Sanskrit quote nr. 1016 (Maha-subhashita-samgraha)

Sanskrit text:

अद्रौ जीर्णदरीषु संकटसरित्तीरेषु निम्नोन्नते ऊढा येन वृषेण धूर्बलवता यूना द्वितीयेन या ।
तां वृद्धोऽपि कृशोऽपि दुर्वह धुरं वोढुं स एव क्षमो रथ्याभड्डलकैः समेत्य बहुभिर्नाकृष्यतेऽन्यैर्वृषैः ॥

adrau jīrṇadarīṣu saṃkaṭasarittīreṣu nimnonnate ūḍhā yena vṛṣeṇa dhūrbalavatā yūnā dvitīyena yā |
tāṃ vṛddho'pi kṛśo'pi durvaha dhuraṃ voḍhuṃ sa eva kṣamo rathyābhaḍḍalakaiḥ sametya bahubhirnākṛṣyate'nyairvṛṣaiḥ ||

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.

Adri (अद्रि): defined in 10 categories.
Jirna (jīrṇa, जीर्ण): defined in 10 categories.
Dari (darī, दरी): defined in 11 categories.
Sankata (saṅkaṭa, सङ्कट): defined in 8 categories.
Sarit (सरित्): defined in 7 categories.
Tira (tīra, तीर): defined in 8 categories.
Nimnonnata (निम्नोन्नत, nimnonnatā, निम्नोन्नता): defined in 3 categories.
Udha (ūḍha, ऊढ, ūḍhā, ऊढा): defined in 6 categories.
Yena (येन): defined in 2 categories.
Ya (य, yā, या): defined in 10 categories.
Yah (yaḥ, यः): defined in 1 categories.
Yat (यत्): defined in 2 categories.
Vrisha (vrsa, vṛṣa, वृष): defined in 14 categories.
Dhu (धु, dhū, धू): defined in 3 categories.
Dhur (धुर्): defined in 2 categories.
Balavata (balavatā, बलवता): defined in 1 categories.
Yuvan (युवन्): defined in 6 categories.
Dvitiya (dvitīya, द्वितीय): defined in 11 categories.
Ta (tā, ता): defined in 11 categories.
Vriddha (vrddha, vṛddha, वृद्ध): defined in 17 categories.
Api (अपि): defined in 4 categories.
Ap (अप्): defined in 9 categories.
Krisha (krsa, kṛśa, कृश): defined in 11 categories.
Durvaha (दुर्वह): defined in 4 categories.
Dhura (धुर): defined in 7 categories.
Vodhu (voḍhu, वोढु): defined in 3 categories.
Sah (saḥ, सः): defined in 4 categories.
Eva (एव): defined in 6 categories.
Bahu (बहु): defined in 22 categories.
Na (nā, ना): defined in 12 categories.
Nri (nr, nṛ, नृ): defined in 6 categories.
Anya (अन्य): defined in 8 categories.

Defined according to the following glossaries/dictionaries: Sanskrit, Purana (epic history), Ayurveda (science of life), Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy), India history, Marathi, Prakrit, Kannada, Ganitashastra (Mathematics and Algebra), Biology (plants and animals), Jainism, Kavya (poetry), Shaktism (Shakta philosophy), Hindi, Pali, Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology), Arts (wordly enjoyments), Yoga (school of philosophy), Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar), Tamil, Hinduism, Vastushastra (architecture), Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma), Dharmashastra (religious law), Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism), Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres), Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa), Shiksha (linguistics: phonetics, phonology etc.), Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy), Mantrashastra (the science of Mantras), Vaisheshika (school of philosophy), Theravada (major branch of Buddhism), Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism), Nepali

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: “adrau jīrṇadarīṣu saṃkaṭasarittīreṣu nimnonnate ūḍhā yena vṛṣeṇa dhūrbalavatā yūnā dvitīyena yā”
adrau -
adri (noun, masculine)

[locative single]
jīrṇa -
jīrṇa (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

jīrṇa (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]

√jṝ -> jīrṇa (participle, masculine)

[vocative single from √jṝ class 1 verb], [vocative single from √jṝ class 4 verb], [vocative single from √jṝ class 9 verb]

√jṝ -> jīrṇa (participle, neuter)

[vocative single from √jṝ class 1 verb], [vocative single from √jṝ class 4 verb], [vocative single from √jṝ class 9 verb]
darīṣu -
darī (noun, feminine)

[locative plural]
saṅkaṭa -
saṅkaṭa (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

saṅkaṭa (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
sarit -
sarit (noun, feminine)

[compound], [adverb], [nominative single], [vocative single]
tīreṣu -
tīra (noun, masculine)

[locative plural]

tīra (noun, neuter)

[locative plural]
nimnonnate -
nimnonnata (noun, masculine)

[locative single]

nimnonnata (noun, neuter)

[nominative dual], [vocative dual], [accusative dual], [locative single]

nimnonnatā (noun, feminine)

[nominative dual], [vocative single], [vocative dual], [accusative dual]
ūḍhā* -
ūḍha (noun, masculine)

[nominative plural], [vocative plural]

ūḍhā (noun, feminine)

[nominative plural], [vocative plural], [accusative plural]

√uh -> ūḍha (participle, masculine)

[nominative plural from √uh class 1 verb], [vocative plural from √uh class 1 verb]

√uh -> ūḍhā (participle, feminine)

[nominative plural from √uh class 1 verb], [vocative plural from √uh class 1 verb], [accusative plural from √uh class 1 verb]

√ūh -> ūḍha (participle, masculine)

[nominative plural from √ūh class 1 verb], [vocative plural from √ūh class 1 verb]

√ūh -> ūḍhā (participle, feminine)

[nominative plural from √ūh class 1 verb], [vocative plural from √ūh class 1 verb], [accusative plural from √ūh class 1 verb]

√vah -> ūḍha (participle, masculine)

[nominative plural from √vah class 1 verb], [vocative plural from √vah class 1 verb]

√vah -> ūḍhā (participle, feminine)

[nominative plural from √vah class 1 verb], [vocative plural from √vah class 1 verb], [accusative plural from √vah class 1 verb]
yena -
yena (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

ya (noun, masculine)

[instrumental single]

yaḥ (pronoun, masculine)

[instrumental single]

yat (pronoun, neuter)

[instrumental single]
vṛṣeṇa -
vṛṣa (noun, masculine)

[instrumental single]

vṛṣa (noun, neuter)

[instrumental single]
dhūr -
dhur (noun, feminine)

[compound], [nominative single], [vocative single]

dhu (noun, feminine)

[accusative plural]

dhū (noun, feminine)

[nominative single], [vocative single]
balavatā* -
balavatā (noun, feminine)

[nominative plural], [vocative plural], [accusative plural]
yūnā -
yuvan (noun, masculine)

[instrumental single]
dvitīyena -
dvitīya (noun, masculine)

[instrumental single]

dvitīya (noun, neuter)

[instrumental single]
yā -
yā (indeclinable relative)

[indeclinable relative]

yā (noun, feminine)

[nominative single]

yā (pronoun, feminine)

[nominative single]
Line 2: “tāṃ vṛddho'pi kṛśo'pi durvaha dhuraṃ voḍhuṃ sa eva kṣamo rathyābhaḍḍalakaiḥ sametya bahubhirnākṛṣyate'nyairvṛṣaiḥ”
tām -
tā (noun, feminine)

[accusative single]

sā (noun, feminine)

[accusative single]
vṛddho' -
vṛddha (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]

√vṛdh -> vṛddha (participle, masculine)

[nominative single from √vṛdh class 1 verb]
api -
api (indeclinable preposition)

[indeclinable preposition]

ap (noun, neuter)

[locative single]
kṛśo' -
kṛśa (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
api -
api (indeclinable preposition)

[indeclinable preposition]

ap (noun, neuter)

[locative single]
durvaha -
durvaha (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

durvaha (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
dhuram -
dhura (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

dhura (noun, neuter)

[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]

dhurā (noun, feminine)

[adverb]

dhur (noun, feminine)

[accusative single]
voḍhum -
√vah -> voḍhum (infinitive)

[infinitive from √vah]

voḍhu (noun, masculine)

[accusative single]
sa* -
saḥ (indeclinable correlative)

[indeclinable correlative]

sa (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
eva -
eva (indeclinable particle)

[indeclinable particle]

eva (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

eva (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
kṣamo* -
Cannot analyse rathyābhaḍḍalakaiḥ*sa
samet -
√sam (verb class 1)

[optative active third single]
ya -
bahubhir -
bahu (noun, masculine)

[instrumental plural]

bahu (noun, neuter)

[instrumental plural]
nā -
nā (noun, feminine)

[nominative single]

nṛ (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
kṛṣyate' -
√kṛṣ (verb class 1)

[present passive third single]

√kṛṣ (verb class 6)

[present passive third single]
anyair -
anya (noun, neuter)

[instrumental plural]
vṛṣaiḥ -
vṛṣa (noun, masculine)

[instrumental plural]

vṛṣa (noun, neuter)

[instrumental plural]

About the Mahāsubhāṣitasaṃgraha

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This 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 1016 and can be found on page . (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.

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Last Updated: 24 April, 2019