It is also said that he had left his house and wife for many
time and went to jungle but then return again.
And from this experiences of married life and life of an ascetic
he has written three books
(1) Shringaar shatak
(2) Vairagya shatak
(3) Niti shatak
First is about the glory of romantic married life. In the second
book he expresses futility of this momentary pleasure.
And the third book is more famous because of its moral, philosophical
and rational teaching.
Shatak means hundred. every text like this has one hundred slokas.And
Bhartuhari tells about the essence of life in 2 or 4 lines.it is not about any one
topic but shows his experiences of wider scope of life.
it can be subdevided as
- Sajjan prashansa- means praising gentleman.
- Durjan ninda-criticising bad people.
- Bhagyani bhavitavyata- greatness of luck.
- Purusharth nu mahatva- importance of hard work.
Lets see the few translation......
.I bow to God, the self enlightened, the peaceful, free from the
bonds of space and time,the infinite, the pure consciousness personified and
experienced by Self.
2.A fool can be pleased easily, and it is even
easier to please the wise. However, evenBrahma (the creator) cannot satisfy
a conceited person with a bit of knowledge.
3.It may be possible to forcibly retrieve a gem
from the fanged jaws of a crocodile; onemay even swim across the sea full
of turbulent waves, or place an angry serpent on ones head like a flower,
but it is impossible to please a conceited fool.
4.One can, perhaps, extract oil by squeezing
sand; a man may be able to quench his thirst by drinking water from a
mirage; during travel one may even find the horns of a hare; but it is
impossible to please a conceited fool.
5.Wanting to reform the wicked with nectar sweet
advice, is like trying to control an elephant with the pith of a lotus stem, or cutting a diamond with delicate
petals of the Shireesh flower, or sweetening the salty ocean with a drop of
honey.
6.The creator has provided only one means for
hiding one¶s ignorance which is always under his own control. It is to keep
silent, particularly, in the company of the learned.
7.When my knowledge was limited, I assumed
that I was fully proficient. I was blinded by pride like an elephant in
frenzy. However, when I started learning in the company of theerudite and
realized my short comings, the conceit of mine disappeared like fever.
8.A dog is not afraid even if Indra, the
lord of Gods, is standing by its side, so long as it isdevouring a
donkey¶s bone which might be vermininfested, loathsome, salivadoused,stinking and fleshless.
Similarly, a wretch will never pay heed to the unworthiness of his acquisitions.
9.The Ganges descended from the heavens upon
the head of the Shiva, and thence, to the mountains. From the high mountains,
she flowed down the plains to finally lapse into the sea. Thus, the Ganges kept drifting
downwards from one level to another. Similarly,those who have lost their
sagacity plunge downwards in a hundred ways.
10.With water, a fire can be extinguished; an
umbrella protects one from the heat of the sun;a frenzied elephant can be
tamed by a mahout sharp iron goad, and so can a cow and a donkey with a stick;
diseases can be cured by an assortment of medicines, and the incantation of
various mantras is an antidote to toxicants. The scriptures contain remediesfor
all, but there is none for a conceited fool.
11.Those who are devoid of Literature, Music,
and Art, are veritable animals without tails and horns. It is the great good
luck of other beasts that they don't graze grass, and still survive.
वज्रादपि कठोराणि मृदूनि कुसुमादपि ।
लोकोत्तराणां चेतांसि को नो विज्ञातुमर्हति॥
Vajraadapi kathhoraani mridooni kusumaadapi
Lokottaraanaam chetaamsi ko nu vijnaatumarhati.
The hearts of the best of men who are a cut above the ordinary people are harder than diamond (when facing obstacles or enemies ) and softer than flowers (towards the less privileged and the miserable). Who can understand the hearts of such men?
Work cited-
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3448635/Niti-Shatakam-of-Bhartrihari#scribd
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