सभ

ु ाषित
A subhashita is a literary genre of Sanskrit epigrammatic poems and their message is an
[1]
aphorism, maxim, advice, fact, truth, lesson or riddle. Su in Sanskrit means good; bhashita
[2]
means spoken; which together literally means well spoken or eloquent saying.

Subhashitas in Sanskrit are short memorable verses, typically in four padas (verses) but
sometimes just two; but their structure follows a meter. Subhashitas are one of many forms of
creative works that have survived from ancient and medieval era of India, and sometimes known
[3]
as Suktis. Ancient and medieval Indian literature created tens of thousands of subhashitas
[4]
covering a vast range of subjects.

These epigrammatic verses and their anthologies are also referred to as Subhashitavali or
[5]
Subhashitani.

Philosophy[edit]

Subhashitas are known for their inherent moral and ethical advice, instructions in worldly wisdom
and guidance in making righteous deeds. Subhashitas create an appeal as the inherent message
[6]
is conveyed through poems which quote practical examples which are often rhythmic in nature.
Some authors even relate Subhashitas to sugar coated bitter medicines considering their
[6]
worthiness.

The subhashita deals with various subjects and includes topics of day to day experiences that
[6]
every one can easily relate to. A subhashita is always eloquent in form, structured in a poetical
[3]
form, complete in itself and concisely depicts a single emotion, idea, dharma, truth or situation.

Subhashitas are drawn from real life and give fruit of philosophy grafted on the stem of
experience!

[3]
— Ludwik Sternbach

Structure[edit]

Subhashitas are structured in pada-s (Sanskrit: पद, or lines) in which a thought or a truth is
condensed. These epigrammatic verses typically have four padas (verse, quatrain), are poetic
and set in a meter. Many are composed in the metrical unit called Anuṣṭubh of Sanskrit poetry,
 [3]
making them easy to remember and melodic when recited. But sometimes Subhashitas with
[3][7]
two pada-s or even one pada proclaim a truth.

According to Mohana Bhāradvāja, Subhashita in Indian Literature is a single verse or single

stanza, descriptive or didactic but complete in itself expressing a single idea, devotional, ethical
[8]
or erotic in a witty or epigrammatic way. Author Ludwik Sternbach describes that such wise
sayings in poetic form not only contain beautiful thoughts but they also make the expressions in
[3]
cultivated language. He further says that such form of Indian literature had a tinge of poetry,
the poetical skill being exhibited in the intricate play of words which created a slight wit, humour,
[3]
satire and sententious precepts; they arose laughter, scorn, compass and other moods. The
poetic style of narration found in Subhashita is also termed as muktaka (independent), as the
[9]
meaning or the mood of which is complete in itself. This poetic form has been compared to
[9]
Persian rubai or Japanese tanka by some authors.

Sources[edit]

The authors of most Subhashita are unknown. This form of Indian epigrammatic poetry had a
[3][10]
wide following, were created, memorized and transmitted by word of mouth.

The works of many ancient Indian scholars like Bhartṛhari (5th century CE), Chanakya (3rd
century BC), Kalidasa (5th century AD), Bhavabhuti (8th century AD), Bhallata (10th century AD),
Somadeva Bhatta (11th century AD), Kshemendra (11th century AD), Kalhana (12th century AD)
[6]
are considered to be treasures of many valuable subhashitas. The famous Panchatantra (3rd
century BC) and Hitopadesha (12th century AD) which is a collection of animal fables effectively
use subhashitas to express the inherent moral wisdom of their stories. The Vedas and ancient
scriptures like Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata are also major sources of
[6]
Subhashitas.

Dedicated works[edit]

There are also various individual works such as Subhashita Sudhanidhi by Sayana of the 14th
century and Samayochita padyamalika which are dedicated works of wisdom literature consisting
[6]
of various subhashitas. The Subhashita Sudhanidhi, as Dr. K Krishnamoorthy writes in his
critical edition, also serves as a source-material to reconstruct the early Vijayanagara
[11]
kingdom.

Collection of verses (Subhashita Sangraha)[edit]

From the beginning of the 10th century AD several writers contributed immensely in collecting
and preserving different wise sayings of contemporary and earlier poets. Author Vishnulok Bihari
Srivastava opines that such subhashita sangrahas (collection of verses) have done a great
[12]
service by preserving several rare subhashitas which would have otherwise been lost. A few
such literary works are listed below.

Sl Work Compiled by Time Line Contents

No

1 Gaha Sattasai Hala 2nd-6th Gāthā Saptaśatī, 7 chapters of

[13] 100 verses each, mostly about
century
[14]
love, emotions, relationships

2 Subhashita Ratna Vidyakara 12th Buddhist scholar whose work

Kosha century compiled verses of poets who
flourished before 12th century. It
includes many excerpts from
[12][15][16]
Amaru and Bhartṛhari

3 Subhashitavali Vallabhadeva of Around Collection of 3527 Verses of

Kashmir 15th [12][17]
360 poets
century

4 Saduktikarnaamritam Shridaradasa 1205 Consists of 2380 verses of 485

[12]
poets mainly from Bengal

5 Suktimuktavali Jalhana 13th Jalhana was a minister of the

century [12]
Seuna (Yadava) king Krishna

6 Sarangdhara Sarangadhara 1363 AD [12]

Comprises 4689 verses
paddhati

7 Padyavali Anonymous - [12]

386 Verses of 125 poets
8 Sukti ratnakara Suryakalingaraya 14th 2327 verses on ethics and
century morality, in four parvans divided
in paddhatis, primarily dealing
with dharma, artha, karma and
[18][19]
moksha.

9 Padyaveni Venidatta - [12]

Works of 144 poets

10 Subhashitaneevi Vedanta Deshika 15th [12]

From South India
century

11 Subhasita muktavali Anonymous Late 16th 32 muktamanis, 624 verses,

century [20]
both ethical and descriptive

12 Padyarachana Lakshmana Early 17th [12]

756 Verses
Bhatta century

13 Padya amruta Haribhaskara Later 17th [12]

-
tarangini century

14 Suktisaundarya Sundaradeva Later 17th [12]

-
century

Other anthologies of subhashita verses from unknown and known authors, estimated from early
[14]
1st millennium AD, are Jayavallabha's Vajjalagga and Chapannaya's Gahao. However these
verses are in regional Prakrit languages of India, derived from Sanskrit.

Subhashita Manjari, verse 1.5, explains the importance of Subhashita with a subhashita:

पथि
ृ व्यां त्रीणि रत्नानि जलमन्नं On this earth, there are three jewels - water, food and
सभु भाषितम ्। subhashita.
But the fool calls pieces of stone, jewel.
 मढू ै ः पाषाणखंडष
े ु रत्न संज्ञा
विधीयते॥

Other illustrations of Subhashita are:

परोपकाराय फलन्ति वक्ष

ृ ाः परोपकाराय For benevolence, tree bears fruit
वहन्ति नद्यः For benevolence, river flows with water
For benevolence, cow gives milk
परोपकाराय दह
ु न्ति गावः परोपकाराय शरीरम ् For benevolence, a spirit is with human
एतत ् body
[21]

—Subhashita Samgraha

Garments are cleaned by water,

the mind by truth,
the soul by ahimsa,
the intellect by knowledge.

[22]
— Subhashita Srisuktavali

Pure connection may convince a lover's heart,

that ampler blessings flow when we're apart,
when she is here, my lady is but one,
when she's away, in all things I see her alone.

[23]
— Subhashita-miktavali

There are tens of thousands of Subhashita in Indian literature covering topics as diverse as
humor, sarcasm, criticism, politics, eroticism, emotions, love, wealth, daily life, society, learning,
stages of life, ethics, morals, spirituality, deities, medicine, food, festivals, prayer, riddles,
science, mathematics, poetry, language, art, Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Itihasas, and other
[7][21][24]
subjects.

Related terms[edit]

Lokokti (or lokavakya, pracinavakya) are Sanskrit proverbs, in the form of short sentences that
[3]
express truths or facts, but they differ from Subhashitas in not being in poetical form. An
example of a Sanskrit lokokti is:
Heartless words get heartless answers.

[25]
— Laukikanyayanjali

A sutra is another ancient Indian literary form. Sutras are concise wisdom or truth, but typically
they too are not poetical. Unlike subhashitas and lokokti whose authors are unknown or long
forgotten, sutras are attributed to sages, famous or known personalities. Sutras typically need to
[3]
be read within a context to be completely understood. An example of a Sanskrit Sutra
attributed to Chanakya is:

Punishment must be proportionate to the offense.

[25]
— Chanakya-sutrani

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A subhashita (Sanskrit: सभ
ु ाषित, subhāṣita) is a literary genre of Sanskrit epigrammatic poems
[1]
and their message is an aphorism, maxim, advice, fact, truth, lesson or riddle. Su in Sanskrit
means good; bhashita means spoken; which together literally means well spoken or eloquent
[2]
saying.

Subhashitas in Sanskrit are short memorable verses, typically in four padas (verses) but
sometimes just two; but their structure follows a meter. Subhashitas are one of many forms of
creative works that have survived from ancient and medieval era of India, and sometimes known
[3]
as Suktis. Ancient and medieval Indian literature created tens of thousands of subhashitas
[4]
covering a vast range of subjects.

These epigrammatic verses and their anthologies are also referred to as Subhashitavali or
[5]
Subhashitani.

Philosophy[edit]

Subhashitas are known for their inherent moral and ethical advice, instructions in worldly wisdom
and guidance in making righteous deeds. Subhashitas create an appeal as the inherent message
[6]
is conveyed through poems which quote practical examples which are often rhythmic in nature.
Some authors even relate Subhashitas to sugar coated bitter medicines considering their
[6]
worthiness.
The subhashita deals with various subjects and includes topics of day to day experiences that
[6]
every one can easily relate to. A subhashita is always eloquent in form, structured in a poetical
[3]
form, complete in itself and concisely depicts a single emotion, idea, dharma, truth or situation.

Subhashitas are drawn from real life and give fruit of philosophy grafted on the stem of
experience!

[3]
— Ludwik Sternbach

Structure[edit]

Subhashitas are structured in pada-s (Sanskrit: पद, or lines) in which a thought or a truth is
condensed. These epigrammatic verses typically have four padas (verse, quatrain), are poetic
and set in a meter. Many are composed in the metrical unit called Anuṣṭubh of Sanskrit poetry,
[3]
making them easy to remember and melodic when recited. But sometimes Subhashitas with
[3][7]
two pada-s or even one pada proclaim a truth.

According to Mohana Bhāradvāja, Subhashita in Indian Literature is a single verse or single

stanza, descriptive or didactic but complete in itself expressing a single idea, devotional, ethical
[8]
or erotic in a witty or epigrammatic way. Author Ludwik Sternbach describes that such wise
sayings in poetic form not only contain beautiful thoughts but they also make the expressions in
[3]
cultivated language. He further says that such form of Indian literature had a tinge of poetry,
the poetical skill being exhibited in the intricate play of words which created a slight wit, humour,
[3]
satire and sententious precepts; they arose laughter, scorn, compass and other moods. The
poetic style of narration found in Subhashita is also termed as muktaka (independent), as the
[9]
meaning or the mood of which is complete in itself. This poetic form has been compared to
[9]
Persian rubai or Japanese tanka by some authors.

Sources[edit]

The authors of most Subhashita are unknown. This form of Indian epigrammatic poetry had a
[3][10]
wide following, were created, memorized and transmitted by word of mouth.

The works of many ancient Indian scholars like Bhartṛhari (5th century CE), Chanakya (3rd
century BC), Kalidasa (5th century AD), Bhavabhuti (8th century AD), Bhallata (10th century AD),
Somadeva Bhatta (11th century AD), Kshemendra (11th century AD), Kalhana (12th century AD)
[6]
are considered to be treasures of many valuable subhashitas. The famous Panchatantra (3rd
century BC) and Hitopadesha (12th century AD) which is a collection of animal fables effectively
use subhashitas to express the inherent moral wisdom of their stories. The Vedas and ancient
scriptures like Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata are also major sources of
[6]
Subhashitas.

Dedicated works[edit]

There are also various individual works such as Subhashita Sudhanidhi by Sayana of the 14th
century and Samayochita padyamalika which are dedicated works of wisdom literature consisting
[6]
of various subhashitas. The Subhashita Sudhanidhi, as Dr. K Krishnamoorthy writes in his
critical edition, also serves as a source-material to reconstruct the early Vijayanagara
[11]
kingdom.

Collection of verses (Subhashita Sangraha)[edit]

From the beginning of the 10th century AD several writers contributed immensely in collecting
and preserving different wise sayings of contemporary and earlier poets. Author Vishnulok Bihari
Srivastava opines that such subhashita sangrahas (collection of verses) have done a great
[12]
service by preserving several rare subhashitas which would have otherwise been lost. A few
such literary works are listed below.

Sl Work Compiled by Time Line Contents

No

1 Gaha Sattasai Hala 2nd-6th Gāthā Saptaśatī, 7 chapters of

[13] 100 verses each, mostly about
century
[14]
love, emotions, relationships

2 Subhashita Ratna Vidyakara 12th Buddhist scholar whose work

Kosha century compiled verses of poets who
flourished before 12th century. It
includes many excerpts from
[12][15][16]
Amaru and Bhartṛhari

3 Subhashitavali Vallabhadeva of Around Collection of 3527 Verses of

Kashmir 15th [12][17]
360 poets
century
4 Saduktikarnaamritam Shridaradasa 1205 Consists of 2380 verses of 485
[12]
poets mainly from Bengal

5 Suktimuktavali Jalhana 13th Jalhana was a minister of the

century [12]
Seuna (Yadava) king Krishna

6 Sarangdhara Sarangadhara 1363 AD [12]

Comprises 4689 verses
paddhati

7 Padyavali Anonymous - [12]

386 Verses of 125 poets

8 Sukti ratnakara Suryakalingaraya 14th 2327 verses on ethics and

century morality, in four parvans divided
in paddhatis, primarily dealing
with dharma, artha, karma and
[18][19]
moksha.

9 Padyaveni Venidatta - [12]

Works of 144 poets

10 Subhashitaneevi Vedanta Deshika 15th [12]

From South India
century

11 Subhasita muktavali Anonymous Late 16th 32 muktamanis, 624 verses,

century [20]
both ethical and descriptive

12 Padyarachana Lakshmana Early 17th [12]

756 Verses
Bhatta century
13 Padya amruta Haribhaskara Later 17th [12]
-
tarangini century

14 Suktisaundarya Sundaradeva Later 17th [12]

-
century

Other anthologies of subhashita verses from unknown and known authors, estimated from early
[14]
1st millennium AD, are Jayavallabha's Vajjalagga and Chapannaya's Gahao. However these
verses are in regional Prakrit languages of India, derived from Sanskrit.

Subhashita Manjari, verse 1.5, explains the importance of Subhashita with a subhashita:

पथि
ृ व्यां त्रीणि रत्नानि जलमन्नं On this earth, there are three jewels - water, food and
सभु भाषितम ्। subhashita.
मढ ू ै ः पाषाणखंडष
े ु रत्न संज्ञा But the fool calls pieces of stone, jewel.
विधीयते॥

Other illustrations of Subhashita are:

परोपकाराय फलन्ति वक्ष

ृ ाः परोपकाराय For benevolence, tree bears fruit
वहन्ति नद्यः For benevolence, river flows with water
For benevolence, cow gives milk
परोपकाराय दह
ु न्ति गावः परोपकाराय शरीरम ् For benevolence, a spirit is with human
एतत ् body
[21]

—Subhashita Samgraha

Garments are cleaned by water,

the mind by truth,
the soul by ahimsa,
the intellect by knowledge.

[22]
— Subhashita Srisuktavali

Pure connection may convince a lover's heart,

that ampler blessings flow when we're apart,
when she is here, my lady is but one,
when she's away, in all things I see her alone.

[23]
— Subhashita-miktavali

There are tens of thousands of Subhashita in Indian literature covering topics as diverse as
humor, sarcasm, criticism, politics, eroticism, emotions, love, wealth, daily life, society, learning,
stages of life, ethics, morals, spirituality, deities, medicine, food, festivals, prayer, riddles,
science, mathematics, poetry, language, art, Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Itihasas, and other
[7][21][24]
subjects.

Related terms[edit]

Lokokti (or lokavakya, pracinavakya) are Sanskrit proverbs, in the form of short sentences that
[3]
express truths or facts, but they differ from Subhashitas in not being in poetical form. An
example of a Sanskrit lokokti is:

Heartless words get heartless answers.

[25]
— Laukikanyayanjali

A sutra is another ancient Indian literary form. Sutras are concise wisdom or truth, but typically
they too are not poetical. Unlike subhashitas and lokokti whose authors are unknown or long
forgotten, sutras are attributed to sages, famous or known personalities. Sutras typically need to
[3]
be read within a context to be completely understood. An example of a Sanskrit Sutra
attributed to Chanakya is:

Punishment must be proportionate to the offense.

[25]
— Chanakya-sutrani
Gaha Sattasai
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Gāhā Sattasaī or Gāhā Kośa (Sanskrit: गाथासप्तशती Gāthā Saptaśatī) is an ancient
collection of Indian poems in Maharashtri Prakrit language. The poems are about love. They

are written as frank monologues usually by a married woman, or an unmarried girl.[1] They

often express her unrequited feelings and longings to her friend, mother or another relative,

lover, husband or to herself.[1] Many poems are notable for describing unmarried girls daring

for secret rendezvous to meet boys in ancient India, or about marital problems with
husbands who remains emotionally a stranger to his wife and bosses over her, while trying

to have affairs with other women.[2]

Gaha Sattasai is one of the oldest known Subhashita-genre text.[3] It deals with the emotions

of love,[3] and has been called as "opposite extreme" to Kamasutra.[4] While Kamasutra is a

theoretical work on love and sex, Gaha Sattasai is a practical compilation of examples
describing "untidy reality of life" where seduction formulae don't work, love seems

complicated and emotionally unfulfilling.[5] It also mentioned Radha and Krishna in one of its

verse as nayika and nayak respectively.[6][7]

Authorship and date[edit]

The collection is attributed to the king Hāla who lived in the 1st century.[1] Inside the text,

many poems include names of authors, some of which are names of kings from many South
Indian particularly Deccan region kingdoms from the first half of the first millennium CE.[8][9]

According to Schelling, one version of the text names 278 poets.[10]

According to Ram Karan Sharma, this text is from the 1st century CE.[11][12] According to

Ludwik Sternbach, the text was interpolated and revised by later scribes.[3] It is unlikely to be

the work of Hala, based on style, inconsistencies between its manuscripts and because

other sources state it had as many as 389 authors.[3] Sternbach places the text between 2nd

and 4th-century CE.[3] Khoroche and Tieken place the text between 3rd and 4th century CE,

but before 640 CE because Banabhatta cites it in his preface to the 4th-century classic

Harshacharita.[13]

Manuscripts[edit]

The text exists in many versions.[8] Manuscripts have been found in many parts of India in

many languages, far from Maharashtra. The existence of many major recensions, states

Moriz Winternitz, suggests that the text was very popular by early medieval era in India.[14]

The poems were changed over time, sometimes deleted and replaced with different poems,
though every manuscript contains exactly 700 poems consistent with the meaning of the

title.[8]

The first critical edition of the Sattasaī was by Albrecht Weber in 1881. It is based on
seventeen manuscripts, and contains 964 poems in total, of which 430 are common to all

manuscripts.[15] Weber was also the first person to translate the poems into a European

language (into German), but his translation was published in journals and not as a separate
book. The only English translation to include 700 verses (1–700 of Weber's edition) is by

Radhagovinda Basak in 1970.[16] There is also a Sanskrit translation of the Sattasaī with

commentary, made available by the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan.[17] One of the most

important translation of this text along with an elaborate introduction has been done by

Sadashiv Atmaram Joglekar[18] in Marathi, published in 1956.[19]

The text was popular across India, and attracted at least fourteen commentaries.[3]

Contents[edit]

Although the name mentions 700 single verse poems in 7 chapters, the various available
manuscripts contain a variable number of total poems. S.A. Joglekar has carefully compiled
them and has identified a total of 1006 poems in a book titled Halsatvahan’s
Gathasaptashati Published in 1956 by Prasad Publications, Pune. It consists of 700
single-verse poems, divided into 7 chapters of 100 verses each. All the poems are couplets,

and most are in the musical arya metre.[20] Many poems of the text include names of gods

and goddesses in Hinduism, for allegorical comparison of a woman's feelings.[21]

Economic Life[edit]

The folk who composed these poems lived in rural, forested and forest fringe areas.
Agriculture and hunting were their chief occupations. Around 100 poems contain references
to fields, crops under cultivation, farming implements and accessories such as fencing,
farming operations and storing and processing of agricultural produce. Similarly around 100
poems contain references to animals hunted, hunting implements and hunting operations.

Plants and animals[edit]

While the poems are basically love poems their natural setting includes references to a
number of plant and animal species. Some plant species such as Ricinus communis and
Pandanus are mentioned just once. Others, for example, mango(17) and lotus (49) are
mentioned in several poems. Altogether 170 poems mention plant species. Some animal
species such as leopard, cat and honeybee are mentioned just once. Others, for example,
cattle (16), elephant (20) and bumblebee (30) are mentioned in several poems. Altogether
163 poems mention animal species. Mango, cattle and elephant are important in day- to-day
life, while lotus is attractive and bumblebees being trapped in the lotus flowers at night is a
popular poetic convention. Thus, 333 out of 1006 poems refer to some plant or animal
species. This reflects the fact that the common people composing these poems lived in
close vicinity of nature.

Samples[edit]

Mother
with the blink of an eye
his love vanished
A trinket gets
dangled
into your world
you reach out and it's gone

— Hala, tr. Schelling

Lone buck
in the clearing
Nearby doe
eyes him with such
longing
that there
in the trees the hunter
seeing his own girl
lets the bow drop

— Anonymous, tr. Schelling

I have heard so much about you from others

And now at last I see you with my own eyes.
Please, my dear, say something
So that my ears, too, may drink nectar.
— Unknown, tr. Peter Khoroche and Herman Tieken

Cow elephants once turned widows

When my son launched a single arrow

But his wife has now so weakened him

That he uselessly bears a burden

Of arrows on his own back

Poem 630 from Joglekar's compilation

My braided hair's not straight yet, And you again speak of leaving. - Gatha 273[22]

If one of two beings

who grew up together in joy and pain
and loved each other for a long time,
dies –
this one lives,
and the other one is dead.

— Poem 142, tr. Ludwik Sternbach

https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/_/eaCbv1NcbHwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1