Monday, 1 September 2014

Today's Subhashita.

ज्यायांसमपि  शीलेन विहीनं  नैव पूजयेत्  |
अपि शूद्रं  च  धर्मज्ञं  सद्वृत्तमभिपूजयेत  ||

अर्थ -      यदि  समाज के उच्च वर्गों का कोई वरिष्ठ व्यक्ति चरित्र तथा सद्व्यवहार् से विहीन हो तो वह् पूजनीय  (आदर और सम्मान के योग्य) नहीं है परन्तु यदि कोई  शूद्र (समाज के निम्नतम वर्ग का सदस्य) धर्मज्ञ तथा चरित्रवान हो तो ऐसा व्यक्ति अवश्य ही पूजनीय है  |

(उपर्युक्त सुभाषित से यह् तथ्य प्रकट होता है कि प्राचीन भारत में शूद्र हेय दृष्टि से नहीं देखे जाते थे और वे भी सम्मानित नागरिक माने जाते थे |   उनके प्रति भेदभाव और अस्पृश्यता की भावना बाद में विकसित हुई थी )

Jyaayaamsamapi sheelena viheenam naiva poojayet.
Api shoodram cha dharmagyam sadvruttamabhi poojayet.

Jyaayaamsam =  elderly persons.    Api - even      Sheelena = character, integrity.    Viheena = without, .    Naiva = not, never.     Poojayet = respected, honoured, worshipped.      Api = even ( to express emphasis)  Shoodram = a man of lowest service class.   ( In ancient India the society was divided into four categories of people namely (i) Brahmins serving as teachers and priests  (ii) Kshatriyas, the warrior and ruling class (iii) Vaishyas, the traders and business class and (iv) shoodras, working as artisans, labourers and menial servants.)        Cha = and      Dharmagyam  = knowing the law and religion i.e. what is right  or wrong.
Sadvruttamabhipoojayet = sadvruttam  +abhipoojayet.     Sadvruttam = having good conduct.
Abhipoojayet =  honoured, respected.

i.e.       If a senior and aged person from higher echelons of society is not having good character and integrity, he should not be respected and honoured .  But if a  Shoodra (person from the lowest category of society) is well versed in law and religion and is having good character , he should definitely be  respected and honoured .

(Untouchability and ill treatment to people of lowest strata of society (now termed as Dalits  by the three upper castes is still a bane of Indian Society.  But this Subhashita asserts that this was not so in ancient India and they were given due respect.   Ill treatment to them was a later development,) 

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