Alpaksharam Asandigdham (The Marks of a True Sutra) — Complete Lyrics
अल्पाक्षरमसन्दिग्धम्
Sanskrit text with English transliteration and translation
अल्पाक्षरमसन्दिग्धं सारवद् विश्वतोमुखम्।
अस्तोभमनवद्यं च सूत्रं सूत्रविदो विदुः॥
alpākṣaram asandigdhaṁ sāravad viśvato-mukham।
astobham anavadyaṁ ca sūtraṁ sūtra-vido viduḥ॥
Concise, unambiguous, full of essence, comprehensive in scope, free of padding, and faultless — such, the experts declare, is a true sutra (aphorism). The verse itself defines, in a single elegant stanza, the six qualities that make a saying perfect: brevity, clarity, substance, universality, economy and flawlessness.
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