Subhashita-kaustubha (24-26)

सुभाषितकौस्तुभः (२४-२६)

प्रकृत्या परिशुद्धानां प्रत्ययं समुपेयुषाम् ।

शब्दानामिव साधूनां संगतिर्गृह्यते बुधैः ॥ २४ ॥

Company of the virtuous, who are by nature pure and who inspire confidence is liked by the learned just as correct words, which have a pure radical and which take terminations are liked by them. [Here also the choice of words with pun (श्लेष) enables the poet to contrive a simile: प्रकृति= nature, radical or stem of a word; प्रत्यय=confidence, terminations that a stem takes. ]

हन्त स्वयमशक्तैरप्यशक्यार्थस्समीहितः ।

मुख्यसम्बन्धमाहात्म्यान्नीयते सिद्धिमञ्जसा ॥ २५ ॥

Even those who are by themselves unable to obtain their desired ends quickly attain them by virtue of their association with important persons. A second meaning emanates as follows: Words which are by themselves not able to convey the intended meaning do so by virtue of their concomitance with another important entity. [There is a standard example offered in poetics for this. The phrase गङ्गायां घोषः is used to convey “a hamlet on the banks of Ganga” although the literal meaning is “village in Ganga.” The meaning of “a hamlet on the banks of Ganga” emanates by virtue of the intimate concomitance of Ganga and its banks.]

दृष्टान्तरहिताः केचित् दृढं नियममाश्रिताः ।

न्यायज्ञैरभिगम्यन्ते हेतवोऽभीष्टसिद्धिषु ॥ २६ ॥

Some persons who have none to be compared with-non pareil- , who adhere to strict principles and who fulfill cherished desires are approached by those who value righteousness. A second technical meaning associated with logic is also intended as follows: Certain causes which are firmly based on principles although devoid of analogy are accepted by logicians for proving a premise. [The poet unfortunately indulges in banality in his attempt to show his skill as a wordsmith.]

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