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Dear Friends,

 

In this post, I shall provide the translation of the twelve verses

from Swami Desikan's first section, "The Ways of the Unlettered" of the

Subashita Nivi.

 

1 The foremost good person is God and the foremost evil person is myself.

Each does not remember what he has done. By doing good and evil

respectively, each erases all the evil or good done by the other in this

world. My salutations to both.

 

In this verse, Swami Desikan perhaps has in mind the "Aparadha

Chakravarthi" salutation from the Daya Shatakam.

 

2. The treasure of wise words uttered by poets with fervour and with

literal or figurative meanings, is immune to theft by nimble-handed

thieves.

 

Here, Swami Desikan is referring to the superiority of the wealth of

wisdom over the wealth of gold. The former is everlasting while the latter

is transient.

 

3. Men see non-existent faults in others but not their obvious virtues. On

the contrary, they see not their own defects but imagine virtues in

themselves. This is due to the collyrium of illusion hiding their vision.

 

Swami Desikan here refers to cynics, who only find fault with others

and ignore their virtues.

 

4. What glory is there in men, who despite having enjoyed the milk and

hospitality of virtuous men, deny and behave as if they have never done

so?

 

Swami Desikan brings out the vile nature of those who never have any

gratitude towards their benefactors.

 

5. Can a prejudiced person who sees only yellow color in the pure white

Panchajanya conch, resting like a swan in the lotus hands of Lord Hari and

which is the source of milky white pearls in Goddess Lakshmi's necklace,

ever be a physician to cure other's illnesses?

 

6. None can besmear the reputation of spotless persons, who are like the

quartz crystal unaffected by other colors, even though in close proximity;

none will believe or respect the words of the wicked slanderers.

 

7. The clouds, after drinking a little water, sends out thunders, but

Sage Agastya coolly drank the entire ocean in one sip. No wonder the

rivers of the Pandya kingdom with pearls in their beds laugh scornfully at

these clouds.

 

8. A learned person loses his reputation quickly and becomes the laughing

stock of society when he turns arrogant and acquires distorted

perspectives.

 

9. Sinful is the ingratitude in the recipient of favors from his true

friends who do not publicize his errors or defects known to themselves

only.

 

10. Fie on those who turn against their patrons and benefactors and take

to darkened ways! Of what use is their brilliance to anyone?

 

11. How glorious is the banyan tree, on a single leaf of which reclines

Lord Narayana, under whose shade rests Lord Shiva after his strenuous

dance? Yet all that a beggar thinks is when will the tender sshoots

blossom, from which he can make a cup for drinking water.

 

12. Professional slanderers with sharp tongues speak ill even of Lord

Sri Rama, the embodiment of all virtues, by saying that he killed a

woman (Tataka), He slew Vali by hiding behind a tree and stepped back a

little in his fight with the Rakshasas Khara and Dushana. Can they keep

quiet if they see a person of few virtues and many grievous defects of

character?

 

Acharyan Tiruvadigale SharaNam,

 

Muralidhar Rangaswamy