Conversational Sanskrit

  Speak the truth. Speak what is pleasing Do not speak the truth that is not pleasing Do not speak an untruth because it is pleasing This is the eternal truth This is from Manu the lawgiver.  Can we indeed live by this rule? सत्यं ब्रूसात् प्रियं ब्रूयात्   नब्रूयात् सत्यमप्रियं   प्रियमनृतं च एष धर्मः सनातन  

  Chanakya, the Machiavelli of Ancient India, was the master of statecraft and a kingmaker par excellence.  An unlikely champion of kindness in speech, he famously said;  All creatures are made happy by uttering kind words, so only kind words must be said; why be poor in the speaking of words? प्रियवाक्यप्रदानेन   सर्वे   तुष्यन्ति   जन्तवः   | तस्मात्तदेव   वक्तव्यं   वचने   का   दरिद्रता    ||                              - चाणक्य नीति ( १६ / १३ ) भावार्थ -        यदि अन्य व्यक्तियों से   प्रिय लगने वाली भाषा में बातचीत की जाये तो सभी को सन्तोष   प्राप्त होता है | इस लिये सदैव मधुर भाषा का व्यवहार करना चाहिये और ऐसा करने   में अपनी दरिद्रता क्यों प्रदर्शित की जाय ?  Priyavaakyapradaanena  sarve  tushyanti  jantaavah. Tasmaattadeva  vaktavyam  vachane  kaa  daridrata. Priya = liked, pleasing.  Vaakya = saying.   Pradaanena= delivering.    Sarve = all.    Tushyanti = are satisfied. Jantavah = persons.    Tasmaat =  therefore.     Tadeva= accordingly.

  You can take an Indian out of India, but you can never take out India from an Indian: An Ode to the Indian Immigrant We grew up in the ancient land of India you see But John Wayne and Bruce Lee Clinton Gore, Regan and Kennedy Jobs, Cooley, Gates and Dorsey Lived in our minds world you see The competition was brutal, and traffic a bore For everything we pleaded, can we have some more But we alway knew our secret core We know how to turn less into more And how everything at each step to pour Some called it jugad, an untranslatable Metaphor Or the distilled wisdom of India of yore And you can take an Indian out of India But you can never take out India from an Indian We aced the GRE and cracked the ECFMG We had a planned strategy For every great University On either side of the Mississippi And had advice from every uncle removed three And unshakeable at our Indian core Was the ability to turn less into more And everything into each step pour For you can take an Indian out of India But y

घटं भिन्द्यात् पटं छिन्द्यात् कुर्याद्रासभारोहणम्  | येन  केन प्रकारेण  प्रसिद्ध पुरुषो भवेत् || घटं  भिन्द्यात्  may break pot पटं  छिन्द्यात्  may tear clothes कुर्याद्रासभारोहणम्  | may ride a donkey येन  केन प्रकारेण  by whatever possible means प्रसिद्ध  famous पुरुषो person भवेत् || may become By breaking pots, by tearing clothes or by riding a donkey, using whatever possible means one may become a famous person. There are many paths to fame or notoriety, by vile destruction ( breaking pots), by sheer insane behavior (tearing one's clothes), by infamy and public ridicule ( being made to ride a donkey as a sign of public disgrace), by whatever means possible, one may attain fame. This aphorism from thousands of years ago seems so contemporary in our area of reality TV, celebrity culture, and internet phenomenon, all feeding the frenzy of fifteen minutes of fame. This aphorism anticipates and encapsulates the phrase, ' there is no such thing as bad publicity&

चिन्तनीया ही विपदां  आदादैव प्रतिक्रिया | न कूपखननं युक्तं प्रदीप्ते वह्निना गृहे  || चिन्तनीया ही  one must indeed think प्रतिक्रिया   response विपदां  of crisis आदादैव  ahead of time न युक्तं  it is not optimal कूपखननं  to be digging a well प्रदीप्ते  in the brilliant light गृहे  of  your home वह्निना being burnt by fire It is important to be prepared for crises ahead of time. When the crisis is at the door, is not the appropriate time to begin preparations on how to meet it. This aphorism is thousands of years old, but would constitute sage advice to our leaders today, don't you think?

दानं भोगो नाशः तिस्रो गतयो भवन्ति वित्तस्य | यो न ददाति न भुङ्गते तस्य तृतीया गतिर्भवति || दानं = charity , भोगः  = consumption , नाशः = destruction, तिस्रः  = three, गतयः = fates, भवन्ति = occurs वित्तस्य | = of the wealth, यः = he, न = who does not, ददाति = give (charity), न = who does not भुङ्गते = consume, तस्य = his, तृतीया =  the third , गति = fates, र्भवति || = occurs There are three things that happen with wealth. The money can be given in charity, it can be consumed for individual purposes or it will be lost. The wealth of the person who does not donate nor use it for his own purposes will be lost.