Saturday, January 31, 2015

Do not judge a book by its cover

नवं पुरातनं वापि
लेखं पश्यन्ति पण्डिताः ।
सारमासाद्य तुष्यन्ति
निःसारञ्च त्यजन्ति ते ॥

Whether it is new or old, it is the content of literature that the scholars study. They enjoy the ones that are essentially significant, and reject the ones that are undistinguished.


Do not judge a book by its cover.
A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion.

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Friday, January 30, 2015

Perseverance is the key to success

प्रारभ्यते न खलु विघ्नभयेन नीचैः
प्रारभ्य विघ्नविहताः विरमन्ति मध्याः ।
विघ्नैः पुनः पुनरपि प्रतिहन्यमानाः
प्रारभ्य चोत्तमजनाः न परित्यजन्ति ॥
- नीतिशतकम्

Inferior people do not undertake any endeavor apprehending obstacles. Having the undertaken work started, mediocre people give up when they encounter impediments. However, noble people, having commenced a task, never give up even if they are hindered repeatedly by various barriers.

Never give up.
Perseverance is the key to success.
Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.

Related Books:

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Thursday, January 29, 2015

The truth is stranger than fiction

शून्यमापूर्णतामेति
मृत्युरप्यमृतायते ।
आपत्सम्पदिवाभाति
विद्वज्जनसमागमात् ॥

The zero attains completeness, even the 'death' turns into 'deathlessness', calamity appears to be prosperity when scholarly people assemble!
('Zero' refers to the absence of all feelings which is considered as eternal bliss. 'Deathlessness' refers to release from the cycle of birth and death)

The truth is stranger than fiction.
The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush

पुस्तकस्था तु या विद्या
परहस्तगतं धनम् ।
कार्यकाले समुत्पन्ने
न सा विद्या न तद्धनम् ॥
- चाणक्यनीतिः

Knowledge residing in a book and money loaned to others; when in need, neither that knowledge nor that money is of any use.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2015

It's no use crying over spilt milk

कृतस्य करणं नास्ति
मृतस्य मरणं तथा ।
गतस्य शोचना नास्ति
ह्येतद् वेदविदां मतम् ॥

What has been done cannot be done again.
What has been dead cannot die again.
What has been lost should not be repented for.
This is the opinion of Vedic Scholars.

Let bygones be bygones.
What's done cannot be undone.
Eggs cannot be unscrambled.

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Monday, January 26, 2015

Truth alone triumphs

सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्
सत्येन पन्था विततो देवयानः ।
येनाक्रमन्त्यृषयो ह्याप्तकामाः
यत्र तत्सत्यस्य परमं निधानम् ॥
- मुन्डकोपनिषत्

Truth alone triumphs, not falsehood. By truth, the divine paths are unfolded, through which the sages having fulfilled all their desires, reach the supreme adobe of the (eternal) truth.
('Satyameva Jayate' is the national motto of India.)

Truth alone triumphs.

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Sunday, January 25, 2015

A light purse is a heavy curse

दुःखं दुःखमिति ब्रूयात्
मानवो नरकं प्रति ।
दारिद्र्यादधिकं दुःखम्
न भूतं न भविष्यति ॥

It is said that hell is the place of intense pain and severe torture. But in reality, there is no pain (or torture) as intense as that of poverty, neither was there in past, nor will be in future.

A light purse is a heavy curse.

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Saturday, January 24, 2015

Love is blind

यां चिन्तयामि सततं मयि सा विरक्ता
साप्यन्यमिच्छति जनं स जनोऽन्यसक्तः ।
अस्मत्कृते च परिशुष्यति काचिदन्या
धिक्तां च तं च मदनं च इमां च मां च ॥
- नीतिशतकम्

She, of whom I always think, is indifferent towards me. She loves another person who is interested in some other lady. Further, there is a lady who constantly longs for me. Fie on that lady, on him, on Madana (the god of love), on this lady and on me.

Love is blind.

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Friday, January 23, 2015

When it rains, it pours

क्षते प्रहाराः निपतन्त्यभीक्ष्णं
धनक्षये वर्धति जाठराग्निः ।
आपत्सु वैराणि समुद्भवन्ति
छिद्रेष्वनर्थाः बहुलीभवन्ति ॥
- पञ्चतन्त्रम्

When wounded, powerful blows hit us every moment.
When suffering from severe economic loss, the hunger increases.
When in times of trouble, enemies crop up.
When the group is divided, difficulties multiply.

When it rains, it pours.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

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Thursday, January 22, 2015

All that is old is not gold

पुराणमित्येव न साधु सर्वम्
न चापि काव्यं नवमित्यवद्यम् ।
सन्तः परीक्ष्यान्यतरद्भजन्ते
मूढः परप्रत्ययनेयबुद्धिः ॥

Not all literature that is old, is good. Similarly, not all modern literature should be condemned simply because it is new. Wise men choose the good ones only after proper examination. Only an idiot goes by others' judgment.

All that is old is not gold.

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