SUBHASHITAS
Sanskrit Maxims

Introduction

Origin of many Subhashitas is unknown. They have passed on from generation to generation through oral instruction – typical in ancient times. Subsequently, these Subhashitas were compiled. Many of the verses are traced back to the great poets like Valmiki, Vyas Bhartrhari and Kalidasa.

Subhashitas can serve as an excellent tool for Sanskrit learning. These are small individual units complete in themselves and therefore easy to comprehend. Due to their poetic form, Subhashitas are excellent for building pronunciation and memorization.

The book WISER by Prof V Krishnamurthy is not just a compilation of 366 Sanskrit sayings collected from various works in Sanskrit from ancient times, particularly, Subhashita Ratna Bhandagaram of the 9th century..

It also illustrates similar quotes from other languages. The author being a Vedantin (a branch of philosophy) has included some sayings from Upanishads (philosophical scriptures). Being a mathematician by profession, he has also included brain teasers, riddles, Chatu Shlokas (verses with a twist in meaning) and Samasya-purti (complete the verse).

These sayings are full of invaluable advice in the form of shlokas on all aspects of holistic living including interactions in society, human relationships, oddities of human behaviour and control of the lower passions residing in the human mind. These maxims also cover our reaction to experiences, awareness of a divine power beyond our perception, precious anecdotes from history and many more that defy any categorization.

These provide an insight to the reader of the vast scope of Sanskrit literature.

Objectives

• • Honing pronunciation skills, with the option of memorizing some of the Subhashitams of one’s choice.
  • Generate an interest in Sanskrit poetry through Subhashitam.
  • Sanskrit language comprehension at a basic and intermediate level.
  • Getting wiser, as the title suggests!

Expected Outcomes

• • The learner would develop a general interest in Sanskrit language and literature and thereby also get an insight into Indian way of life and thought process.
  • The learner of this course would gain a deeper insight into the Sanskrit language, by being able to recognize patterns in the typical sentence construction of verses. The learner would also be able to identify the Vibhakti (nominative, accusative, dative cases and the likes), thereby enhancing comprehension skills.
  • The learner would be able to understand Sanskrit syntax rules. He would learn to arrange the jumbled words in the prose order/अन्वय thus arriving at the meaning.
  • The Subhashitams can be useful while handling actual life situations. They also serve as excellent quotations in speeches as is seen very often.
  • The learner would be able to recite Subhashitams with correct pronunciation. 

Syllabus

Each session will include around 12-15 shlokas from WISER. Since these are classified topic wise, we will progress from easier ones to longer and slightly challenging ones.

Reading List

भर्तृहरिः – नीतिशतकम्, शृङ्गारशतकम्, वैराग्यशतकम् – Some select relevant Shlokas

भगवद्गीता – Select Shlokas

चाणक्यनीतिः – Select Chapters

प्रहेलिकाः/न्यायः – Some select compilation

(This INDICA Course is based on the book WISER written by Prof V Krishnamurthy. A copy of this book must be with every learner during the live sessions).