Episode 26: aaramBhagurvee kShayiNee krameNa laGhvee puraa vrdhDhimathee cha pashchaath । dhinasya poorvaardhDhaparaardhDhaBhinnaa Chaayeva maithree Khalasajjanaanaam ॥

Episode 26: aaramBhagurvee kShayiNee krameNa laGhvee puraa vrdhDhimathee cha pashchaath । dhinasya poorvaardhDhaparaardhDhaBhinnaa Chaayeva maithree Khalasajjanaanaam ॥

आरम्भगुर्वी क्षयिणी क्रमेण लघ्वी पुरा वृद्धिमती च पश्चात् । दिनस्य पूर्वार्द्धपरार्द्धभिन्ना छायेव मैत्री खलसज्जनानाम् ॥ aaramBhagurvee kShayiNee krameNa laGhvee puraa vrdhDhimathee cha pashchaath । dhinasya poorvaardhDhaparaardhDhaBhinnaa Chaayeva maithree Khalasajjanaanaam ॥ Meaning:  Starting off thick, wearing out over time Light at the beginning, gaining strength later Just as shadows before noon differ from those after noon Friendships with the wicked differ from those with good people. In this episode, Dr. N. Hema Malini and Madhavi Nadig [https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhavinadig/] explore friendships. * This subhashitha is the 49th shloka from Bhartrihari [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhart%E1%B9%9Bhari]’s Neeti Shatakam [http://narayanalakshmi.com/docs/Bhartrihari%20Shatakam%20of%20Narayanalakshmi/(1)%20NeetiShatakam.pdf]. * Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar [https://www.jantarmantar.org/] includes a large sundial that is used to tell time based on the length of shadows. * Madhavi’s German Shepherd is both her shadow and her best friend. * Krishna and Draupadi’s friendship is well documented. Draupadi once bandaged Krishna’s wounded finger by tearing her cloth. During the infamous vastraharana, Krishna ensured Draupadi had an endless supply of garments, while her 5 mighty husbands stood helpless. * When Rishi Durvasa visited the Pandavas in the forest, Draupadi didn’t have anything to offer them, despite having an akshaya patra. Yet again, Krishna helped her out. * The first Sunday of August is celebrated as International Friendship Day. UN backed this in 2011 too, to promote friendships between people and across countries, as a means of promoting world peace. * Kalidasa, the famous poet, and Bhoja Raja, the king of Dhara, are another pair of famous friends. Bhoja Raja requested Kalidasa to compose a charama shloka (eulogy) for him while he was alive. Kalidasa refused since he believed it would kill his friend.  * When Kalidasa was tricked into believing that his friend was dead, he composed अद्य धारा निराधारा निरालम्बा सरस्वती । पंडिताः खंडिताः सर्वे भोजराजे दिवंगते ॥ Today Dhara has lost it’s support and so has Goddess Saraswati. All the scholars are overcome with grief at the passing of Raja Bhoja. * Since Bhoja Raja himself had tricked Kalidasa, he died as soon as Kalidasa recited this. Kalidasa modified the shloka to reflect his ideal vision and prayed to Goddess Kali to bring Bhoja Raja back to life. अद्य धारा सदाधारा सदालम्बा सरस्वती । पंडिताः मंडिताः सर्वे भोजराजे भुवंगते ॥ Today and forever is Dhara supported, as is Goddess Saraswati. All the scholars happily enjoy the benevolence of Raja Bhoja. * Bharat Ratna Vidushi M. S. Subbulakshmi sang “Maitreem bhajata [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maithreem_Bhajata]” on October 23, 1966 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. The song encourages people to cultivate friendship and seek the well-being of all. What are your thoughts about friendship? When do you remember your friends? @susambhashanam [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/susambhashanam/] & YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] Music: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/ [https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/]

Episode 25: bahoonaamapyasaaraaNaam samavaayo hi durjayah । thrNairaaveShtyathe rajjuh yena naagoapi badhDhyathe ॥

बहूनामप्यसाराणां समवायो हि दुर्जयः । तृणैरावेष्ट्यते रज्जुः येन नागोऽपि बद्ध्यते ॥ bahoonaamapyasaaraaNaam samavaayo hi durjayah । thrNairaaveShtyathe rajjuh yena naagoapi badhDhyathe ॥ Meaning:  Many inconsequential things united become undefeatable. A rope made of straws can bind an elephant. In this Silver Jubilee episode, Dr. N. Hema Malini and Madhavi Nadig [https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhavinadig/] appreciate the power in unity. * This subhashitha is from the Panchatantra. Do you have any stories of many entities coming together to create something glorious? @susambhashanam [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/susambhashanam/] & YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] Music: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/ [https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/]

Episode 24: keyooraaNi na BhooShayanthi purooSham haaraa na chandhrojjvalaah na snaanam na vilepanam na kusumam naalankrthaa moorDhajaah । vaaNyekaa samalankarothi purooSham yaa samskrthaa Dhaaryathe kSheeyanthe Khalu BhooShaNaani sathatham vaagBhooShaNam BhooShaNam ॥

केयूराणि न भूषयन्ति पुरुषं हारा न चन्द्रोज्ज्वलाः  न स्नानं न विलेपनं न कुसुमं नालङ्कृता मूर्धजाः । वाण्येका समलङ्करोति पुरुषं या संस्कृता धार्यते  क्षीयन्ते खलु भूषणानि सततं वाग्भूषणं भूषणम् ॥ keyooraaNi na BhooShayanthi purooSham haaraa na chandhrojjvalaah na snaanam na vilepanam na kusumam naalankrthaa moorDhajaah । vaaNyekaa samalankarothi purooSham yaa samskrthaa Dhaaryathe kSheeyanthe Khalu BhooShaNaani sathatham vaagBhooShaNam BhooShaNam ॥ Meaning:  Arm-bands do not embellish a person, nor do garlands and shiny jewellery. Nor baths, anointments, flowers and decorated hair-dos. Refined speech and culture make the person appealing. External ornaments fade with time, but the gift of speech shines forever. In this episode, Dr. N. Hema Malini and Madhavi Nadig [https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhavinadig/] celebrate World Sanskrit Day in a freewheeling discussion about Sanskrit. * This is the 20th shloka in Bharthrihari’s Neethi Shathakam. * Every year, Shravana Poornima is observed as World Sanskrit Day, to promote the usage of Sanskrit. It is the birth anniversary of Panini—the greatest linguist and Sanskrit grammarian. This year, it was on 31st August, 2023. * The Ashtadhyayi is the first known work of linguistics in the world. In the Aṣṭādhyāyī, Panini elaborated the rules of Sanskrit grammar. Most works produced since then adhere to these rules. * European scholars discovered Ashtadhyayi in the 19th century. Since then, it continues to influence our modern languages as well. * Sanskrit is written as it is spoken and allows conjoining words. * The longest word ever to appear in any literary work, worldwide, is in Sanskrit. It has 195 Sanskrit letters (syllables in English): निरन्तरान्धकारितदिगन्तरकन्दलदमन्दसुधारसबिन्दुसान्द्रतरघनाघनवृन्द-सन्देहकरस्यन्दमानमकरन्दबिन्दुबन्धुरतरमाकन्दतरुकुलतल्पकल्पमृ-दुळसिकताजालजटिलमूलतलमरुवकमिलदलघुलघुलयकलितरमणीय-पानीयशालिकाबालिकाकरारविन्दगलन्तिकागलदेलालवङ्गपाटलघनसा-रकस्तूरिकातिसौरभमेदुरलघुतरमधुरशीतलतरसलिलधारानिराकरिष्णुत-दीयविमलविलोचनमयूखरेखापसारितपिपासायासपथिकलोकान्   from the Varadāmbikā Pariṇaya Campū by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TirumalambaTirumalāmbā [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirumalamba]. * A prayer commonly heard in many a yoga class pays homage to Patanjali for his contribution to ancient Indian society. योगेन चित्तस्य पदेन वाचां । मलं शरीरस्य च वैद्यकेन ॥ योऽपाकरोत्तमं प्रवरं मुनीनां । पतञ्जलिं प्राञ्जलिरानतोऽस्मि ॥ Let us bow to the noblest of sages, Patanjali, who has given us serenity and peace of mind through yoga, purity of speech through grammar and good health through medicine. * Patanjali was a great scholar, a Sanskrit grammarian, the compiler of the yoga sutras and a medical authority who wrote seminal texts in medicine. * Many English words are derived from Sanskrit—candy (खण्डक, piece of sugar), loot (लोत्र, plunder, booty), cheetah (चित्रक, leopard, speckled or variegated), jungle (जाङ्गल, wild, feral, not tame), crimson (कृमिज, red dye produced by a worm), guru, neem (निम्ब, neem tree), pepper (पिप्पली, Indian long pepper), sugar (शार्कर, sugar, pebble), and trigonometry (त्रिकोणमिति, measurement of triangles). * English has also adopted some Sanskrit words without distorting their pronunciation—dharma, karma, atma, etc.—but the cultural context and the true meanings are lost in translation. * There are other words that do not have translations in English—Sanskrit non-translatables.  * Many names used in the Chandrayaan-3 & Aditya L1 missions are Sanskrit words. Chandrayaan—voyage to the moon, the liquid-fuel engine Vikas—progress, the rover Pragyaan—quest for knowledge, and Aditya—the sun. * Not all works in Sanskrit are holy or religious in nature, i.e. they’re not all scriptures. There are works about astronomy, mathematics, medicine, yoga, philosophy, ayurveda, chemistry, statecraft and many other subjects written in Sanskrit since it was the lingua franca of that era. * The legend of Kalidasa says that he was born a simpleton and married off to a princess in deceit. When she discovered his ignorance, she rejected him. Scorned, he worshipped Goddess Kali who blessed him to become a scholar. * Kalidasa has produced 41 literary works in Sanskrit, using various types of prose, poetry and drama. He is considered one of the greatest litterateurs. Abhijnanashakuntalam (अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम्) is his best known work. * वाग्भूषणं, the gift of the gab, is essential for people in the entertainment industry—in comedy, poetry, avadhanam, drama and oration. * Some of the world’s best orators are Martin Luther King Jr., George Bernard Shaw, Swami Vivekananda, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Sushma Swaraj, S. Jaishankar—India’s foreign minister and Narendra Modi. * There are some villages in India where all the residents speak Sanskrit fluently. In Karnataka, Mattur [https://www.karnataka.com/shimoga/mattur-sanskrit-village-of-india/] and Hosa Halli, are twin villages where Sanskrit is the mother tongues of the villagers. King Krishnadevaraya is said to have entrusted these two villages with the responsibility of propagating Sanskrit usage, in the 16th century. * Subhashithas are examples of वाग्भूषणं, capturing pearls of wisdom in concise and eloquent lines. What are some examples of witty or eloquent sayings you’ve come across? @susambhashanam [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/susambhashanam/] & YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] Music: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/ [https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/]

Episode 23: jalaanthashchandrachapalam jeevanam Khalu dhehinaam | thaTha viDhimithi thvaa shaashvatham kalyaaNam aacharethi ||

जलान्तश्चन्द्रचपलं जीवनं खलु देहिनाम् | तथा विधिमिति त्वा शाश्वतं कल्याणम् आचरेत् || jalaanthashchandrachapalam jeevanam Khalu dhehinaam | thaTha viDhimithi thvaa shaashvatham kalyaaNam aacharethi || Meaning:  Our lives are as unsteady as the reflection of the moon in water. Since life is destined to be unpredictable, forever engage in doing good. In this episode, Dr. N. Hema Malini and Madhavi Nadig [https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhavinadig/] discuss Indians’ obsession with the moon. * This episode is a celebration of India’s Chandrayaan-3 Mission. * The Vikram rover soft-landed on the south pole of the moon on 23 August 2023. India is the first nation to achieve this.  * Henceforth, 23rd August will be celebrated as National Space Day. * Vikram rover’s touchdown point is called “Shiv Shakti Point” while the Chandrayaan-2 crash landing site is named “Tiranga Point”. * ISRO’s technology is completely home-grown—no help from any other country. * In the Ramayana, baby Rama demands that his parents bring him the moon. Mother Kausalya shows him the reflection of the moon in a bowl of water and satisfies her child. * Across India, why is the moon referred to only as a maternal uncle—Chanda mama? * The lyrics of a popular Hindi nursery rhyme suggest that the child will visit his Chanda mama in a spacecraft.  चंदा मामा दूर के… उड़नखटोला बैठ के मुन्ना, चंदा के घर जायेगा तारो के संग आँख मिचोली, खेल के दिल बहलायेगा“  * What appeared to be purely a flight of imagination, now seems attainable. * In the Mahabharatha, Krishna once asked Karna for his oil bowl while Karna was massaging himself with oil. Karna instantly gave it to him using his left hand. He explained that he didn’t want to waste time in doing a good deed, nor take the chance of changing his mind while transferring it to his right hand. * In the “Shatapatha Brahmana”, Yagnavalkya estimated that the distance from the earth to the moon is 108 times the sum of the diameters of the earth and the moon, based on observations with the naked eye. Today, we know it to be 110.6 times. * Since the Hindu calendar follows the lunar cycle, the moon determines the dates of all festivals, except Sankranthi. Sankranthi marks Uttarayana, i.e. the sun’s march towards the north pole. * When Daksha’s 27 daughters married Chandra, he asked him to love all his daughters equally. Since Chandra favoured Rohini, ignoring the others, Daksha cursed him that his strength and lustre would wane. Shiva came to his rescue, giving him a boon that he’d also regain his strength and lustre again. Thus, the cycle continues. * Chandra’s 27 wives are Ashvini (अश्विनी) , Bharani (भरणी), Krittika (कृत्तिका), Rohini (रोहिणी), Mrigashira (मृगशिरा), Aardra (आर्द्रा), Punarvasu (पुनर्वसु), Pushya (पुष्य), Ashlesha (आश्लेषा), Pūrvaphalguni (पूर्वा फाल्गुनी), Uttaraphalguni (उत्तरा फाल्गुनी), Hasta (हस्त), Chitra (चित्रा), Svati (स्वाति), Vishakha (विशाखा), Anuradha (अनुराधा), Jyeshtha (ज्येष्ठा), Mula (मूल), Purvashadha (पूर्वाषाढ़ा), Uttarashadha (उत्तराषाढ़ा), Shravana (श्रवण), Dhanishta (धनिष्ठा), Shatabhisha (शतभिषा), Uttarabhadrapada (उत्तराभाद्रपद), Revati (रेवती), Purvabhadrapada (पूर्वाभाद्रपद) and Magha (मघा)This story encapsulated an astronomical fact. The 27 wives of the moon are the names of the brightest stars in the 27 constellations that the moon traverses through. * The moon spends the most time in the Taurus constellation where Rohini nakshatra (Aldebaran [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldebaran]), a red giant, is the brightest star. * The lyrics of a Kannada poem urge us to not delay good deeds. “ಇಂದಿನ ದಿನವೇ ಶುಭ ದಿನವು. ಇಂದಿನ ವಾರ ಶುಭ ವಾರ”. (Today is the most auspicious day. This is the most auspicious week.) * “शुभस्य शीघ्रम” (Perform good deeds immediately) is a similar Sanskrit saying. * “कल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब” is one of Kabir’s famous dohas urging us to not procrastinate. Which stories and beliefs define your relationship with the moon? @susambhashanam [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/susambhashanam/] & YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] Music: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/ [https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/]

Episode 22: nirvano vaDhyathe vyaaGro nirvyaaGro Chidhyathe vanam | thasmaadvyaaGro vanam rakSheth vanam vyaaGram cha paalayeth ||

निर्वनो वध्यते व्याघ्रो निर्व्याघ्रो छिद्यते वनम् । तस्माद्व्याघ्रो वनं रक्षेत् वनं व्याघ्रं च पालयेत् ॥ nirvano vaDhyathe vyaaGro nirvyaaGro Chidhyathe vanam | thasmaadvyaaGro vanam rakSheth vanam vyaaGram cha paalayeth || Meaning:  The tiger is dead without a forest. The forest is destroyed without a tiger. Thus, the tiger protects the forest and the forest too sustains the tiger. In this episode, Dr. N. Hema Malini and Madhavi Nadig [https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhavinadig/] discuss the interdependence of everything in nature. * We Indians are fascinated by our native Bengal tiger, also our national animal. * Of the 9 subspecies of tigers, 3 are extinct. Through sustained conservation efforts, India is home to the most tigers in the world. * The white tigers in Bannerghatta National Park [https://youtu.be/j53w-I3Oj1U] are individuals expressing a recessive gene. * As Asian animals, tigers get a lot of prominence in the folklore of these countries. They were not part of Europe, Africa or the Americas. * The markings on each tiger are unique and used to track their activities. * It’s said that tigers attack humans from the back. Hence people in Sunderbans wear human-faced masks on the back of their heads in an attempt to fool them. * Millennials grew up watching the antics of Mowgli and his wolf family in the Jungle Book series on Doordarshan. As kids, they feared or hated Sher Khan, the wilful tiger. * In the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon series, Calvin’s best friend and partner-in-crime is Hobbes—a tiger that's alive and kicking. But when anyone else enters the picture, Hobbes transforms into a mere stuffed toy. * Does Goddess Durga ride a tiger or a lion? The debate continues. But Goddess Durga controls the wildest of the cats and the most brutal among beasts. * Since tigers live in forests while lions inhabit grasslands, their territories don’t overlap. Thus, there is no conflict—each cat is the master of its territory. * The Disney movie The Lion King explains the circle of life beautifully in a conversation between Mufasa, the Lion King, and Simba, his young cub [https://youtu.be/bW7PlTaawfQ?t=39]. * Farmers extirpated wolves from Yellowstone National Park in the US. Many decades later, conservationists reintroduced wolves. This is a https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htmcase study showing the unforeseen ways in which a top predator supports its ecosystem [https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm]. * In a circular economy, by design, there is minimal waste and pollution, things are used, transformed and reused for as long as possible, and natural systems are regenerated. * Many UN member nations have adopted the https://sdgs.un.org/goalsUN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [https://sdgs.un.org/goals] They aim to improve living conditions on our planet by 2030. * As individuals, we can repair our clothes, gadgets and appliances, invest in reusable products and transform broken items into something usable, becoming more sustainable. * By transforming flowers used for puja into agarbattis, Phool is tackling a part of the land and water pollution problem [https://youtu.be/7DR-NG5H-9Q]. * The song “The Circle of Life [https://youtu.be/IwH9YvhPN7c]” from the Lion King movie has a beautiful message for all of us—“You should never take more than you give.” What are the sustainable habits you practice? Please share them as suggestions to all of us. @susambhashanam [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/susambhashanam/] & YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@susambhashanam] Music: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/ [https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/]