The Subhāṣitatriśatī consists of 3 Śatakas of Bhartṛhari – Nītiśataka, Śṛṅgāraśataka and Vairāgyaśataka. They are set to encompass almost every experience known to man and pours them forth in beautiful poetry. They are also known to contain various proverbs and adages that are often used and enjoys unique popularity in the Sanskrit world. this poetry is a concise turners laconic on memorable expression of a general truth or principle hey. It is aphostic - it makes several comments on the social norms of the time. Each of the 3 Śatakas compilations of 100 verses each.
A careful reading of the whole of Śṛṅgāraśataka suggest that the coax main objective was to warn men and women against the dangers of Śṛṅgāra indulgences and to impress on them the uselessness of our life as passions slave, as the slave of Kāma, and the glory of conquering karma and also the importance of leading a life of Vairāgya dispassion and abstinence.
It is said that in the initial days when the rule of the Kingdom of Ujjain laid with Bhartṛhari, he never really paid attention into the welfare of the state and government. He was always occupied with the worldly pleasures and romance. To support the statement dera exerts from legends that states that Bhartṛhari had over 100 wives. It is said that during his time of leisurely romance and pleasure is when he came up with 100 versus of Śṛṅgāraśataka. At the opening of his Nītiśataka, the poet cries obviously with bitter disappointment based upon self experience. “learned men of taste who can appreciate lovely poetry are possessed by the devil of envy. the wealthy Lords who convened and presided over Vidvatsabhās are themselves puffed up with pride and conceived and are reluctant to admit merit in the poems seeking appreciation and patronage. Others are replete with ignorance. Where is the hope for appreciative response from Sahṛdaya hearts? My Subhāṣita Must perish in me for want of unbiased rasika receptive critics.” by saying this the poet opens the poem back cursing the devil of NB possessing men of learning as the great singer of the Gīta himself does at the end of his Gīta song. This can be seen as he exhorts arjuna to refrain altogether from giving the Gīta song to man of envy.
A second shloka says: “a totally ignorant man can be easily pleased and persuaded. A well knowing man can be more easily pleased and persuaded. But the man of dangerous little learning is full of bride over his little knowledge and his impossible of pleasing to the great creator-brahma with Sarasvatī seated in his heart.”
The Nītiśataka is a compilation of words concerning morality, the praise of wisdom, firmness, riches, evil men, the character of God, the way of liberality, a praise for constancy, the power of fate, action etc and various other supplementary and miscellaneous slokas.
The first śloka in the Nītiśataka describing the brāhmaṇa tejas absolute asset to be an introduction to all 3 Śatakas.
Niti in general, relates to morality. Literally, it maybe taken to mean, “moral philosophy, ethics, precepts inculcating prudent or moral behaviour.”
The Vairāgyaśataka is divided into 10 Paddhatis. The first Paddhati condems tṛṣṇā. The second paddhati begin Smith dissatisfaction with the fruits -Puṇya - gives in the shape of wealth and luxuries. Elaborates that the person who is coveting Puṇya must discard pāpam.
A 3rd paddhati attempts to express contempt at the idea of despicable city of assuming the role of a beggar before the rich. The 4th paddhati exhibits the transitoriness of worldly pleasures, so on and so forth Tell the last paddhati describes the life of avadhūta saṃnyāsī which is the culmination of Vairāgya with great pride and contemptuous discard of riches and luxury.
The slokas are strongly suggestive of the actual yoga abhyāsa and experiences of the poet himself. His passion for the Gaṅgā, the Himalayas and the padmāsana yoga the practice of meditation on brahma in padmāsana yogic posture and falling into Yoganidrā which is also described wonderfully by Kṛṣṇa at the end of the second chapter in Gītā as all awareness in paramātmā Brahman and all obliviousness of sleeping state of material world surrounding as in the worldly man's sleeping state is beautifully voiced in sloka 98.
Bhartṛhari also describes the glory of using the bear hand as the eating vessel, the bhikshā food given to him by sympathising men and women while walking along the streets without stopping as akṣayam annam, imperishable compared to the famous draupadi's akṣaya patra feeding thousands of hungry people, the vast sky with 10 cardinal immeasurable directions affording his clothing which cannot be measured by any yardstick or any other measure and the vastly wide earth being his bed.
In the last verse he addresses mother earth, father wind, friend fire, good bandhu water, brother sky - hey and make this last obsessions and farewell and takes leave of them to throw off all mortal coils and be absorbed into the highest brahman.
The work consists of 3 parts – Nītiśataka, Śṛṅgāraśataka and Vairāgyaśataka. Each part is a compilation of a hundred verses. Bhartṛhari being a grammarian has provided the poetry in scholarly Sanskrit language that is considered one of the best of its times.
Bhartṛhari may be considered as one of the most original poets and philosophers in Sanskrit language at the time. His poetry exhibits Sanskrit language in its best.
Works of Bhartṛhari have great philosophical significance, especially the connections they have with grammar, logic, semantics and ontology.
Language is the fundamentally ontological principle which means how one is able to conceptualize and communicate the awareness of objects.
Most of his poetic compositions contain instances from his life, written in a manner to serve as a spiritual guide to those who read it.
In addition to his literary contributions, Bhartṛhari also made significant contributions to the field of grammar and linguistics. He wrote the Vākyapadīya, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar and linguistics that has had a profound impact on Indian philosophy and linguistics. Despite the uncertainties surrounding his life, Bhartṛhari's contributions to literature, philosophy, and linguistics have had a lasting impact on Indian culture and intellectual history. His hedonism and philosophical acumen led him, according to his legend, to produce works of great breadth, depth and beauty.
1. शक्यो वारयितुं जलेन हुतभुक् छत्रेण सूर्यातपः । नागेन्द्रो निशिताङ्कुशेन समदो दण्डेन गौर्गर्दभः ॥
व्याधिर्भेषजसंग्रहैश्च विविधैर्मन्त्रैः प्रयोगैर्विषम् ।
सर्वस्यौषधमस्ति शास्त्रविहितं मूर्खस्य नास्त्यौषधम् ॥ [नीतिशतकम् - ११ ]
śakyo vārayituṃ jalena hutabhuk chatreṇa sūryātapaḥ ।
nāgendro niśitāṅkuśena samado daṇḍena gaurgardabhaḥ ॥
vyādhirbheṣajasaṃgrahaiśca vividhairmantraiḥ prayogairviṣam ।
sarvasyauṣadhamasti śāstravihitaṃ mūrkhasya nāstyauṣadham ॥ [nītiśatakam - 11 ]
As the fire can be vanquished with water, the effect of sun-shine (can be removed) with an umbrella, an elephant (can be controlled) with a sharp iron tusk, donkeys (can be controlled) by a stick, a disease (can be cured) with medicine and poison (can be removed) with an application of various Mantras (incantations); In short, all kinds of medicines are prescribed in the scriptures, but there is no medicine for a fool in the scriptures.
2. विद्या नाम नरस्य रूपमधिकं प्रच्छन्नगुप्तं धनम् ।
विद्या भोगकरी यशस्सुखकरी विद्या गुरूणां गुरुः ॥
विद्या बन्धुजनो विदेशगमने विद्या परं दैवतम् ।
विद्या राजसु पूज्यते न तु धनं विद्या विहीनः पशुः ॥ [नीतिशतकम् - २० ]
vidyā nāma narasya rūpamadhikaṃ pracchannaguptaṃ dhanam ।
vidyā bhogakarī yaśassukhakarī vidyā gurūṇāṃ guruḥ ॥
vidyā bandhujano videśagamane vidyā paraṃ daivatam ।
vidyā rājasu pūjyate na tu dhanaṃ vidyā vihīnaḥ paśuḥ ॥ [nītiśatakam - 20 ]
Knowledge [Vidyā] is man's great beauty and a hidden hoard of treasure, fame, and comfort; it is the teacher of teachers. It is a relative in a foreign land. It is the great God. It is honored by kings but not wealth. The man devoid of it is a animal.