Subhashita-kaustubha (21-23)

सुभाषितकौस्तुभः (२१-२३)

अथ सज्जनपद्धतिः

Now the section on the virtuous.

आलोकेषु त्रिदशसुदृशामप्यनुद्यद्विकाराः

प्राणापत्स्वप्यनृतचकिताः प्राभवेष्वप्यदृप्ताः ।

प्रत्यर्थिष्वप्यकठिनहृदः पार्थिवेष्वप्यदीनाः

सन्तो गुप्त्यै कतिचन युगेऽप्यन्तिमे सन्ति मेऽस्मिन् ॥ २१ ॥

Even at the sight of divine damsels they do not get disturbed; Even at the time of danger to life, they are afraid of telling untruth; Even during their affluence they are not haughty; Even with foes they are kindhearted; Even with kings they do not lose their dignity; Even in this age of Kali how many such great souls are there to take care of me!

सदैव मित्राभ्युदयाभिकाङ्क्षिभिः

महातपस्स्मेरतमैः कुशेशयैः ।

प्रगल्भसौरभ्यविशेषनिर्भरैः

परिष्कृतिः किं भुवनस्य नो भवेत् ॥ २२ ॥

Meaning 1: Why will not the world be purified by those who are always wishing for the welfare of their friends, who bear a smile even during  rigorous penance, who sleep on darbha grass and who are endowed with easy accessibility?

Meaning 2:  Why will not the world be adorned by the lotuses, which look forward to the rising of the sun, which bloom in the heat of the sun and which are full of

intense special fragrance? [The poet weaves a poetic web by his choice of words with two meanings. मित्र= friend, sun; महा तपस् =great penance, महा आतप = intense heat of sun, कुशेशय=lotus, one who sleeps on grass, सौलभ्य= accessibility, सौरभ्य= fragrance {र and ल are treated equivalent}. He thus draws a parallel between a good person and a lotus.]

सुदृशां श्रुतिपथसुभगङ्करणगिराम्

अतनुशास्त्रवश्यानाम् ।

पुरुषोत्तमरतिभाजाम्

सदागतिष्वादरः कथं न स्यात् ॥ २३ ॥

Meaning 1:Why will not those who look at good things (do not look at bad things), whose speech is pleasant because of association with the Vedas, whose command over scriptures is not meager and who have an abiding love for the Supreme Being not be eager at the arrival of the virtuous? [Good and learned persons will always be eager to meet with other good persons.]

Meaning 2: The poet suggests another meaning by the use of pun as follows: Why will not those good looking women –सुदृशाम्- whose speech is pleasant to the ears-श्रुतिपथ-, who are controllable by the methods of kaama-अतनु (अनङ्ग)-shastra, who enjoy union with great personalities-पुरुषोत्तम- not be eager to tread the sinful path-अगति-?  [The poet provides a parallel between learned persons who are drawn towards other learned persons and those good-looking women who tread the sinful path. This form of suggesting a parallel is called as शब्दशक्तिध्वनि as the parallelism exists because of the words chosen.] 
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