Sanskrit quote nr. 116 (Maha-subhashita-samgraha)

Sanskrit text:

अकेकी किं केकी वचसि चतुरः किन्न कुररः शुकः किंवा मूकः स च कलरवः किं क्षतरवः ।
त्वयागण्यैः पुण्यैः पिकमधुरिमा धीरगरिमा यतो लब्धः स्तब्धः किमसि रुचिरं नेह सुचिरम् ॥

akekī kiṃ kekī vacasi caturaḥ kinna kuraraḥ śukaḥ kiṃvā mūkaḥ sa ca kalaravaḥ kiṃ kṣataravaḥ |
tvayāgaṇyaiḥ puṇyaiḥ pikamadhurimā dhīragarimā yato labdhaḥ stabdhaḥ kimasi ruciraṃ neha suciram ||

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.

Kekin (केकिन्): defined in 2 categories.
Kim (किम्): defined in 4 categories.
Vacas (वचस्): defined in 2 categories.
Catur (चतुर्): defined in 10 categories.
Catura (चतुर): defined in 8 categories.
Kurara (कुरर): defined in 9 categories.
Shuka (suka, śuka, शुक): defined in 18 categories.
Va (व, vā, वा): defined in 11 categories.
Var (vār, वार्): defined in 6 categories.
Muka (mūka, मूक): defined in 12 categories.
Ca (च): defined in 9 categories.
Kalarava (कलरव): defined in 4 categories.
Kshata (ksata, kṣata, क्षत): defined in 10 categories.
Rava (रव): defined in 13 categories.
Ru (रु): defined in 8 categories.
Tva (tvā, त्वा): defined in 3 categories.
Yushmad (yusmad, yuṣmad, युष्मद्): defined in 3 categories.
Ganya (gaṇya, गण्य): defined in 6 categories.
Pika (पिक): defined in 9 categories.
Iyam (इयम्): defined in 3 categories.
Idam (इदम्): defined in 3 categories.
Dhira (dhīra, धीर): defined in 16 categories.
Gariman (गरिमन्): defined in 1 categories.
Yatah (yataḥ, यतः): defined in 1 categories.
Yat (यत्): defined in 2 categories.
Yata (यत): defined in 7 categories.
Labdhri (labdhr, labdhṛ, लब्धृ): defined in 1 categories.
Labdha (लब्ध): defined in 10 categories.
Stabdha (स्तब्ध): defined in 10 categories.
Asi (asī, असी): defined in 16 categories.
Rucira (रुचिर): defined in 12 categories.
Sucira (सुचिर): defined in 4 categories.

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

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: “akekī kiṃ kekī vacasi caturaḥ kinna kuraraḥ śukaḥ kiṃvā mūkaḥ sa ca kalaravaḥ kiṃ kṣataravaḥ”
a -
a (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]
kekī -
kekin (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
kim -
kim (indeclinable interrogative)

[indeclinable interrogative]

kim (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

kim (pronoun, neuter)

[nominative single], [accusative single]
kekī -
kekin (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
vacasi -
vacas (noun, masculine)

[locative single]

vacas (noun, neuter)

[locative single]
caturaḥ -
catur (noun, masculine)

[nominative plural], [vocative plural], [accusative plural], [ablative single], [genitive single]

catura (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
Cannot analyse kinna*ku
kuraraḥ -
kurara (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
śukaḥ -
śuka (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
kiṃ -
kim (indeclinable interrogative)

[indeclinable interrogative]

kim (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

kim (pronoun, neuter)

[nominative single], [accusative single]
vā* -
vār (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [nominative single], [vocative single]

vār (noun, neuter)

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

va (noun, masculine)

[nominative plural], [vocative plural]

vā (noun, feminine)

[nominative plural], [vocative plural], [accusative plural]
mūkaḥ -
mūka (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
sa -
sa (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]

sa (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
ca -
ca (indeclinable conjunction)

[indeclinable conjunction]

ca (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

ca (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
kalaravaḥ -
kalarava (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
kim -
kim (indeclinable interrogative)

[indeclinable interrogative]

kim (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

kim (pronoun, neuter)

[nominative single], [accusative single]
kṣata -
kṣata (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

kṣata (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]

√kṣan -> kṣata (participle, masculine)

[vocative single from √kṣan class 8 verb]

√kṣan -> kṣata (participle, neuter)

[vocative single from √kṣan class 8 verb]
ravaḥ -
rava (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]

ru (noun, masculine)

[nominative plural], [vocative plural]
Line 2: “tvayāgaṇyaiḥ puṇyaiḥ pikamadhurimā dhīragarimā yato labdhaḥ stabdhaḥ kimasi ruciraṃ neha suciram”
tvayā -
tvā (noun, feminine)

[instrumental single]

yuṣmad (pronoun, none)

[instrumental single]
gaṇyaiḥ -
gaṇya (noun, masculine)

[instrumental plural]

gaṇya (noun, neuter)

[instrumental plural]
puṇyaiḥ -
puṇya (noun, masculine)

[instrumental plural]

puṇya (noun, neuter)

[instrumental plural]

√puṇ -> puṇya (participle, masculine)

[instrumental plural from √puṇ class 10 verb]

√puṇ -> puṇya (participle, neuter)

[instrumental plural from √puṇ class 10 verb]
pikam -
pika (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]
adhur -
√dhā (verb class 1)

[aorist active third plural]

√dhā (verb class 2)

[imperfect active third plural], [aorist active third plural]

√dhā (verb class 3)

[aorist active third plural]

√dhā (verb class 4)

[aorist active third plural]
imā* -
iyam (noun, feminine)

[nominative plural], [accusative plural]

idam (pronoun, feminine)

[nominative plural], [accusative plural]
dhīra -
dhīra (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

dhīra (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
garimā -
gariman (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
yato* -
yataḥ (indeclinable relative)

[indeclinable relative]

yataḥ (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

yat (noun, masculine)

[accusative plural], [ablative single], [genitive single]

yat (noun, neuter)

[ablative single], [genitive single]

yata (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]

√i -> yat (participle, masculine)

[accusative plural from √i class 2 verb], [ablative single from √i class 2 verb], [genitive single from √i class 2 verb]

√i -> yat (participle, neuter)

[ablative single from √i class 2 verb], [genitive single from √i class 2 verb]

√yam -> yata (participle, masculine)

[nominative single from √yam class 1 verb]
labdhaḥ -
labdhṛ (noun, masculine)

[vocative single]

labdhṛ (noun, feminine)

[vocative single]

labdha (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]

√labh -> labdha (participle, masculine)

[nominative single from √labh class 1 verb]
stabdhaḥ -
stabdha (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]

√stabh -> stabdha (participle, masculine)

[nominative single from √stabh class 1 verb], [nominative single from √stabh class 5 verb], [nominative single from √stabh class 9 verb]

√stambh -> stabdha (participle, masculine)

[nominative single from √stambh class 1 verb], [nominative single from √stambh class 5 verb], [nominative single from √stambh class 9 verb]
kim -
kim (indeclinable interrogative)

[indeclinable interrogative]

kim (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

kim (pronoun, neuter)

[nominative single], [accusative single]
asi -
asi (noun, feminine)

[compound], [adverb]

asi (noun, masculine)

[compound], [adverb]

asī (noun, feminine)

[adverb], [vocative single]

√as (verb class 2)

[present active second single]
ruciram -
rucira (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

rucira (noun, neuter)

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

rucirā (noun, feminine)

[adverb]
neha -
√nah (verb class 4)

[perfect active second plural]
suciram -
sucira (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

sucira (noun, neuter)

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

sucirā (noun, feminine)

[adverb]

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 116 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: 20 April, 2019