Exercise 2
- 1. All the priests will recite hymns tommorrow in the assembly of the king. The mendicants will also recite hymns. However only the preists expect to obtain payment for having recited hymns. The mendicants think that wealth is nothing but trouble. They say "these priests are only merchants. Just as merchants expect payment, so these priests also recite hymns for money."
- 2. When the enemies were defeated by the king, then the wives of the enemies ran in all directions.
- 3. When the Emperor Alexander conquered India he saw there many wandering ascetics. Having clearly seen the knowledge of austerity of the wanderers, the king wanted to take some of them to Greece. The wanderers said to the king: "O Alexander, people say you are the emperor of the world, but we are emperors of our own minds. When the sun sets, then darkness spreads everywhere. Sire, not even you can dispell that darkness. But darkness is never born in our minds from the darkness of the night. Say it: who is emperor? You or us? Understanding these words of the wanderers, he saluted them and turned away.
- 4. As the moon is in the sky, so in this world he is emperor.
- 5. As long as rivers flow, as long as the moon doesn't fall from the sky. And as long as mountains are not destroyed by the power of the winds. So in this world my poems will adorn the voices of good hearted men. Saying this the poet died. After his death people burned the poems of the poet along with his body.
- 6. Having recited poems merchants are not satisfied, nor having obtained wealth are wanderers. Only by having what he desires does his mind become satisfied.
- 7. Having seen the light of the moon and the dawn my mind rejoices. This world is the creator of poetry! When good men see this poetry everywhere and in the east, then they praise the creator.
- 8. Merchants, doctors and priests prosper by the wealth of the people. When adversity troubles people then the wealth of priests increases. When illnesses occur in the world, then a doctor's wealth also increases. Those people who are not killed by illness, having given all their money to doctors are killed by hunger. Merchants only ask the creator: "let people always eat more food".
- 9. When the chest of the emperor was pierced by the enemy's arrows, then the minds of everyone were overcome with grief. Good men thought: certainly the moon falls from the sky - the mountain is destroyed by the power of animals. The people thinking "having entered the town the enemies will birn all the houses" brought bows and stood in doorways to protect the town".
- 10. Which good hearted man's mind would not be pleased having seen the dawn? Which good hearted man would not be satisfied having seen flowers? Having seen the moon, just as they rejoice in the flowers, so having seen the friend, the mind of friends rejoice.
- 11. Wanderers accuse poets thus "poets are those who speak words without any thought". However poets say that just as the sky is overcome by darkness at night, so the minds of these wanderers are overcome by austerity. Just as the blond do not rejoice in the moon, these wanderers are not satisfied by poetry. They think there is only one Lord in the world, but in the world of our poetry, we are the creator and Lord. However we wish it, this world is turned to poetry.
Saṃskṛtasubodhinī: A Sanskrit Primer
by Madhav Desphande
Last updated: 11:54 17/05/2009