Lesson 58

Beginning Prayers:

• शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् - shuklaambaradharaM viShNum
• सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् - saraswati namastubhyam 
• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः - gururbrahmaa gururviShNuH 

Topic Summary:

• Verbs - future tense
• visarga sandhi

Home Work:

• Write 10 examples of visarga sandhi

Topic Details:

Building on the future tense verbs, let's see one more example -
रात्रिर्गमिष्यति भविष्यति सुप्रभातम्
भास्वानुदेष्यति हसिष्यति पङ्कजश्रीः ।
इत्थं विचिन्तयति कोशगते द्विरेफे
हा हन्त हन्त नलिनीं गज उज्जहार ॥
- कुवलयानन्द

raatrirgamiShyati bhaviShyati suprabhaatam
bhaaswaanudeShyati hasiShyati pa~nkajashrIH |
itthaM vichintayati koshagate dvirephe
haa hanta hanta nalinIM gaja ujjahaara ||
- kuvalayaananda

Meaning of the subhaaShita:
"The night shall pass, dawn shall arrive, sun shall rise and the lotus shall bloom" - even as the bee, stuck in the lotus bud, was thinking; alas, alas, an elephant uprooted the lotus!!

Exposition:
Timing is everything... or... destiny has the final say!  This is the story of a busy little bee, who, was anxious to get the last sip of nectar before the fall of the day.  He hovered over a lotus and settled down for the sip.  But since it was almost dusk, the lotus closed its petals to rest for the day and the bee got stuck inside the petals.  There was no way it could get out from the grasp of the tender petals of the closed lotus!  So, the bee consoled itself thus, "the night shall pass, daybreak shall arrive, the sun shall rise and the lotus shall bloom...", so that when the flower opened the petals, it could fly away.  But alas, what luck!  Even as the bee was thinking thus, a rut elephant uprooted the closed lotus bud!!  Now that it wasn't rooted anymore, neither the rise of the sun nor the midday scorch can make a difference.  The bud shall never ever open again, hence trapping the bee inside, to draw its last breath :(.

Like they say, 'it is in your moments of decision, your destiny is shaped'!  Perhaps, the outcome would have been different if the bee had judged the time of the day better.  Perhaps, the bee would have been spared if he wasn't greedy for a one more sip.  Perhaps the consequence would have been different if the bee was swift enough to fly out when the bud was closing up.... perhaps... perhaps... But these can only be speculations.

Many a times in life, one would never know what would have happened  if only he made his choices differently.  Or perhaps, it is the choices, not chances, that determine one's destiny?!!  It is probably for oneself to decide...

pada vigrahaH:
रात्रिः गमिष्यति भविष्यति सुप्रभातम्
raatriH gamiShyati bhaviShyati suprabhaatam

भास्वान् उदेष्यति हसिष्यति पङ्कजश्रीः ।
bhaaswaan udeShyati hasiShyati pa~nkajashrIH |

इत्थं विचिन्तयति कोश-गते द्विरेफे
itthaM vichintayati kosha-gate dvirephe

हा हन्त हन्त नलिनीं गज उज्जहार ॥
haa hanta hanta nalinIM gaja ujjahaara ||

Due to the constant differences in the pronunciation, as well as, transformation of the visarga in many verses, it is a good time to revisit the whole concept of visarga sandhi.  For the complete exposition of the different cases of visarga sandhi, click here, for it needs to be archived under it's own heading for future reference :).

Happy practicing.

Ending prayer:

•  ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् - om pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam

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