Thursday, 19 December 2013

Today's Subhashita.

ज्येष्ठत्वं जन्मना नैव गुणैर्ज्येष्ठत्वमुच्यते |
गुणात् गुरुत्वमायाति दुग्धं दधि घृतं क्रमात्  ||

अर्थ =   समाज मे  वरिष्ठता और श्रेष्ठता  जन्मजात  प्राप्त नहीं होती है |  गुणवान होने पर ही व्यक्ति को ज्येष्ठत्व  उसी प्रकार प्राप्त होता है  जैसे कि दूध क्रमशः दही और घी में परिवर्तित हो कर  प्राप्त करता  है |

Jyeshthatvam =  seniority, excellence.     Janmana= by birth.      Naiva = hardly.
Gunairjeshthatva = Gunaih + Jyeshthatvam + uchayate.     Gunaih = talent, virtues.   uchyate = said.
Gunaat =through virtues and talent.        Gurutvamaayaati = Gurutvam + aayaati
Gurutvam = respectablity, greatness    Aayaati = comes from.Dugdham = milk.     Dadhi = curd (coagulated milk).    Ghruta = Ghee , cream.    Kramaat =  gradually, .

i.e.        Seniority and excellence can not be achieved simply by birth in an illustrious family. It is truly said that it has to be  earned by acquiring virtues and talent,  just like ordinary milk, which gets transformed  into curd and then into ghee respectively (which are costlier than ordinary milk and are liked more)

(Through the metaphor of ordinary milk transforming itself first into curd and then into ghee, which increases the value of milk, ghee being costliest, the author emphasizes the fact  that a person can become senior and respectable  in the society only when he acquires talent and virtues, even if he may be born in an ordinary family.Simply by being born in an illustrious family does not confer greatness to a person)

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