Sanskrit quote nr. 489 (Maha-subhashita-samgraha)

Sanskrit text:

अणुरपि मणिः प्राणत्राणक्षमो विषभक्षिणां शिशुरपि रुषा सिंहीसूनुः समाह्वयते गजान् ।
तनुरपि तरुस्कन्धोद्भूतो दहत्यनलो वनं प्रकृतिमहतां जात्यं तेजो न मूर्तिमपेक्षते ॥

aṇurapi maṇiḥ prāṇatrāṇakṣamo viṣabhakṣiṇāṃ śiśurapi ruṣā siṃhīsūnuḥ samāhvayate gajān |
tanurapi taruskandhodbhūto dahatyanalo vanaṃ prakṛtimahatāṃ jātyaṃ tejo na mūrtimapekṣate ||

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.

Anu (aṇu, अणु): defined in 18 categories.
Api (अपि): defined in 4 categories.
Ap (अप्): defined in 9 categories.
Mani (maṇi, मणि): defined in 26 categories.
Pranatrana (prāṇatrāṇa, प्राणत्राण): defined in 1 categories.
Ksham (ksam, kṣam, क्षम्): defined in 2 categories.
Kshama (ksama, kṣama, क्षम): defined in 14 categories.
Visha (visa, viṣa, विष): defined in 19 categories.
Bhakshin (bhaksin, bhakṣin, भक्षिन्): defined in 6 categories.
Shishu (sisu, śiśu, शिशु): defined in 11 categories.
Rush (rus, ruṣ, रुष्): defined in 4 categories.
Rusha (rusa, ruṣā, रुषा): defined in 4 categories.
Simhi (siṃhī, सिंही): defined in 6 categories.
Sunu (sūnu, सूनु): defined in 8 categories.
Samahvaya (samāhvaya, समाह्वय): defined in 2 categories.
Ta (त, tā, ता): defined in 11 categories.
Tad (तद्): defined in 5 categories.
Yushmad (yusmad, yuṣmad, युष्मद्): defined in 3 categories.
Gaja (गज): defined in 19 categories.
Tanu (तनु): defined in 16 categories.
Tanus (तनुस्): defined in 2 categories.
Taru (तरु): defined in 14 categories.
Skandha (स्कन्ध, skandhā, स्कन्धा): defined in 14 categories.
Udbhuta (udbhūta, उद्भूत): defined in 7 categories.
Dahati (दहति): defined in 3 categories.
Anala (अनल): defined in 16 categories.
Vana (वन): defined in 20 categories.
Prakriti (prakrti, prakṛti, प्रकृति): defined in 22 categories.
Ahata (ahatā, अहता): defined in 10 categories.
Jatya (jātya, जात्य): defined in 7 categories.
Teja (तेज): defined in 11 categories.
Tejas (तेजस्): defined in 16 categories.
Na (न): defined in 12 categories.
Murti (mūrti, मूर्ति): defined in 16 categories.
Apa (अप): defined in 13 categories.

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

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: “aṇurapi maṇiḥ prāṇatrāṇakṣamo viṣabhakṣiṇāṃ śiśurapi ruṣā siṃhīsūnuḥ samāhvayate gajān”
aṇur -
aṇu (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
api -
api (indeclinable preposition)

[indeclinable preposition]

ap (noun, neuter)

[locative single]
maṇiḥ -
maṇi (noun, masculine)

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

[compound], [vocative single]
kṣamo* -
kṣam (noun, feminine)

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

kṣama (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
viṣa -
viṣa (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

viṣa (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
bhakṣiṇām -
bhakṣin (noun, masculine)

[genitive plural]

bhakṣin (noun, neuter)

[genitive plural]
śiśur -
śiśu (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]

śiśu (noun, feminine)

[nominative single]
api -
api (indeclinable preposition)

[indeclinable preposition]

ap (noun, neuter)

[locative single]
ruṣā -
ruṣ (noun, feminine)

[instrumental single]

ruṣā (noun, feminine)

[nominative single]
siṃhī -
siṃhī (noun, feminine)

[compound], [nominative single]
sūnuḥ -
sūnu (noun, feminine)

[nominative single]

sūnu (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
samāhvaya -
samāhvaya (noun, masculine)

[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]
gajān -
gaja (noun, masculine)

[accusative plural]
Line 2: “tanurapi taruskandhodbhūto dahatyanalo vanaṃ prakṛtimahatāṃ jātyaṃ tejo na mūrtimapekṣate”
tanur -
tanus (noun, feminine)

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

tanus (noun, neuter)

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

tanu (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
api -
api (indeclinable preposition)

[indeclinable preposition]

ap (noun, neuter)

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

[compound], [adverb]

taru (noun, neuter)

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

taru (noun, feminine)

[compound], [adverb]
skandho -
skandha (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

skandhā (noun, feminine)

[nominative single]
udbhūto* -
udbhūta (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
dahatya -
dahati (noun, masculine)

[compound], [adverb], [nominative dual], [vocative dual], [accusative dual]

√dah (verb class 1)

[present active third single]
analo* -
anala (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]

√nal (verb class 1)

[imperfect active second single]
vanam -
vana (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

vana (noun, neuter)

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

vanā (noun, feminine)

[adverb]
prakṛtim -
prakṛti (noun, feminine)

[accusative single]
ahatām -
ahatā (noun, feminine)

[accusative single]

√han (verb class 2)

[imperfect active third dual]
jātyam -
jātya (noun, masculine)

[adverb], [accusative single]

jātya (noun, neuter)

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

jātyā (noun, feminine)

[adverb]
tejo* -
tejas (noun, neuter)

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

teja (noun, masculine)

[nominative single]
na -
na (indeclinable particle)

[indeclinable particle]

na (noun, masculine)

[compound], [vocative single]

na (noun, neuter)

[compound], [vocative single]
mūrtim -
mūrti (noun, feminine)

[accusative single]

mūrti (noun, masculine)

[accusative single]
ape -
apa (indeclinable)

[indeclinable]

ap (noun, neuter)

[instrumental single], [dative single]

apa (Preverb)

[Preverb]

apā (Preverb)

[Preverb]
īkṣate -
√īkṣ (verb class 1)

[present middle third 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 489 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: 23 April, 2019