Words Well Worth 27: Fame Favours Fortunate Few Poem by Aniruddha Pathak
Words Well Worth 27: Fame Favours Fortunate Few
Month to month shines moon with the same hue,
But seldom doth the world that way view,
Calling one the bright phase,
Funny O Fate thine ways,
Ye seem to favour fortunate few.
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Transliteration of the subhāśhita along with the meanings of Sanskrit words is given as under:
māsi māsi samā jyotsnā pakśhayoh ubhayoh api |
tatra ekah shukla-pakśhah abhūt yashah puņyaih avāpyate ||
māsi māsi: from month to month, every month (lunar month): samā: equal, the same; jyotsnā: moon light, moon's silver; pakśhayoh: of the (two)phases— called brighter and the darker, but actually waxing and waning moon; ubhayoh api: even of the two; tatra: there, in this case; ekah: (but)one; shukla-pakśhah: the brighter phase (of the moon month): abhūt: there be; yashah: fame and name, prestige/reputation; puņyaih: to those that have earned good/virtuous deeds, to those lucky few; avāpyate: is obtained, gained, attained.
The two fifteen-day phases of the moon are traditionally called bright and dark, auspicious and inauspicious. But the moonlight rendered is the same for both. None is brighter; none is darker. One is a waxing moon; the other is waning. Only if we divide the month from the eighth day to the seventh of the next, we get the brighter and the darker fortnight. The poet here wonders if fortune favours the fortunate and lucky.
Topic: dark, bright, moon, fame, fortune
A wonderful work sir! I find precious contents here. Thanks for sharing.....10
Thank you Dr Swain for your equally precious words. A poet may or not depend on feedback, but it goes a long way in motivating him to scale higher reaches of height.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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8/2/2025 3:58:46 PM # 1.0.0
Wonderful transliteration from the precious Sanskrit literature 'Subhasitani'.Though I have read some 'Slokas ' of Subhasitani in my school text book, my knowledge on Sanskrit is so little to go to the depth of Sanskrit literature. You are doing marvelous work by transcreating wisdom filled Sanskrit works into English.
Thank you. My exposure to Sanskrit also was limited to school, but after 2000 I picked up the thread. I strongly feel that our great heritage of Sanskrit literature should be taken to the new generation which is increasingly getting out of touch even with one's mother tongue. This is my motivation. Thanks for appreciating it.