शुबस्य शीघ्रम

[SriKanth!]

सभायै नाम:

I came across this phrase शुबस्य शीघ्रम while talking to somebody. I
searched in internet about this phrase, couldn't get more info except
I can see this phrase is popularly used across India. I am wondering
whether this a part of subhashita/sloka or is this just a phrase.

धन्यवाद:
Srikanth.

[hn bhat]

It is like thinking  शुबस्य as Sanskrit, while  शीघ्रम looks like Sanskrit.

"महाजनो येन गतः स पन्थाः"  is the proverb for such usages popular among the common people. There is no specific meaning apparently in the phrase even if the above is made good by correction as शुभस्य शीघ्रम् as some learned Purohita-s use it with their knowledge.

The counter part of this is "आलस्यममृतं विषम्" which also doesn't have apparent syntactical structure for a Sanskrit sentence.

The idea has to be surmised from their usage, they are used to hurry up people in order to get things done in proper time. Otherwise, they will not only futile, but may sometimes have adverse effects.

This I thought of these sayings.

More learned scholars of the group may come up with different sources to support this usage. Welcome to such attempts.

With regards

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R.
EFEO,
PONDICHERRY

[Shrisha Rao]

2010/8/21 hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com>:

> "महाजनो येन गतः स पन्थाः"  is the proverb for such usages popular among the
> common people. There is no specific meaning apparently in the phrase even if
> the above is made good by correction as शुभस्य शीघ्रम् as some learned
> Purohita-s use it with their knowledge.

I have seen महाजनो येन गतः स पन्थः given as part of the following
(said to be in the Vana-Parva of the Mbh., though I cannot locate it
in the BORI edition):

तर्कोऽप्रतिष्ठः श्रुतयो विभिन्नाः नासौ ऋषिर्यस्य मतं न भिन्नम् |
धर्मस्य तत्त्वं निहितं गुहायां महाजनो येन गतः स पन्थः ||

This would appear to have more to do with शिष्टाचार, along the same
lines as the Bhagavad Gita's

यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठः तत्तदेवेतरो जनः |
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ||

Regards,

Shrisha Rao

[hn bhat]

I have seen महाजनो येन गतः स पन्थः given as part of the following
(said to be in the Vana-Parva of the Mbh., though I cannot locate it
in the BORI edition):

I found the same in the Vanaparva of Gorakhpur Edition of Mahabharata, in the Ch.313.117 of AaraNeyaParva in the conversation between the Dharma in the form of Yaksha  and Dharmaraja exactly as you have said. This is the reply to the question of the Yaksha as to कः पन्थाः? 

I think your way of treating this also fine as यद् यदाचरति "श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतेरो जनः"।

"शुभस्य शीघ्रम्, अशुभस्य कालहरणम्" has been commented in some web page with the अद्घ्याहार of कर्मणः, efficiently.

The desire to do Good Acts (auspicious) should be implemented implemented immediately without postponing. But if any undesirable act we are unable to avoid under circumstances, it should be postponed in the hope of favorable circumstances may turn up without doing it. This seems to be justifying.

We could well supplement  कार्यस्य also in the phrases.

The other saying, could be modified as

आलस्यादममृतं विषम् or आलस्येनामृतं विषम्  

to give a tenable meaning. अलसस्य भावः कर्म  वा आलस्यम्।

Hope this satisfies the query of the member. But source could not be found. I found the above explained in a web page:

जब रावण मर रहे थे उस वक्त रामजी ने कहा कि आप अभिज्ञ राजा हैं, आप मुझको कुछ उपदेश दीजिए तो रावण ने कहा-’शुभस्य शीघ्रम, अशुभस्य कालहरणम्’। जब शुभकर्म करने की ख्वाहिश हो तो तुरंत करो, एक मुहूर्त की भी देर नहीं होनी चाहिए, और जब अशुभकर्म करने की इच्छा हो तो केवल देर करो, आज नहीं काल, काल नहीं परसों

But could not verify the statement in Valmiki's Ramayana.

Somebody may try to find the source. 

[Ashok Aklujkar]

On 2010-08-21, at 3:47 AM, Shrisha Rao wrote:

> तर्कोऽप्रतिष्ठः श्रुतयो विभिन्नाः नासौ ऋषिर्यस्य मतं न भिन्नम् |
> धर्मस्य तत्त्वं निहितं गुहायां महाजनो येन गतः स पन्थः ||
>
> This would appear to have more to do with शिष्टाचार, along the same
> lines as the Bhagavad Gita's
>
> यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठः तत्तदेवेतरो जनः |
> स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ||
>

Although I cannot give you precise references at present, some have understood mahaa-jana also to mean 'many persons, majority, general public,' (that is, a quantitative, not qualitative mahaa), which also is a wise counsel for several situations in life.

a.a.

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

I learnt the verse orally in childhood with a variant first half. वेदा विभिन्नाः श्रुतयो विभिन्ना नासौ मुनिर्यस्य मतं न भिन्नम् |

धर्मस्य तत्त्वं निहितं गुहायां महाजनो येन गतः स पन्थः ||

However, I did not consult the Mahabharata Best DB I did not consult the Mahabharata --- On Sat, 21/8/10, Shrisha Rao <sh...@dvaita.org> wrote:

-- अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि। ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि।। तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः। निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

Dear Colleagues, I am sorry that my earlier deposition had an error. The verse I had learnt began as वेदा विभिन्नाः स्मृतयो विभिन्ना नासौ etc. Memory is treacherous sometimes. Best DB --- On Sat, 21/8/10, Dipak Bhattacharya <dbhattach...@yahoo.com> wrote:

[Sampath Kannan]

There is a discussion on the meaning of "mahAjana," and the authority thereof wrt prAmANya in the  anupalambha-vAda section (=concluding portion) of Atma-tattva-viveka of Udayana. Ref : pp 431-473 (=text & translation) (ed.) AcArya kedAranAtha tripAThI Pub. : Author, Varanasi,1983. KSKannan --- On Sat, 8/21/10, Ashok Aklujkar <ashok.a...@ubc.ca> wrote:

From: Ashok Aklujkar <ashok.a...@ubc.ca> Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} शुबस्य शीघ्रम To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com

[Sampath Kannan]

Also ref. kumAra-sambhava 5.70 : mahAjanas smeramukho bhavi.Syati.

There is a discussion on the meaning of "mahAjana," and the authority thereof wrt prAmANya in the  anupalambha-vAda section (=concluding portion) of Atma-tattva-viveka of Udayana.

Ref : pp 431-473 (= text & translation)

[hn bhat]

Dear Bhattacharya,

Thanks for coming up with a different variant for the first पाद verse. Anyhow I had consulted the Gorakpur Edition for the above reading exactly as above. It is the answer given by Dharmaraja to the question of Yaksha: कः पन्थाः?

The complete set of question is this:

को मोदते? किमाश्चर्यम्? कः पन्थाः? का च वार्तिका?।

in the previous portion. It seems to mean that the path of great people or majority of public (?crowd) is to be (simply) followed. 

There is some story I remember, that applying "Mahajano yena gataH sa panthaH" one reached to burial ground following the path of the crowd in a procession taking a dead man and when all of the relatives had returned afterward he was left alone with an ass grazing there. Then he thought of the saying, "राजद्वारे श्मशाने च यस्तिष्ठति स बान्धवः।". This may be an example for the misuse of proverbs in the wrong contexts. I don't remember the exact story.

In many contexts the term used in the sense of the majority of public or the crowd (or little more extended use may give the meaning of "the main stream" of people).

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

Yes,I know the scene of thestory, the dialogue between Yudhisthira and Dharmaraaja in the form of a stork. It was a popular story that mothers told their children in my childhood. I too learnt that way. But I never consulted the Mahabharata itself. What is the reading in the Critical Ed.? Best DB --- On Sun, 22/8/10, hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} शुबस्य शीघ्रम To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

If mahājana means āpta- ie authority in the context of śābdapramāṇa then a long discussion will be found also in Udayana’s Pariśuddhiṭīkā somewhere around, as far as I remember, 1.1.7-8 with interesting comments on when the words of a Yavana/Mleccha can be pramāṇa and that of an Ārya cannot be. DB --- On Sun, 22/8/10, Sampath Kannan <ks_k...@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Sampath Kannan <ks_k...@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Apropos "mahAjana" To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com

[hn bhat]

Here is one more verse for it:

महाजनस्य संसर्गः कस्य नोन्नतिकारकः?

पुष्पमालानुषङ्गेण सूत्रं शिरसि धार्यते॥

or

पद्मपत्रस्थितं तोयं धत्ते मुक्ताफलश्रियम्॥

I hope this is quite enough for the meaning of Great people or शिष्टाः|

महाजनद्विष्ट् and राजद्विष्ट people are referred to in Ayurvedic treatises also a. Many more references are to be found in DCS online dictionary with context.

[hn bhat]

Yes,I know the scene of thestory, the dialogue between Yudhisthira and Dharmaraaja in the form of a stork. It was a popular story that mothers told their children in my childhood. I too learnt that way. But I never consulted the Mahabharata itself. What is the reading in the Critical Ed.?

I also didn't refer to the Critical Edition, but it is said by some member that the verse itself is not found in the Critical Edition. It may be found in the Pada-index if not in the accepted text, in the variant readings. 

But I found the same verse with the same reading in two editions the Gorakhpur Edition and in the portion of Yaksha prashna compiled for a text book (the source is different than Gorakhpur edition) and another edition from Bangalore with the first paada as:

"तर्को ऽप्रतिष्ठ: श्रुतयो विभिन्नाः"

===========

संप्रति वार्ताः श्रूयन्ताम्।

 "का च वार्तिका?"

 

अस्मिन् महामोहमये कटाहे

सूर्याग्निना रात्रिदिवेन्धनेन।

मासर्तुदर्वीपरिघट्टनेन

भूतानि कालः पचतीति वार्ता॥

This is the news for all given by Dharmaraja.

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

The Gorakhpur, and perhaps also the other Southern edition, is commonly referred to as the Bombay edition because the division into adhyaayas apart from parvans of the first edition brought out from Bombay , was followed elsewhere too. The nineteenth century Calcutta edition of Pratap Chandra (Ray?) went straight into Shlokas from parvans. Sorensen's Index of Proper names followed this edition. Here the readings too considerably differed. I cannot confirm,but it may be that the variant reading orally learnt by me belonged to this Calcutta edition which, at least partly, had been based on manuscripts of Bengal. But I may check in September. Best DB

--- On Sun, 22/8/10, hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} शुबस्य शीघ्रम To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com

[Shashi Tiwari]

Professor Shashi Tiwari Maitreyi College, University Of Delhi, New Delhi - 110021 & General Secretary, Wider Association for Vedic Studies (WAVES) Regd.  WAVES website - www.waves-india.com Residence: 54 Saakshara Apts., A-3 Paschim Vihar, New Delhi 110063, India, Tel#: (011)-25265237,09810690322 Website  - www.naturally-india.com/ShashiTiwari.htm

--- On Sat, 21/8/10, Ashok Aklujkar <ashok.a...@ubc.ca> wrote:

From: Ashok Aklujkar <ashok.a...@ubc.ca> Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} शुबस्य शीघ्रम To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com

[Sampath Kannan]

** There is some story I remember, that applying "Mahajano yena gataH     sa panthaH" For the story, refer pa.ncatantra, Ch 5, story 4 (vv 39 - 42), ed. Acharya, NR, 1950, NS Press, Bombay KSKannan

--- On Sun, 8/22/10, hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} शुबस्य शीघ्रम To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com

--

[VKG]

Pranaam!

We know a different version of this Shloka.

श्रुतिश्च भिन्ना, स्मृतयश्च भिन्नाः महमुनीनां मतयश्च भिन्नाः।
धर्मस्य तत्त्वं निहितं गुहायां महाजनो येन गत स्स पन्थाः।।

प्रणामाः।
वंशीकृष्ण घनपाठी

On Aug 22, 7:01 am, Sampath Kannan <ks_kan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> There is a discussion on the meaning of "mahAjana,"
> and the authority thereof wrt prAmANya
> in the  anupalambha-vAda section (=concluding portion)
> of Atma-tattva-viveka of Udayana.
>
> Ref : pp 431-473 (=text & translation)
> (ed.) AcArya kedAranAtha tripAThI
> Pub. : Author, Varanasi,1983.
>
> KSKannan
>

> --- On Sat, 8/21/10, Ashok Aklujkar <ashok.akluj...@ubc.ca> wrote:

[hn bhat]

Dear Sir,

Thanks for providing the source.

With regards

[SriKanth!]

Thank you all for taking time. It was really information.

Dhanyavaada:
Srikanth.

[Nabanarayan Bandyopadhyay]

Dear all,   I remember the different version of the ;Sloka ko modate etc as follows:          का च वार्ता किमाश्चर्यं कः पन्थाः कश्च मोदते /        ममैतांश्चतुरः प्रश्नान् कथयित्वा जलं पिब //   Hearty greetings and warm wishes on the Rakshabandhana day.   Nabanarayan Bandyopadhyay

--- On Sun, 22/8/10, hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

From: hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} शुबस्य शीघ्रम To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com

[sadasivamurty rani]

During the past two days it happened to learn an interesting account from some senior scholars about the use of शुभस्य शीघ्रम्। The same I would like to share with the leanred members of this forum. The text as heard is : "शुभस्य शीघ्रम् अशुभस्य काले।" As I was informed it was a gaahthaa. It is an eliptical exression. here शुभस्य शीघ्रम् इत्यनेन शुभं कार्यं शीघ्रं करणीयम् इति तथैव अशुभस्य काले इत्यनेन "अशुभं च कार्यं  तत्प्रवृत्तिकाले (मरणादिकं चेत्) अथवा कालान्तरे (न तु संकल्पकाले एव) करणीयमिति च ग्राह्यमिति श्रुतवानहम्। अत्र क्श्चन सन्दर्भोऽपि कथित:। रावण: कदाचित् भुव: स्वर्गलोकपर्यन्तं सोपाननिर्माणशुभकार्यं आरब्धुं चिन्तितवाऩ्। परन्तु तथा करणे तेन विलम्बनं कृतम्। परन्तु सीतापहरणमशुभकार्यं तु सङ्कल्पसमनन्तरमेव कृतवाऩ् ।  विनाशमाप्तवांश्च। Hence we can understand that it is always preferrable to postpone the execution of inauspicious ideas for a good end and to advance the execution of auspicious ideas for a better living. This what I heard from some senior scholars.  I hope this may be relished by all learned. With warm regards, Dr. Rani Sadasiva Murty --- On Tue, 24/8/10, Nabanarayan Bandyopadhyay <naba_n...@yahoo.com> wrote:

[Nabanarayan Bandyopadhyay]

Dear all, This posting reminds me the following ;sloka:      श्वः कार्यमद्य कुर्वीत पूर्वाह्णे चापराह्णिकं /       न हि प्रतीक्षते मृत्युः कृतमस्य न वा कृतम् // Regards, Nabanarayan Bandyopadhyay --- On Tue, 24/8/10, sadasivamurty rani <ranisada...@yahoo.com> wrote:

[hn bhat]

I remember the different version of the ;Sloka ko modate etc as follows:          का च वार्ता किमाश्चर्यं कः पन्थाः कश्च मोदते /        ममैतांश्चतुरः प्रश्नान् कथयित्वा जलं पिब //

It is the same context and the same questions, but in a different order transplanting the  two qu

 

http://ikashmir.net/panchastavi/doc/panchastavi.pdf

[S P Narang]

I think the line is found in the Pancatantra also. spnarang

a.a.

--