एका प्रहेलिका (A Puzzle)

वृक्षस्य अग्रे फलं द्रुष्टं फलाग्रे व्रुक्षमेव च ।
अकारादि सकारान्तं यो जानाति स पण्डितः ॥

वृक्षस्य - of the tree
अग्रे - at the top
फलं - fruit
द्रुष्टं - after seeing
फलाग्रे - at the top of the fruit
व्रुक्षमेव् - again tree
च - only
अकारादि - a word that starts with "a"
सकारान्तं - a word that ends with "s"
यो - whoever
जानाति - understands
स - he
पण्डितः - knowledgeable person

Meaning: Whoever understands a word that starts with "a" and ends with "s" after looking at the fruit at the top of the tree and again the tree at the top of the fruit, is a knowledgeable person.

This is a puzzle about a fruit tree. A pineapple grows in the middle of a tree and hence at first grows at the top of the tree and then the tree continues to grow at the top of the pineapple. Whoever understands that the tree referred here is a pineapple tree just by looking at it is a knowledgeable person. In Sanskrit, the word for pineapple is "ananas" अननस, the word starts with "a" and ends with "s".

शारदा, सरस्वती, shaaradaa, saraswati

शारदा शारदाम्भोजवदना वदनाम्बुजे ।
सर्वदा सर्वदास्माकं संन्निधिं संन्निधिं क्रियात् ॥

शारदा - goddess saraswati ( goddess shaaradaa )
शारदाम्भोजवदना - शारदा + अम्भोज + वदना - like the lotus bloomed in the season of sharad (sharad is one of the seasons)
वदनाम्बुजे - वदना + अम्बुजे
वदना - mouth
अम्बुजे - in the lotus
वदनाम्बुजे - in the lotus of mouth
सर्वदा - सर्व + दा - giver of everything
सर्वदास्माकं - सर्वदा + अस्माकं
सर्वदा - always
अस्माकं - our
सन्निधिं - near
सन्निधिं - सत् + निधिं - good collection
क्रियात् - let create

Meaning: May the giver of everything, goddess saraswati, the one whose face is like the lotus bloomed in the sharad season, create a good collection (of knowledge) near the lotus of our mouth.

In other words: May goddess saraswati create good collection of knowledge for us to learn from.

The beauty of this subhashit lies in the dual usage of four words - shaaradaa, vadanaa, sarvadaa and sannidhi. See the difference of meanings stated above for the same word used two times.

व्याकरणविवेचन

अ-कारान्त पुंलिंगी शब्द 'गज'

.	Singular/एकवचन	Dual/द्विवचन	Plural/बहुवचन	विभक्ती
Nominative	गज:	गजौ	गजा:	प्रथमा
Vocative	गजम्	गजौ	गजान्	द्वितीया
Accusative	गजेन्	गजाभ्याम्	गजैः	तृतीया
Instrumental	गजाय्	गजाभ्याम्	गजेभ्य:	चतुर्थी
Dative	गजात्	गजाभ्याम्	गजेभ्यः	पंचमी
Ablative	गजस्य	गजयोः	गजानाम्	षष्ठी
Genitive	गजे	गजयोः	गजेषु	सप्तमी
Locative	हे गज	हे गजौ	हे गजा:	संबोधन

आ-कारान्त् स्त्रीलिंगी शब्द 'भाषा'

.	Singular/एकवचन	Dual/द्विवचन	Plural/बहुवचन	विभक्ती
Nominative	भाषा	भाषे	भाषाः	प्रथमा
Vocative	भाषाम्	भाषे	भाषाः	द्वितीया
Accusative	भाषया	भाषाभ्याम्	भाषाभिः	तृतीया
Instrumental	भाषायॆ	भाषाभ्याम्	भाषाभ्यः	चतुर्थी
Dative	भाषायाः	भाषाभ्याम्	भाषाभ्यः	पंचमी
Ablative	भाषायाः	भाषयोः	भाषाणाम्	षष्ठी
Genitive	भाषायाम्	भाषयोः	भाषासु	सप्तमी
Locative	हे भाषे	हे भाषे	हे भाषाः	संबोधन

अ-कारान्त नपुंसकलिंगी शब्द 'सुख'

.	Singular/एकवचन	Dual/द्विवचन	Plural/बहुवचन	विभक्ती
Nominative	सुखम्	सुखे	सुखानि	प्रथमा
Vocative	सुखम्	सुखे	सुखानि	द्वितीया
Accusative	सुखेन	सुखाभ्याम्	सुखैः	तृतीया
Instrumental	सुखाय	सुखाभ्याम्	सुखेभ्यः	चतुर्थी
Dative	सुखात्	सुखाभ्याम्	सुखेभ्यः	पंचमी
Ablative	सुखस्य	सुखयोः	सुखानाम्	षष्ठी
Genitive	सुखे	सुखयोः	सुखेषु	सप्तमी
Locative	हे सुख	हे सुखे	हे सुखानि	संबोधन

उद्यम the state of being active

उद्यमेन हि सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः
न हि सुप्तस्य सिंहस्य प्रविशन्ति मुखे मृगाः

उद्यमेन - by being active
हि - only
सिध्यन्ति - fulfil, to be complete, finish
कार्याणि - work
न - not
मनोरथैः - by musings, dreams
न - not
हि - similarly
सुप्तस्य - slept, inactive, dormant
सिंहस्य - lion's
प्रविशन्ति - enter
मुखे - in the mouth
मृगाः - deers/preys

Deers/preys do not(on their own) enter an inactive lion's mouth.
Similarly, work gets completed only by being active, not by musings/dreams.

सरस्वतीम् - saraswatim

अहं नमामि वरदां ज्ञानदां त्वां सरस्वतीम्।
प्रयच्छ विमलां बुद्धिं प्रसन्ना भव सर्वदा॥

अहं - I
नमामि - worship
वरदां - giver of blessings
ज्ञानदां - giver of knowledge
त्वां - you
सरस्वतीम् - goddess saraswati
प्रयच्छ - by giving
विमलां - pure
बुद्धिं - intellect
प्रसन्ना - pleased (on me)
भव - be
सर्वदा - always

I worship you saraswati - giver of blessings, giver of knowledge
always be pleased on me by giving pure intellect ( to me ) (in other words: always bless me with pure intellect)

Guru, Shikshak, Adhyapak - Teacher

अहं एतस्य सुभाषितस्य अर्थं ज्ञातुम इच्छामि। मम प्रयत्नः -


अधिगत्य गुरोर्ज्ञानं छात्रेभ्यो वितरन्ति ये।
विद्यावात्सल्यनिधयः शिक्षका मम दैवतम॥


अधिगत्य - by acquiring
गुरोर्ज्ञानं - the knowledge from the teacher
छात्रेभ्यो - to students
वितरंती - distributes
ये - who
विद्यावात्सल्यनिधयः - source(collection) of knowledge and love
शिक्षका - teacher
मम - my
दैवतम - god

Complete Meaning: The one who by acuiring knowledge from (his) teachers, distributes (it) to the students, that source(collection) of knowledge and love, teacher, is my God.