Affront of an alien hand
On snake’s fangs, miser’s money chest,
On lion’s mane, chaste woman’s breast,
Hand of an alien man’s affront
On proud, honoured and eminent,
Can be had if they’ve surrendered,
Or in case are lifeless rendered.
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Translation |37.09.2024| snake, miser, woman, breast
Poet’s note: Sanskrit has thousands of verses of wisdom called Subhashhitam. Some place are too rare to tolerate an alien hand, beasts or humans : a cobra’s fangs, miser’s money chest, lion’s mane, a chaste woman’s breasts, and the like. An alien hand can dare to be there when its owner is dead, or surrendered. The transliteration of the Sanskrit verse follows:
Sarpasya ratne, kripanasya vitte, satyaah kuche, kesarinasya keshe |
Maana-unnataanaam sharanaa gate cha mritau bhavet kara prachaarah ||
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Aniruddha Pathak
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