Sanskrit quote nr. 3 (Maha-subhashita-samgraha)
Sanskrit text:
अंशुकमिव शीतभयात् संस्त्यानत्वच्छलेन हिमधवलम् ।
अम्भोभिरपि गृहीतं पश्यत शिशिरस्य माहात्म्यम् ॥aṃśukamiva śītabhayāt saṃstyānatvacchalena himadhavalam |
ambhobhirapi gṛhītaṃ paśyata śiśirasya māhātmyam ||
Meter name: Āryā; Type: Mātrācchanda; 19 syllables per quarter (pāda).
Primary English translation:
“Look at the greatness of the cool season, as even the waters, as if afraid of the cold, have put on a white silken garment in the guise of a thick fall of snow.”
(translation by A. A. Ramanathan)
Index
- Introduction
- Glossary of terms
- Analysis of Sanskrit grammar
- Sources
- Authorship
- About the Mahāsubhāṣitasaṃgraha
Presented above is a Sanskrit aphorism, also known as a subhāṣita, which is at the very least, a literary piece of art. This page provides critical research material such as an anlaysis on the poetic meter used, an English translation, a glossary explaining technical terms, and a list of resources including print editions and digital links.
Glossary of Sanskrit terms
Note: Consider this as an approximate extraction of glossary words based on an experimental segmentation of the Sanskrit verse. Some could be superfluous while some might not be mentioned.
Amshuka (amsuka, aṃśuka, अंशुक): defined in 5 categories.
Iva (इव): defined in 4 categories.
Bhayat (bhayāt, भयात्): defined in 1 categories.
Bhaya (भय): defined in 21 categories.
Samstyana (saṃstyāna, संस्त्यान): defined in 1 categories.
Yushmad (yusmad, yuṣmad, युष्मद्): defined in 3 categories.
Shala (sala, śala, शल): defined in 22 categories.
Hima (हिम): defined in 14 categories.
Dhavala (धवल): defined in 16 categories.
Ambhas (अम्भस्): defined in 7 categories.
Api (अपि): defined in 4 categories.
Ap (अप्): defined in 9 categories.
Grihita (grhita, gṛhīta, गृहीत): defined in 12 categories.
Pashyata (pasyata, paśyata, पश्यत): defined in 1 categories.
Shishira (sisira, śiśira, शिशिर): defined in 12 categories.
Mahatmya (māhātmya, माहात्म्य): defined in 8 categories.
Defined according to the following glossaries/dictionaries: Hinduism, Sanskrit, Pali, Purana (epic history), Kannada, Prakrit, Buddhism, Jainism, Vastushastra (architecture), Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy), Yoga (school of philosophy), Ayurveda (science of life), Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology), Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy), Dharmashastra (religious law), Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism), Theravada (major branch of Buddhism), Marathi, Hindi, Ganitashastra (Mathematics and Algebra), Nepali, Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar), Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism), Shilpashastra (iconography), Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma), Kavya (poetry), Shaktism (Shakta philosophy), India history, Kavyashastra (science of poetry), Biology (plants and animals), Jain philosophy, Arts (wordly enjoyments), Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres), Vaisheshika (school of philosophy), Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Analysis of Sanskrit grammar
Note: this is an experimental feature and only shows the first possible analysis of the Sanskrit verse. If the system was successful in segmenting the sentence, you will see of which words it is made up of, generally consisting of Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Participles and Indeclinables. Click on the link to show all possible derivations of the word.
- Line 1: “aṃśukamiva śītabhayāt saṃstyānatvacchalena himadhavalam”
- aṃśukam -
-
aṃśuka (noun, neuter)[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]
- iva -
-
iva (indeclinable adverb)[indeclinable adverb]iva (indeclinable)[indeclinable]
- śīta -
-
śīta (noun, masculine)[compound], [vocative single]śīta (noun, neuter)[compound], [vocative single]√śi -> śīta (participle, masculine)[vocative single from √śi class 3 verb], [vocative single from √śi class 5 verb]√śi -> śīta (participle, neuter)[vocative single from √śi class 3 verb], [vocative single from √śi class 5 verb]√śī -> śīta (participle, masculine)[vocative single from √śī class 4 verb]√śī -> śīta (participle, neuter)[vocative single from √śī class 4 verb]√śyā -> śīta (participle, masculine)[vocative single from √śyā class 1 verb]√śyā -> śīta (participle, neuter)[vocative single from √śyā class 1 verb]
- bhayāt -
-
bhayāt (indeclinable)[indeclinable]bhaya (noun, masculine)[adverb], [ablative single]bhaya (noun, neuter)[adverb], [ablative single]
- saṃstyāna -
-
saṃstyāna (noun, masculine)[compound], [vocative single]saṃstyāna (noun, neuter)[compound], [vocative single]
- tvacch -
-
yuṣmad (pronoun, none)[ablative single]
- śalena -
-
śala (noun, masculine)[instrumental single]śala (noun, neuter)[instrumental single]
- hima -
-
hima (noun, masculine)[compound], [vocative single]hima (noun, neuter)[compound], [vocative single]
- dhavalam -
-
dhavala (noun, masculine)[adverb], [accusative single]dhavala (noun, neuter)[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]dhavalā (noun, feminine)[adverb]
- Line 2: “ambhobhirapi gṛhītaṃ paśyata śiśirasya māhātmyam”
- ambhobhir -
-
ambhas (noun, neuter)[instrumental plural]
- api -
-
api (indeclinable preposition)[indeclinable preposition]ap (noun, neuter)[locative single]
- gṛhītam -
-
gṛhīta (noun, masculine)[adverb], [accusative single]gṛhīta (noun, neuter)[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]gṛhītā (noun, feminine)[adverb]√grah -> gṛhīta (participle, masculine)[accusative single from √grah class 9 verb]√grah -> gṛhīta (participle, neuter)[nominative single from √grah class 9 verb], [accusative single from √grah class 9 verb]
- paśyata -
-
paśyata (noun, masculine)[compound], [vocative single]paśyata (noun, neuter)[compound], [vocative single]
- śiśirasya -
-
śiśira (noun, masculine)[genitive single]śiśira (noun, neuter)[genitive single]
- māhātmyam -
-
māhātmya (noun, neuter)[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]
Sources
This quote is contained within the following Sanskrit literary sources:
Śārṅgadharapaddhati 3935: A Sanskrit anthology. Includes 4689 poetic verses divided into 163 sections (paddhati). The subjects of these aphorisms primarily concern moral philosophy and ethics. The book was compiled by Śārṅgadhara in 1363 A.D..
More info
Subhāṣitaratnabhāṇḍāgāra 347.4: Literally, “Gems of Sanskrit poetry”. This work is a recent compilation of more than 10,000 Subhāṣitas, or ‘sanskrit aphorisms’. The book was compiled by Nārāyaṇa Rāma Ācārya in 1952.
More info
Subhāṣitasudhāratnabhāṇḍāgāra 225.5: Literally, “Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry”. A compendium of amusing, sarcastic and instructive verses. The book was compiled by Śivadatta Kaviratna in 1985.
More info
About the Mahāsubhāṣitasaṃgraha
buy this bookThis quote is included within the Mahāsubhāṣitasaṃgraha (महासुभाषितसंग्रह, maha-subhashita-samgraha / subhasita-sangraha), which is a compendium of Sanskrit aphorisms (subhāṣita), collected from various sources. Subhāṣita is a genre of Sanskrit literature, exposing the vast and rich cultural heritage of ancient India.
It has serial number 3 and can be found on page 1. (read on archive.org)
Sanskrit is the oldest living language and bears testimony to the intellectual past of ancient India. Three major religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) share this language, which is used for many of their holy books. Besides religious manuscripts, much of India’s ancient culture has been preserved in Sanskrit, covering topics such as Architecture, Music, Botany, Surgery, Ethics, Philosophy, Dance and much more.