Exercise 1
- 1. The water of the river is clear. Having sat by that clear water sick people obtain happiness. Who is that river? She is Gaṅga. She flows in the land of India.
- 2. Once dwelling in a village there was someone who was blind and someone who was lame. The blind one was not able to see. The lame one was not able to move about. However the blind one could move about, and the lame one was able to see. The lame one sat on the shoulders of the blind one. Blind went along the road, and the skill of the lame one was to point out the way.
- 3. People think "the old man only drinks water", and also "he sometimes eats no food". Even so he is clearly fat, and how can this be? I however think "the fatty eats a lot of food at night". People don't see him when he eats at night, therefore they praise him.
- 4. The river who always gives all her water for all people, is she not generous? Some teachers don't give all their knowledge to their disciples. I think "they aren't generous, they are only mean". May our teachers not be mean! This is all I ask the Lord.
- 5. Why is a teacher a teacher? The teachers say "he is a teacher because of his weighty knowledge. Some of them have weighty bodies also. But some of them only have weighty bodies. Since their knowledge is small, they are not teachers. All goo disciples think so.
- 6. That which is water (vāri), is water (ambu), and only water (jala). Here is only this [one] thing, but many words. People drink water (vāri), they wash with water (ambu) containers, and they plunge into the water (jala) of the river to bathe. Thus sages tell people: "there are many gods, but only one truth." The Lord is only one, but has many names. Some people say "Śiva", some "Viṣṇu", some "Allah", and some "Jehovah". But he is only the Lord.
- 7. I want to eat soft honey in the new dish. My mother tells me - "only having washed the new dish can you eat honey!" Therefore I am washing the new dish. While I am washing the dish my two sisters, having come to the house, eat all the honey. Now what can I eat in the new dish?
- 8. Having thought, "fire burns a house of wood", I don't live in a house of wood.
- 9. Even if he is the leader of his country, his wife is still his leader. Many people don't wish him as leader. Those people who don't want him don't think he is pure and virtuous. He thinks "because I long for it, I am virtuous".
- 10. Having seen fragrant flowers, I run to them. I think "Only if flowers are fragrant are they beautiful". Though in these flowers there is beauty, they are not fragrant, and I do not desire them. My old sister-in-law wants only beautiful flowers. Fragrant flowers don't appeal to her.
- 11. When a man's wife is beautiful, he obtains many friends. When a woman's husband is handsome, she too obtains many friends.
- 12. Not all old men are generous. The lame old-timer who dwells in front of our house, is one-eyed and poor. If people were to see him dead, should there not be tears in their eyes?
Exercise 2
With all sandhis
- १. एतसया नद्या जलं प्रसन्नं विद्यते । तत् प्रसन्नं जलं पीत्वा व्याधिता जना अपि सुखं लभन्ते का एष नदी? एषा गङ्गा । सा भारतदेशे वहति ॥
- २. एकदा कश्चिदनधः कश्चिच्च खञ्चः कस्मिंश्चिद् ग्रामेऽवसताम् । अन्धो न द्रष्टुं समर्थः । खञ्जश्च चलितुं समर्थः । किन्त्वन्धश्चलितुं समर्थः । खञ्जश्च द्रष्टुं समर्थः । अन्धस्य स्कन्धे खञ्जोऽसीदत् । अन्धो मार्गेणाचलत् । कुशलः खञ्जश्च तस्मै मार्गमदिशत् ॥
- ३. एषो वृध्दो नरो वार्येव पिबतीति जना मन्यन्ते । स न कदाप्यन्नं खादतीत्यपि ते चिन्तयन्ति । तथाप्यषाः प्रसन्नः पीनश्च कथं वर्तते? ाहं तु चिन्तयामि - एषो वृध्दो रात्रौ बह्वन्नं खादतीति । यदा स रात्रावन्नं खादति, तदा जनास्तं न पश्यन्ति । ततस्ते तं शंसन्ति ॥
- ४. या नदी सर्वेभ्यो जनेभ्यस्सर्वदा सर्वं जलं यच्छति, सा किं न उदारा? केचिद् गुरवश्शिष्येभ्यस्सर्वं ज्ञानं न यच्छनति । ते नौदाराः । ते क्षुद्रा एवेतयवाहमीश्वरमर्थये ॥
- ५. गुरुः कथं गुरुर्भवति? यतो गुरोः ज्ञानं गुरु भवति, ततस्स गुरुर्भवतीति गुरवो वदन्ति । केषाञ्चित् तु लघु भवति, ततस्ते गुरवो एव न वर्तन्त इति सर्वे कुशलाश्सिष्या मन्यन्ते ॥
- ६. ६. यद् वारि तदेवाभ्बु तदैव च जलम् । अत्र तदैवा वस्तु । बहवस्तु शब्दाः । जला वारि पिबन्ति । तेऽभ्बुनि पात्रानि क्षालयन्ति । नद्या जले च स्नानाय गाहन्ते । तथा बहवो देवैकं तु सत्यं इति मुनयो जनेभ्यः कथयन्ति । एकैवैश्वरः । हबवस्तु शबदाः । केचिज्जनाश्शिव इति वदन्ति, केचिद् विष्णुरिति, केचिदल्लेति, केचित् तु जेहोवेति । ईश्वरस्तु सैव ॥
- ७. नवे पात्रेऽहं स्वादु मधु खादितुं इच्छामि । मम माता मां कथयति - नवं पात्रं क्षालयित्वैव तस्मिन् मधु भक्षयेति । ततोऽहं तन्नवं पात्रं क्षालयामि । यदाहं तत् पात्रं क्षालयामि, तदैव मे स्वसारौ गृहमागत्य सर्वं मधु भक्षयः । अधुनैतस्मिन्नवे पात्रे किं भक्षयेयम् ॥
- ८. दारुणो गृहमानलो दहतीति मत्वाहं दारुणो गृहे ना वसामि ॥
- ९. सेतस्य देशस्य यद्यपि नेति भवति, तथापि तस्य भार्या तस्य नेत्री वर्तते । तस्माद्बहवो जना तं नेतारं नेच्छन्ति । ये जनास्तस्मै न स्पृहयन्ति, तान् स शुचीन् साधून् च न मन्यते । यतोऽहं तस्मै स्पृहयामि, ततोऽहं साधुर्भबामीति स चिन्तयति ॥
- १०. सुगन्धीनि कुसुमानि दृष्ट्वाहं तानि प्रति धावामि । यानि कुसुमानि सुगन्धीनि भवन्ति, तान्येव चारूणीत्यहं मन्ये । एते कुसुमे यद्यपि चारुणी तथापि ते सुगन्धिनी न भवतः । ततोऽहं ताभ्यां न स्पृहयामि । मम वृद्धा ननान्दा चारूण्येव कुसुमानीच्छति । सुगन्धीनि कुसुमानि तस्यै न रोचन्ते ॥
- ११. यस्य नरस्य भार्या चार्वी भवति, स बहूनि मित्राणि लभते । यस्या नार्या भर्ता चारुर्भबति सापि बहूनि मित्राणि लभते ॥
- १२. सर्वे वृद्धा नरा उदारा न भवन्ति । य खञ्जो वृद्धोऽस्माकं गृहस्य पुरतो वसति, स काणः क्षुद्रश्च वर्तते । यदि जनास्तं मृतं पश्येयुस्तर्हि न कस्यापि नेत्रयोरश्रूणि भवेयुः ॥
Saṃskṛtasubodhinī: A Sanskrit Primer
by Madhav Desphande
Last updated: 21:01 02/01/2009