Guest poem sent in by C Surendranath here's one couplet from the 6th century man Bhartrihari....
(Poem #308) Untitled yasya asti vittam, 1 sa naraha kuleenaha, 2 sa eva vakta, 3 sa cha shrutavan panditaha, 4 sarve gunaha kanchanam ashrayantih. 5 |
the translation: 1- with whom there is wealth, 2- that man is of a good clan 3- he is a good speaker 4- he is to be heard and he is a scholar 5- gold brings all virtues with it Annotation: This can paraphrased to- He who has wealth is of a good clan, is wise, a scholar and his words are to be heard. Gold can bring all virtues. It is a telling commentary on the value of wealth in the society that he lived in. The Background- Bhartrihari was a king of 6th century India. He once had a hunter bring him an exotic fruit from the forest which the hunter claimed would guarentee long life. The king was reluctant to consume it himself and gave it instead to his beloved queen. She in turn gave it to a musician who was her lover. He gave it to the woman he really loved, a courtesan. The courtesan, being truly loyal to her master, brought it back to the king himself. On finding out about the tortuous route the fruit had taken, the king was sick of the worldly life and took to the forest, where he held forth on the futility of this ephemeral existence. suren
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