Sanskrit quote nr. 251 (Maha-subhashita-samgraha)

Sanskrit text:

अङ्कं केऽपि शशङ्किरेजलनिधेः पङ्कं परे मेनिरे सारङ्गं कतिचिच्च संजगदिरे भूमेश्च बिम्बं परे ।
इन्दौ यद्दलितेन्द्रनीलशकलश्यामं दरीदृश्यते तन्मन्ये रविभीतमन्धतमसं कुक्षिस्थमालक्ष्यते ॥

aṅkaṃ ke'pi śaśaṅkirejalanidheḥ paṅkaṃ pare menire sāraṅgaṃ katicicca saṃjagadire bhūmeśca bimbaṃ pare |
indau yaddalitendranīlaśakalaśyāmaṃ darīdṛśyate tanmanye ravibhītamandhatamasaṃ kukṣisthamālakṣyate ||

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.

Anka (aṅka, अङ्क): defined in 14 categories.
Ka (क, kā, का): defined in 15 categories.
Kim (किम्): defined in 4 categories.
Api (अपि): defined in 4 categories.
Ap (अप्): defined in 9 categories.
Jalanidhi (जलनिधि): defined in 6 categories.
Panka (paṅka, पङ्क): defined in 11 categories.
Pare (परे): defined in 5 categories.
Para (पर, parā, परा): defined in 20 categories.
Saranga (sāraṅga, सारङ्ग): defined in 9 categories.
Cit (चित्): defined in 11 categories.
Ca (च): defined in 9 categories.
Sanja (sañja, सञ्ज): defined in 2 categories.
Gadin (गदिन्): defined in 4 categories.
Ra (र, rā, रा): defined in 11 categories.
Bhumi (bhūmi, भूमि): defined in 21 categories.
Bimba (बिम्ब): defined in 19 categories.
Indu (इन्दु): defined in 14 categories.
Yat (यत्): defined in 2 categories.
Yad (यद्): defined in 3 categories.
Dalita (दलित, dalitā, दलिता): defined in 6 categories.
Indranila (indranīla, इन्द्रनील): defined in 13 categories.
Shakala (sakala, śakala, शकल): defined in 14 categories.
Shyama (syama, śyāma, श्याम): defined in 18 categories.
Bhitam (bhītam, भीतम्): defined in 1 categories.
Bhita (bhīta, भीत): defined in 12 categories.
Andhatamasa (अन्धतमस): defined in 3 categories.
Kukshi (kuksi, kukṣi, कुक्षि): defined in 9 categories.
Tha (थ): defined in 8 categories.
Alakshya (alaksya, ālakṣya, आलक्ष्य): defined in 11 categories.
Ta (त, tā, ता): defined in 11 categories.
Tad (तद्): defined in 5 categories.
Yushmad (yusmad, yuṣmad, युष्मद्): defined in 3 categories.

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

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: “aṅkaṃ ke'pi śaśaṅkirejalanidheḥ paṅkaṃ pare menire sāraṅgaṃ katicicca saṃjagadire bhūmeśca bimbaṃ pare”
aṅkam -
aṅka (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]
ke' -
ka (noun, masculine)

[nominative plural]

ka (noun, neuter)

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

kaḥ (pronoun, masculine)

[nominative plural]

kim (pronoun, neuter)

[nominative dual], [accusative dual]

kā (pronoun, feminine)

[nominative dual], [accusative dual]
api -
api (indeclinable preposition)

[indeclinable preposition]

ap (noun, neuter)

[locative single]

api (Preverb)

[Preverb]
śaśaṅkire -
√śaṅk (verb class 1)

[perfect middle third plural]
jalanidheḥ -
jalanidhi (noun, masculine)

[ablative single], [genitive single]
paṅkam -
paṅka (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

paṅka (noun, neuter)

[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]
pare -
pare (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

para (noun, masculine)

[nominative plural], [locative single]

para (noun, neuter)

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

parā (noun, feminine)

[nominative dual], [vocative single], [vocative dual], [accusative dual]
menire -
√man (verb class 4)

[perfect middle third plural]

√man (verb class 8)

[perfect middle third plural]
sāraṅgam -
sāraṅga (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

sāraṅga (noun, neuter)

[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]
kati -
kati (noun, masculine)

[compound], [adverb]
cic -
cit (noun, feminine)

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

cit (noun, masculine)

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

cit (noun, neuter)

[compound], [adverb], [nominative single], [vocative single], [accusative single]
ca -
ca (indeclinable conjunction)

[indeclinable conjunction]

ca (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

ca (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
sañja -
sañja (noun, masculine)

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

[compound], [adverb]

gadin (noun, masculine)

[compound], [adverb]

gadin (noun, neuter)

[compound], [adverb], [nominative single], [vocative single], [accusative single]
re -
ṛ (noun, feminine)

[dative single]

ṛ (noun, masculine)

[dative single]

ra (noun, masculine)

[locative single]

ra (noun, neuter)

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

rā (noun, feminine)

[nominative dual], [vocative single], [vocative dual], [accusative dual]
bhūmeś -
bhūmi (noun, feminine)

[ablative single], [genitive single]

bhūmi (noun, masculine)

[ablative single], [genitive single]
ca -
ca (indeclinable conjunction)

[indeclinable conjunction]

ca (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

ca (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
bimbam -
bimba (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

bimba (noun, neuter)

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

bimbā (noun, feminine)

[adverb]
pare -
pare (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

para (noun, masculine)

[nominative plural], [locative single]

para (noun, neuter)

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

parā (noun, feminine)

[nominative dual], [vocative single], [vocative dual], [accusative dual]
Line 2: “indau yaddalitendranīlaśakalaśyāmaṃ darīdṛśyate tanmanye ravibhītamandhatamasaṃ kukṣisthamālakṣyate”
indau -
indu (noun, masculine)

[locative single]
yad -
yat (indeclinable relative)

[indeclinable relative]

yat (noun, masculine)

[compound]

yad (noun, masculine)

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

yat (noun, neuter)

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

√i -> yat (participle, neuter)

[nominative single from √i class 2 verb], [vocative single from √i class 2 verb], [accusative single from √i class 2 verb]

yat (pronoun, neuter)

[nominative single], [accusative single]
dalite -
dalita (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single], [locative single]

dalita (noun, neuter)

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

dalitā (noun, feminine)

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

√dal (verb class 1)

[periphrastic-future active third single]
indranīla -
indranīla (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]
śakala -
śakala (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

śakala (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
śyāmam -
śyāma (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

śyāma (noun, neuter)

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

śyāmā (noun, feminine)

[adverb]
darīdṛśyate -
√dṛś (verb class 0)

[present middle third single]
tanmanye -
ravi -
ravi (noun, masculine)

[compound], [adverb]
bhītam -
bhītam (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

bhīta (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

bhīta (noun, neuter)

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

bhītā (noun, feminine)

[adverb]
andhatamasam -
andhatamasa (noun, neuter)

[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]
kukṣis -
kukṣi (noun, feminine)

[nominative single]

kukṣi (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
tham -
tha (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

tha (noun, neuter)

[adverb], [nominative single], [accusative single]
ālakṣya -
ālakṣya (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

ālakṣya (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
te -
ta (noun, masculine)

[locative single]

ta (noun, neuter)

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

tā (noun, feminine)

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

tad (noun, neuter)

[nominative dual], [accusative dual]

sa (noun, masculine)

[nominative plural]

sā (noun, feminine)

[nominative dual], [accusative dual]

yuṣmad (pronoun, none)

[dative single], [genitive single]

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 251 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: 22 April, 2019