ഓടിയിട്ടുണ്ട്.

മാനവചരിത്രത്തിലെ മിക്ക വിപ്ലവങ്ങളുടെയും നാള്‍വഴി പരിശോധിച്ചാല്‍ അവയെല്ലാം ഇതുപോലെ സംഭവിച്ചവ ആയിരുന്നു എന്ന കാര്യം ബോധ്യപ്പെടും.

ജനാധിപത്യത്തില്‍ ബാലറ്റിലൂടെ സംഭവിക്കുന്ന വിപ്ലവങ്ങളും ഇതുപോലെ തന്നെ ആണല്ലോ.

we are blessed when friends seek us and grace our house

ते धन्यास्ते विवेकज्ञास्ते सभ्या इह भूतले।

आगच्छन्ति गृहे येषाम् कार्यार्थं सुहृदो जनाः॥

पञ्चतन्त्रे १।२८५

te dhanyāste vivekajñāste sabhyā iha bhūtale|

āgacchanti gṛhe yeṣām kāryārthaṁ suhṛdo janāḥ||

pañcatantre 1|285

a very valid statement from Panchatantram

=========

The really accomplished and blessed persons in this world,

The really learned persons with lot of knowledge and discretion,

The most eligible persons who are to be called to be members in popular assemblies and such congregations,

are those people to whom friends and citizens in general make frequent visits at such eminent perosons' homes with confidence that the people's needs and problems would get attention and solutions would be found..

==========

Mere learning, education and intelligence are not enough. Such accomplishments should find proper application in attending to the needs of the friends and people in general..

Only those peopl who can apply their talents and accomplishment for the use of others can expect friends and other people visit their homes

Yes, our talents and wealth have value only if we can use them for the benefit of all..

Honour the guest...that is our duty...our culture..

अपूजितोऽतिथिर्यस्य गृहाद्याति विनिश्वसन्।

गच्छन्ति विमुखास्तस्य पितृभिः सह देवताः॥

विष्णुशर्मणः पञ्चतन्त्रे॥

apūjito'tithiryasya gṛhādyāti viniśvasan|

gacchanti vimukhāstasya pitṛbhiḥ saha devatāḥ||

viṣṇuśarmaṇaḥ pañcatantre||

------------

Receiving a guest and treating him with honour and generosity is a prime duty for a householder under the Indian traditions..

This fact is brought home in a terse couplet found in VishnuSharmas panchatantram

============

Meaning

If a guest departs from the house of a person.. the guest not being properly treated and honoured and giving sighs of sorrow and desperation,

then the Pitrus, and Devas present in that household too get offended and they too depart in a huff along with the insulted guest..

=============

the vedas and upanishads place the status of the guests just below the Mother, the father and the Acharya or preceptor..

मातृ देवो भव

पितृ देवो भव

आचार्य देवो भव

अतिथि देवो भव

maatru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava, acharya devo bhava, atithi devo bhava

( from taittireeya upanishad of Krishna yajurvedam.)

================

Analysis.

अपूजितः without being honoured

अतिथिः guest

यस्य whoes

गृहात house

विनिश्वसन् with desperate sighs

याति departs

तस्य from his

गृहात् house

पितृभिः सह alone with the forefathers who are present in spirit

देवताः gods

अपि too

विमुखाः being offended

गच्छन्ति leave.

The hare and the lion ... a story

बुद्धिर्यस्य बलं तस्य निर्बुद्धेस्तु कुतो बलम्।

पश्य सिंहो मदोन्मत्तः शशकेन निपातितः॥

समयोचितपद्यमालिका----

buddhiryasya balaṁ tasya nirbuddhestu kuto balam|

paśya siṁho madonmattaḥ śaśakena nipātitaḥ||

samayocitapadyamālikā----

This is found in Vishnusharmas Panchatantram too

Meaning

=============

He alone is strong, who is having timely wisdom

The unwise have really no strength even if they may have physical girth and power

See, a smart hare could manage to make a lion jump into a well..

============

Resourcefulness is the best weapon we have.. Having some brute power without mental resources that would channelize that strength to proper action is just waste..

Even persons of limited strength could fare far better if they are intelligent.. and are able to use whatever strength they have to the maximum use..

The story of the lion and the hare is from Panchatantram.. It is a very useful story for children and others too.

The monarch of the jungle, the lion was having his siesta in a shadow of a tree..

A little hare was running around playfully..

As luck would have it, it failed to notice the sleeping lion and just landed up headlong on the body of the lion..

The lion woke up, and was furious since his cozy sleep has been disturbed by a tiny creature..

He caught hold of the tiny hare by the neck and was ready to devour him.

The hare shivered in mortal fear.. It knew that its death was so near..

What could he do to escape from the grip of this huge brute of a lion?

But even in fear, the hare used its brain.. In a trembling voice, he talked to the lion.

"My Lord and Master, I may be pardoned and my life may be spared.. May I be allowed to report to your Majesty how I came to your august presence in such a hurry?

I have no time to waste..There is danger awaiting all of us in the forest, including your Royal Highness..

I found a huge lion sitting nearby and giving out huge roars as if challenging you, my master.. I was running to your presence to report that to your Highness."

The lion asked.."Another lion?, where is he?"

The hare replied..

"Master, He is standing inside the well nearby"

"I shall finish of that fellow just now..Conduct me to the well immediately

Ordered the lion

They marched to the well the hare leading the way, and the lion following in regal splendour..

They reached the well.

The hare asked the lion with great respect

"Your majesty, may you be pleased to have a look inside the well.."

The well was a huge one, full of water.. It was very deep too.

The lion propped up his body, face first and looked into the plain surface of water..

He saw his own reflection in the water..

He saw a huge lion with fierce mien..

He roared aloud.. the jungle trembled..

The sound reached the surface of water deep inside the well and echoed with redoubled noise..

The lion was blind with arrogance and rage..

He jumped into the well in full vigour.. ready to kill the enemy..

And deep into the waters, the lion went, sank , and died.

The hare walked away.. relieved and happy

The smart brain of the tiny hare was better at any time than the brute lion with practically no brain at all..

The story is known to all.. and to all the children especially..

But do we learn our lessons?

plan the best way possible and face with firmness

केवलं व्यसनस्योक्तं भेषजं नयपण्डितैः।

तस्योच्छेदसमारम्भो विषादपरिवर्जनम्॥

विष्णुशर्मणः पञ्चतन्त्रे

kevalaṁ vyasanasyoktaṁ bheṣajaṁ nayapaṇḍitaiḥ|

tasyocchedasamārambho viṣādaparivarjanam||

viṣṇuśarmaṇaḥ pañcatantre

Another great quote from Vishnusharma's Panchatantram

============

The medicine or antidote for difficulties and disappointments faced by us are just two.. This is the view of those who are well versed in lifestyle management .

First, we should evaluate the situation and start taking steps to remove or at least bring down the impact of such challenges..

Second, we should simply give up the anxieties and depressive thoughts arising out of such situations and move ahead..

============

Sure, the journey through life will not be easy..

Challenges would be thrown at us many a times..

There will be roadblocks..

All caution and care might not remove the difficulties that may occur unexpectedly..

It is just human nature..

We may stop dumb-folded and apparently helpless when serious troubles arise..

The character of a human being gets tested here..

The one who is weak in mind and spirit would be shattered and crumble and would never stand up again..

But the one with character and resilience would rally back and face the trouble on its face..

Here the advice from the classic would be its worth in gold..

First, the gravity of the challenge and the extent of damage caused should be evaluated..

And steps to prevent further damages should be considered on a war footing..

What is lost is just lost..

But life has to go on

Second... the attitude is important..

Giving reasonable space for grieving is right..

That alone can help a person to recover from the initial shock.. But nothing worthwhile would happen by continuing to cry or wail..

And such crying and beating of chest can spread sorrow all around and even demotivate others..

Therefore, after the initial shock, one should stop grieving and showing sorrow, but use all his mental and physical resources to get back into positive action..

(Of course tears of politicians and crocodiles are a class apart.. We can deal with only ordinary human beings. )

There is no other way..

If we are alive, we have to live with our chins held high..

If we lose the battle and perish, still, we have to lose in all dignity..

no one is really safe, especially from fate...

व्योमैकान्तविहारिणोऽपि विहगाः सम्प्राप्नुवन्त्यापदं

बध्यन्ते निपुणैरगाधसलिलान्मीनाः समुद्रादपि।

दुर्णीतं किमिहास्ति किं च सुकृतं कः स्थानलाभे गुणः

कालः सर्वजनान् प्रसारितकरो गृह्णाति दूरादपि॥

पञ्चतन्त्रे २-२३

vyomaikāntavihāriṇo'pi vihagāḥ samprāpnuvantyāpadaṁ

badhyante nipuṇairagādhasalilānmīnāḥ samudrādapi|

durṇītaṁ kimihāsti kiṁ ca sukṛtaṁ kaḥ sthānalābhe guṇaḥ

kālaḥ sarvajanān prasāritakaro gṛhṇāti dūrādapi||

pañcatantre 2-23

A quote from VishnuSharma's Panchatantram

The message tries to bring home the fact that time and fate are powerful and we have little control over them..

=====================

The birds flying in the tall skies all alone and without interfering with others too land up in dangers.

The expert fishermen manage to catch fish even if such fish are sheltered in deep waters far down in the depth of the seas.

Is there anything that could not happen in this earth?

Is there any purpose in doing good or any evil in doing bad?

What is the use in claiming great efficiency?

Is there really any advantage just because one attains and very high and secure positon?

Indeed, time is spreading its arms everywhere and is grabbing every person even if that person is at a very great distance.

-=======================

Of course, this is a statement of facts.. There is uncertainty and danger facing the living being in every corner in his journey..

We have to be aware of it.. And that awareness would cure us of a lot of arrogance and intolerance too

But sure, this does not mean we should not live our lives..

Danger or no danger, we have entered the fray..

We have to make every effort to comple the course successfully.

---------------------

A word analysis

व्योमैकान्त विहारिणः wandering in the exclusiveness of the tall skies

अपि सन् evne though

विहगाः birds

आपदं संप्राप्नुवन्ति land up in dangers and face death

अगाधसलिलाद् समुद्राद् अपि even from the waters in the depth of the ocean

मीनाः निपुणैः बध्यन्ते the fish are caught by the expert fishermen

इह किं दुर्णीतं अस्ति in this world, what is beyond the reach of dangers?

इह किं सुकृतं in this world what is efficiency or good deed>

स्थानलाभे गुणः कः is attainment of safe and secure position a realy advantage?

प्रसारितकरः with outstretched hand

कालः time

सर्वजनान् all people

दूरादपि even from great distance

गृह्णाति. grabs..

friendship is a natural policy for all

अपि संपूर्णतायुक्तैः कर्तव्याः सुहृदो बुधैः।

नदीशः परिपूर्णोऽपि चन्द्रोदयमपेक्षते॥

पञ्चतन्त्रे महासुभाषितसञ्ग्रहे च

api saṁpūrṇatāyuktaiḥ kartavyāḥ suhṛdo budhaiḥ|

nadīśaḥ paripūrṇo'pi candrodayamapekṣate||

pañcatantre mahāsubhāṣitasañgrahe ca

A very wise quote from Panchatantram..

This quote is found in Mahasubhaashita Sangraham too

A wise and noble man would seek nice friendships even if he is himself in a very accomplished and contended state.. having almost anything he ever yearned for .

The sea, even if it filled to the brim would wait for the raise of the moon .. and when the moon comes up, the sea rises in tide and enjoys happily

Man is never an island, unconnected and isolated.. He seeks the company and friendship of others to keep himself happy and sane..

Some people are endowed with all the resources and skills and are lucky too perhaps, and they reach peak of their achievements.. Often they have nothing more to seek and obtain..

Still if they have to enjoy their accomplishments well, they have to share their bounties with others.. and friends are the ideal choice for such share.. So cultivating friendships should come naturally to all

A parallel is drawn from the phenomenon we notice at the time of rise of the sea during tides.

The sea should be perfectly satisfied because it is ever filled with water.. There would seem no reason why the sea should not rejoice..

But we find that the sea puts up its huge waves towards tall sky and enjoy only during the tides.. and tides occur when the moon rises full once in a month.. That means, even though the sea is having all the resources and reasons to enjoy, the enjoyment is reserved when full moon, its friend arrives..

It is so natural..

बुधैः by wise men

संपूर्णतायुक्तैः even if they are blessed with fullness and perfect

अपि too

सुहृदः कर्तव्याः. should cultivate and sustain friendship

परिपूर्णः अपि even though full to the brim

नदीशः the master of the rivers.. the ocean

चन्द्रोदयं the rise of the moon

अपेक्षते wants, yearns for..

steady erosion...

अम्भसा भिद्यते सेतुस्तथा मन्त्रोऽप्यरक्षितः।

पैशुन्यात् भिद्यते स्नेहः वाचा भिद्येत कातरः॥

विष्णुशर्मणः पञ्चतन्त्रे मित्रभेदे॥

ambhasā bhidyate setustathā mantro'pyarakṣitaḥ|

paiśunyāt bhidyate snehaḥ vācā bhdiyeta kātaraḥ||

viṣṇuśarmaṇaḥ pañcatantre mitrabhede||

A very persistent reminder coming from Panchatantram

Strong and good things are breached and broken by persistent attack by adverse circumstances or bad qualities..

The meaning of the couplet

With the constant and pressing onslaught of the water in the reservoir, a dam or bridge would become unstable and would break in the long run

A secret would be breached if it is not properly guarded

The love and affection between two people would be shattered when either of them indulges in backbiting and slander affecting the other.

and

A person lacking in self confidence can be easily broken through words that convey threats and dangers..

Engineers and builders set limits for the tolerance level for the structures against onslaughts of natural phenomena and other risk factors.. and such factors are monitored for ever.. If proper care is not taken, the results are ominous.

Keeping secrets secure and their breach.. constitute the cat an mouse game between those who are in charge on the one side and enemies, press, and even nosy slander mongers on the one side.. It has been acknowledged as a fine art and science in Politics and other walks of life too.

Of course the dangers of backbiting are too evident .. needing no elaboration

Hype, either positive or negative can make or mar a person.. and if such person is not really confident, even rumours or veiled threats can put him off the balance..

Reading all this just makes one realize that we never lacked guidance.. but mostly we invited trouble by ignoring such sane and sensible counsel..

analysis.

सेतुः the dam the bridge

अम्भसा waters

भिद्यते broken

तथा like that

अरक्षितः unprotected

मन्त्रः state secret

अपि too

भिद्यते gets breached

स्नेहः mutual love and affection

पैशुन्यात् backbiting, slandering, calumny, depravity, malignity, wickedness

भिद्यते is broken

कातरः he coward, timid discouraged, afraid agitated perplexed वाचा through words

भिद्येत may be broken

Edit

talk when you are really heard...

वचस्तत्र प्रयोक्तव्यं यत्रोक्तंलभते फलम्।

स्थायी भवति चाऽत्यन्तं रागः शुक्लपटे यथा॥ ३४

पञ्चतन्त्रे मित्रभेदे--

vacastatra prayoktavyam yatroktam labhate phalam|

sthāyī bhavati cā'tyantam rāgaḥ śuklapaṭe yathā|| 34

pañcatantre mitrabhede--

Good words should be uttered only where such words bring good results..

Words so uttered become long lasting and useful till the end, just like dyestuff applied to clothes of bright white colour.

And when we apply black dye on a black cloth , that will make no impact..

वचः words तत्र एव in those places alone प्रयोक्तव्यं should be uttered, used यत्र where फलं लभते. gives result 

तद् प्रकारं like that उक्तं वचः world told शुक्लपटे on white cloth यथा as रागः permanent dye अत्यन्तं स्थायी permanent भवति च happens too.

adversity bringing together all sorts of people,

my take on adversity bringing together all sorts of people,,,

There is a story in Panchatantram..
a cat and rat are acquaintances..

And are natural enemies too 

and the latter  is the natural dinner and suuper for the former..

But the story tells that when the cat is trapped in the net of a hunter, the rat saves him..
but waiting till the hunter was just about to reach so that the cat would run away instead of waiting to try to enjoy his food..

This story has many dimensions..

When a fellow living being was facing threat to his life, the arch enemy just comes to his rescue, and even saves him, but the enemy know that such gesture of kindness and altruism is not going to save his own neck.

Mahabharatham in the Ghoshayatra episode makes the eldest Pandava say the the Pandavs and Kauravas are bitter enemies but when their common clan is attacked, they are hundred and five
..
It is all sense of self preservation..

 but we have to admit that there is a small percentage of people who grow really beyond selfishness .. 

maybe the God in them just wakes up..

Gita says, whenever adharmam raises its head, and dharmam is obliterated He just manifests Himself.. 

We interpret that the God incarnates Himself when evil takes over and brings about the balancing act..

Here adharmam can a different dimension too..

 it is the disastrous tilt in the natural and happy balance of the conditions of existence.. 

Dharmam then is the order in the society.. 

When that order receives a hard blow, if we are to survive, God has to come.. 

but that God need not be some prince or cowherd or a carpenter.. 

He may be personification the collective goodness inherent in ourselves.. which comes out , does its duty, and becomes dormant once the purpose is served..

Man is a mixture of good and bad..

In physics and thermodynamics we have learnt about the Kinetic theory of gases..

Even though we find order and apparent quietness in fluid mass especially, the particles therein are moving in random directions at some velocity, and each particle collides with one another and neutralizes the speed to reach a sort of equilibrium which is dynamic.. 

The pressure, Volume and temperature. just affect the matter to bring about the equilibrium.. 

Pressure multiplied by volume and the product divided by the temperature in Kelvin scale gives a constant value, although the three Individual parameters are always varying.. 

The sum and substance of the theory is that when one of the three variables, pressure, volume and temperature undergoes a variation, the other two individually or in combination act to nullify the variation and to bring about the dynamic equilibrium..

We can perhaps understand things better if the behaviour of cetain systems which can be understood through observation, can be projected to even abstract phenomena..

had I not jumped out in time..

Had I not jumped out in time..

A story from panchatantram..

There was a donkey living under the tutelage of an old washer-man, the master and the beast both always hungry and miserable. Once in desperation for food the donkey ran to the outskirts of the village he was sharing with his master, and there he found a fox standing on the border adjoining the jungle. The fox was pondering seriously of entering the hamlet because lack of food was an equally acute issue in the jungle. 

The two partners in woe stuck a friendship and on that day, while the donkey was toiling for his master, the fox wandered around and discovered a field full of ripe watermelons. Though the area was fenced well, there was a breach and the cunning fox did not fail to divine it..

In the evening, the fox invited the donkey to share their dinner in the melon fields and both visited the field of operation late in night and had their bellies overfull with watermelons.. 

When hunger was no more an issue, the donkey could not control his itch for producing music with his attractive vocal chords ( though humans and others call it braying).. 

So he told his friend the fox, “mon ami, I cannot help singing a melodious song now”. 

The fox tried to reason with the donkey but when it was sure that the divine music will erupt at any moment, the fox jumped out of the field and ran to safety. 

The donkey started his Raga Vistaaram and the owner of the field was supposed to came in to watch and enjoy the concert.. But the results were not entirely to the liking of either the farmer or the donkey..

The donkey was beaten out of his shape..

The fox, watching from a distance was thinking...

" had I not jumped out at the right moment....”

All that was left was the bell and the string tied to it.

another episode from Panchatantram of Vishnusharma

In a town there lived a carpenter by name Ujjwalaka. He was very indigent.. He was feeling sad that everyone in the city did some productive work and earned money and respect. But his labour with timber earned him neither. So he left his town and went away to another city.

En route, he saw a female camel in labour pain. With his help she delivered a calf and the carpenter came back to his house leading the lady camel and her newborn camel boy. He fed the camels with great care. The camel-calf in time ate a lot of fodder and grew into a fully grown strong camel. The carpenter was in turn doing well financially selling the milk of the female camel. The carpenter thought that the camel boy was the harbinger of good luck for him and so he was very proud of him. He tied a bell around the neck of this camel boy, and the calf was ecstatic when he heard the ringing sound whenever he moved his neck.

In course of time the carpenter purchased some more camels and they begat many a foal, and now the carpenter was a successful dealer in camels, and their products. He groomed and sold many camels in the process and was immensely prosperous. But he never could think of selling off his first find, the camel with a bell tied around his neck.

One day all the camels of the household went to a nearby forest for grazing and having water. They had tummy-full of grass and tender plants and bellyfuls of clean cool water. In the evening they returned home very jubilant. Our camel with the bell was, as usual, in the lead. Being the pet of the group he was arrogant, and he was shaking his neck and the bell attached to it with flourish giving out loud noise, attracting all around including predators. Other camels were very disturbed.

" This foolish fellow is showing off with his bell. And he is coming far behind separated from the group.. We pray that he may not fall into the mouth of some wild predator."

While the procession was on, one lion happened to hear the chime of bells and came out to see what the mess was . Seeing the lion all the camels who were walking ahead of the young camel with the bell bolted and escaped to the town. The camel with the bell was far behind and he could not divine the approach of the lion till it was too late to escape.

Finally,…….

All that was left was the bell and the string tied to it. And maybe a few pieces of bones left-over.

For the fowler the meaning of sacrifice was alien

For the fowler the meaning of sacrifice was alien

Another episode from Panhatantram of Vishnu Sharma

In a city there lived an erudite brahmin by name Jeernadhana. As if by a quirk of fate he became a thief and he took up cheating others as his means of livelihood. With his great knowledge he was quite successful in this field also. It is a fact of life that t most of the people with great knowledge also possess the capacity to cheat but usually they practice the deceit discreetly. Maybe, only in old parables that one can see the professions like burglary and steling being listed as a practical means of livelihood. But in reality, in the present context burglary seems to be a not so hidden part of any profession.

Once it came to his knowledge that four brahmins from another town had reached the city as traders and that they had amassed substantial wealth in very little time by selling their merchandise. Our Brahmin the thief was now eager to apply his own professional skills to divest them of their wealth by hook or crook. So he cultivated their friendship meticulously, taking out his extraordinary charm and gift of the gab and applying them to good use. The four traders fell flat to his friendly overtures. 

It would appear to be a fact of life that when the circumstances suit her even a prostitute will feign shyness. The arrogant will exhibit good sense and feign humility and even the garrulous rogue will hover around you with sweet words.

Time passed, and the brahmins has sold all their merchandise, and with the profit, they purchased some valuable gems and started their journey back to their own town. 

Our Brahmin the thief who was clinging to their doing odd works for them and awaiting a chance to cheat them and steal away their wealth, was now desperate. 

" Fie, on me, these fellows are ready to leave with all their money converted to precious stones. Had I been good and true to my profession, the gems should have been mine by now. I have allowed a golden chance to slip away. Now the choice left with me is that, I have to join their company by hook or crook when they travel to their native town, and en route I can try my hands in poisoning them and then the gems can be mine. "

Having chalked out his action plan, he presented himself before the four brahmins with effusive cordiality manifesting itself as tears in the eyes flowing as if out of pangs of imminent separation. 

" My venerable friends, are you going away leaving me alone? I have developed very great affection for you in the course of the last few months of jubilant company with you and a separation from you four is unthinkable for me. It breaks my heart So pray, have kindness on me and take me also with you on your journey. I shall justify my company with you by any service that you may deem fit to expect and order."

The brahmin traders were very kind and magnanimous by nature. The pleas of the glib thief offering them his company was irresistible for them. They permitted him to join them in their journey homewards.

While they were travelling through a village inhabited by wild fowlers, the crows in the trees of the locality started crowing, 

"People who are owning lakhs in money are coming.. fowlers can come running and rob them" 

The group of fowlers believed in the signals given by the crows and duly accosted the five travelers and having beat them to pulp removed their clothes to see where the money was hidden securely . Their search proved futile. They could not find any cash or valuables. Apparently the four brahmins had swallowed the gems. ( to be taken out when they reached safe locations.. we see smugglers do that even these days)

The leader of the fowlers guessed this and ordered that the five brahmins be killed and their stomach cut up to get the gems.

At this juncture, as if by miracle, the power of knowledge and the greatness of the sastras came to the mind of the brahmin who had been a thief all his life . He thought, " By my activities till day I have lost all the virtues of a brahmin. It would seem that I have already secured my firm berth in hell by my sinful life. However, If I could be of some service to these poor brahmins, there would be some expiation and my existence in the nether world at least will be less miserable. I have to do something about it. "

Thinking so, he addressed the chief of fowlers. “You say you are going to kill all of us to find the gems. In truth we do not have anything with us or within us. Those crows should be mad. But to satisfy your doubt I offer myself to be killed, cut up and searched. If you find nothing inside me it should be sufficient proof for you that all the five of us have nothing with us. “

The king of fowlers agreed. They cut up the brahmin who even though he was a thief throughout his lifetime has through his noble gesture of trying to save his four friends from sure death by offering the supreme sacrifice, had atoned for all his sins and started his journey towards heaven. 

The other four brahmins were saved because the leader of the fowlers was sure that no one would have given up his life if the group really carried such wealth . 

For the fowler life meant only money and loot and the meaning of sacrifice was alien and strange to him. 

He could never imagine that a man could give up his life just to save others.

Apparently, even the worst persons have some magnificent streaks of greatness left in their character. The knowledge, nobility of birth and the background of life ultimately shows.

Saying thus, Gangadatta, the King of frogs bolted

Saying thus, Gangadatta, the King of frogs bolted.

Another episode from Panchatantra of Vishnusharma.

In a well there lived a king of frogs named Gangadatta. Most of his relatives were inimical to him and in spite of all his attempts to conciliate them, the enmity was growing and he was impatient and was eager to wreak vengeance on them. Once when someone had put a wick basket into the well for some purpose and was dragging it back to the mainland, he jumped in and reached the surface of the earth. 

While sighing with relief for having escaped from the relatives who were finding fault with him always, he thought. "I want to get even with the kinsmen who have tormented me. It is akin to gain a second life for oneself if one is able to retaliate for the insults heaped on him when his time was bad." 

While he was engrossed in such thoughts , he saw a cobra entering his hole nearby. One idea stuck him like a flash. " If this cobra is infiltrated into our well, he will do the needful and finish off all my offending relatives. It is always a good idea to turn one stronger enemy against another. One can ensure the destruction of at least one of the enemies, without any personal exertion. If a thorn has stuck into one's leg, the thorn can be removed only using another thorn. "

He slowly approached the entrance of the hole, and respectfully addressed the cobra.. "My dear beautiful black cobra, please come out. I am calling you to offer you a favour." 

The cobra thought, "Who is calling me? It is definite that the caller is not one from my own race. What I hear is not the sound of a snake. If it is from human race, it is always dangerous. I am now settled in a hole which is strong and safe. It is already taught by Brihaspati that one should not keep company with a person whose character, nativity and clan are not known. If it is some sorcerer who is having some spell or herb to capture the snakes, then I have to play absolutely safe. Maybe someone who is having an enemy is inviting me and prompting me to bite one of his sworn enemies.

After protracted deliberation, the snake called back, "Who are you?". 

The frog replied, " I am Gangadatta, the king of frogs. I have come all the way to the entrance of your abode with a view to establish permanent friendship with you."

The cobra was wonderstruck. " Oh my goodness, what is this? It is indeed incredible. Is it possible that the dried grass will come seeking the friendship of fire? By nature, you are my food. How come that you are rambling incoherently like this?'

The frog replied, " It is true, Sir. Judging by species you are a natural enemy for me. But I have come to you after incurring insufferable insult at the hands of some people of my own clan. When I am faced with destruction and humiliation, is it not right on my part to approach even an enemy for friendship, offering some quid pro quo in return?"

"Tell me who caused you insult?" asked the cobra.

" It is my own kinsmen", replied the frog.

The snake asked, " Where do your relatives reside? Is it in a pond, or a well or a ravine ? “

"They are in a well with stones paved as steps”.

The snake replied, "How unfortunate, I cannot enter a well. We snakes do not have legs. And even if I manage to reach there I cannot come out so easily. Where can I reside inside the well? So you please get out of here. I am interested in my own welfare. So I will try to eat only things which can be digested inside my stomach with comfort." 

The frog replied." Do not despair, Sir. I have already found ways and means to introduce you into the well. There is a beautiful hole along the stone paving of the well and it can be an ideal residence for you. Sitting there, without any physical effort, you can eat away all my relatives one by one."

The snake thought. " I have already grown old. I am just keeping my body and soul together by catching some lean dry rat once in a while. This wretched frog who is the enemy of his own clan has now shown me a way to live in comfort with breakfast, lunch and dinner readily provided in the shape of fat frogs, that too without any exertion on my part."

So he told the frog king, " Friend, go ahead and show me the way"

" I have one request, Sir," said the frog, 

" some persons who are very close to me are living in that well. Please promise me that you will not trouble them."

The Cobra replied in mock anger, " What is this? You are my friend and benefactor and all those who are close to you are like my own life. How can I think of giving trouble to them. You just identify them. I will never cross their way."

The snake came out of the hole and gave a friendly hug to the frog. Both set out to the place where the well was situated. Both of them occupied the wick basket placed near the well, and reached the residence of the king of frogs well in time and in good shape. From there Gangadatta led the snake to the comfortable abode inside the well premises. He identified his enemies-cum-kinsmen very meticulously and true to his words, the Cobra made breakfast, lunch or dinner of them one by one with constant regularity.

Finally, all the enemies-cum-kinsmen of Ganagadatta the king of frogs existed merely in memory alone. And when Gangadatta felt that the mission was successfully completed, he called upon his friend the snake, and after thanking him profusely for the meritorious services rendered, told him. " Now my sweet friend, you can go back to your old hole. I shall inform you when the wick basket comes down the next time." 

The cobra could not conceal his displeasure. 

" Gangadatta my friend, I cannot endorse your views. How can I go back to my old hole? It would have been already occupied by now by someone else during my fairly long absence. So I suggest that you just identify your close relatives one by one so that I can have my food at regular intervals. If you are not agreeable to this proposition, I shall be left with no choice other than eating all of you in a single bunch, and proceed further as I may deem appropriate" ( Please listen to ring of the voice of the bureaucratic boss for the first time)

Poor Ganagdatta thought, " It was foolish on my part to invite the nuisance of a snake to punish my relatives. But he is very powerful.. If I try to defy him, he will eat all of us together with immediate effect. So it is better to offer him for food my dear relatives one by one, like paying installments to a taxman. This way I may be able to save at least my closest kin.. I do hope the snake will not try to eat me or my wife and children as he is a close friend of mine. If the destruction of everything is in sight and there is no way to defend all, it is better to offer some sops and try to get away with least damage."

Accordingly, he identified his brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and in-laws (that is nice anyway) one by one for the breakfast, lunch and dinner of the long lean friend. And the snake would eat the relative offered for dinner with a flourish and then as if taking some bonus, would eat away a few other relatives in the sly. There is no wonder about this. Only a person wearing clean clothes has to worry about the cleanliness of the table and chair he occupies. For a fellow mired in muck everything around is according to law and everything is law. A man with no character is the most care-free person in this world. He need not worry about anything. How can one make a chimney covere with oily soot dirtier in any way? 

And finally, after gobbling up all the relatives of Gangadatta the king of frogs, the snake made a breakfast of young Yamunadatta, the darling son of the Royal frog. When the senior frog learnt about this, he started beating his head and crying. He could not control his tears. 

Before long, the snake ate up the queen frog as well as the other frog princes also. All that was left was the old man Gangadatta. Quite unlike humans and especially bureaucrats some trace of sense of propriety and fair-play was left in the snake. Even he could not think of eating his own long-time friend, the elderly frog Ganagadatta. However, he sent a note of warning to the frog. " I am now really hungry and no food is left. You may do the needful, or may face the consequences.”

Now some good sense dawned upon the frog. He replied with a lot of diplomacy. " Sir, it is quite unthinkable that you should starve when I am alive. I will explore and find some ways and means. I think the proper action to be taken by me in this case is that I should visit some other well, and talk to the frog occupants there and persuade them to visit this well and then you can finish the story by affixing proper dots and dashes in the script wherever necessary. " 

Saying this, the frog alighted the wick basket when it came down the next time. He never looked back. 

It was a period of very hungry wait for the snake. Days converted themselves into months but nothing was to be heard from the frog. The anxiety coupled with hunger made the snake desperate. But the snake was now weak and he did not have any means of getting out of the well. So he approached the lady iguana (udumbu) which was residing in the same well in the next apartment hole. He requested her to go out in search of the frog and deliver to him an urgent summons from his dear old friend, requesting the king of frogs to come back immediately with his contingent of fresh frogs. After a lot of persuasion and entreaties from the snake, the lady went out and found the frog somewhere and delivered the message from the snake.

The frog replied, " My fair lady, please pay my best compliments to my dear old friend, Priyadarsana, the snake, and tell him that I am constrained not to pay a visit to him as my life will be in peril. Please tell him that a desperate person like the snake who is in hunger and penury will not hesitate to do anything, and therefore I am not in a position to accept his hospitality in inviting me back to the well."

Saying thus, Gangadatta, the King of frogs bolted.