Prasnottara Ratna Malika Meaning — Line by Line
प्रश्नोत्तररत्नमालिका
Every verse and every word explained in English & Hindi
Meaning — Line by Line
Every verse of Prasnottara Ratna Malika with its English meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.
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- Verse 1. kaḥ khalu nālaṅkriyate dṛṣṭādṛṣṭārtha-sādhana-paṭīyān |
- Verse 2. bhagavan kim upādeyaṃ guru-vacanaṃ heyam api kim akāryam |
- Verse 3. tvaritaṃ kiṃ kartavyaṃ viduṣāṃ saṃsāra-santati-cchedaḥ |
- Verse 4. kaḥ pathyataro dharmaḥ kaḥ śucir iha yasya mānasaṃ śuddham |
- Verse 5. kiṃ saṃsāre sāraṃ bahuśo'pi vicintyamānam idam eva |
- Verse 6. madireva moha-janakaḥ kaḥ snehaḥ ke ca dasyavo viṣayāḥ |
- Verse 7. kasmād bhayam iha maraṇād andhād iha ko viśiṣyate rāgī |
- Verse 8. pātuṃ karṇāñjalibhiḥ kim amṛtam iha yujyate sad-upadeśaḥ |
- Verse 9. kiṃ gahanaṃ strī-caritaṃ kaś caturo yo na khaṇḍitas tena |
- Verse 10. kiṃ jīvitam anavadyaṃ kiṃ jāḍyaṃ pāṭhato'py anabhyāsaḥ |
- Verse 11. nalinī-dala-gata-jalavat taralaṃ kiṃ yauvanaṃ dhanaṃ cāyuḥ |
kaḥ khalu nālaṅkriyate dṛṣṭādṛṣṭārtha-sādhana-paṭīyān |
कः खलु नालङ्क्रियते दृष्टादृष्टार्थसाधनपटीयान्। अमुया कण्ठस्थितया प्रश्नोत्तररत्नमालिकया॥१॥
kaḥ khalu nālaṅkriyate dṛṣṭādṛṣṭārtha-sādhana-paṭīyān | amuyā kaṇṭha-sthitayā praśnottara-ratna-mālikayā ||1||
MeaningWho, indeed, skilled in attaining the goals both of this world and the next, is not adorned by this gem-garland of questions and answers, worn ever at the throat (kept in memory)? (1)
bhagavan kim upādeyaṃ guru-vacanaṃ heyam api kim akāryam |
भगवन् किमुपादेयं गुरुवचनं हेयमपि किमकार्यम्। को गुरुरधिगततत्त्वः शिष्यहितायोद्यतः सततम्॥२॥
bhagavan kim upādeyaṃ guru-vacanaṃ heyam api kim akāryam | ko gurur adhigata-tattvaḥ śiṣya-hitāyodyataḥ satatam ||2||
MeaningO Lord, what is worth accepting? — the word of the guru. What ought to be shunned? — every forbidden deed. Who is a true guru? — one who has realized the Truth and is ever intent on the welfare of his disciples. (2)
tvaritaṃ kiṃ kartavyaṃ viduṣāṃ saṃsāra-santati-cchedaḥ |
त्वरितं किं कर्तव्यं विदुषां संसारसन्ततिच्छेदः। किं मोक्षतरोर्बीजं सम्यग्ज्ञानं क्रियासिद्धम्॥३॥
tvaritaṃ kiṃ kartavyaṃ viduṣāṃ saṃsāra-santati-cchedaḥ | kiṃ mokṣa-taror bījaṃ samyag-jñānaṃ kriyā-siddham ||3||
MeaningWhat should the wise do without delay? — cut through the chain of birth and death. What is the seed of the tree of liberation? — right knowledge fulfilled in action. (3)
kaḥ pathyataro dharmaḥ kaḥ śucir iha yasya mānasaṃ śuddham |
कः पथ्यतरो धर्मः कः शुचिरिह यस्य मानसं शुद्धम्। कः पण्डितो विवेकी किं विषमवधीरणा गुरुषु॥४॥
kaḥ pathyataro dharmaḥ kaḥ śucir iha yasya mānasaṃ śuddham | kaḥ paṇḍito vivekī kiṃ viṣam avadhīraṇā guruṣu ||4||
MeaningWhich is the most wholesome dharma? (that which harms none). Who is pure here? — one whose mind is pure. Who is learned? — the man of discrimination. What is poison? — disrespect toward one's teachers. (4)
kiṃ saṃsāre sāraṃ bahuśo'pi vicintyamānam idam eva |
किं संसारे सारं बहुशोऽपि विचिन्त्यमानमिदमेव। किं मनुजेष्विष्टतमं स्वपरहितायोद्यतं जन्म॥५॥
kiṃ saṃsāre sāraṃ bahuśo'pi vicintyamānam idam eva | kiṃ manujeṣv iṣṭatamaṃ sva-para-hitāyodyataṃ janma ||5||
MeaningWhat, though pondered again and again, is the (only) essence in worldly life? — just this (the wisdom taught here). What is most worth having among men? — a birth devoted to the good of oneself and others. (5)
madireva moha-janakaḥ kaḥ snehaḥ ke ca dasyavo viṣayāḥ |
मदिरेव मोहजनकः कः स्नेहः के च दस्यवो विषयाः। का भववल्ली तृष्णा को वैरी यस्त्वनुद्योगः॥६॥
madireva moha-janakaḥ kaḥ snehaḥ ke ca dasyavo viṣayāḥ | kā bhava-vallī tṛṣṇā ko vairī yas tv anudyogaḥ ||6||
MeaningWhat attachment intoxicates and deludes like wine? — excessive fondness. Who are the thieves? — the objects of the senses. What is the creeper of worldly bondage? — craving. Who is the (true) foe? — one's own lack of effort. (6)
kasmād bhayam iha maraṇād andhād iha ko viśiṣyate rāgī |
कस्माद्भयमिह मरणादन्धादिह को विशिष्यते रागी। कः शूरो यो ललनालोचनबाणैर्न च व्यथितः॥७॥
kasmād bhayam iha maraṇād andhād iha ko viśiṣyate rāgī | kaḥ śūro yo lalanā-locana-bāṇair na ca vyathitaḥ ||7||
MeaningOf what should one be afraid here? — of death (i.e. of the bondage that leads to repeated death). Who is more blind than the blind? — the passion-driven man. Who is the (real) hero? — he who is not wounded by the arrow-like glances of women. (7)
pātuṃ karṇāñjalibhiḥ kim amṛtam iha yujyate sad-upadeśaḥ |
पातुं कर्णाञ्जलिभिः किममृतमिह युज्यते सदुपदेशः। किं गुरुताया मूलं यदेतदप्रार्थनं नाम॥८॥
pātuṃ karṇāñjalibhiḥ kim amṛtam iha yujyate sad-upadeśaḥ | kiṃ gurutāyā mūlaṃ yad etad aprārthanaṃ nāma ||8||
MeaningWhat nectar is fit to be drunk through the cupped hands of the ears? — good counsel. What is the root of (true) greatness? — to ask nothing (of anyone). (8)
kiṃ gahanaṃ strī-caritaṃ kaś caturo yo na khaṇḍitas tena |
किं गहनं स्त्रीचरितं कश्चतुरो यो न खण्डितस्तेन। किं दुःखमसन्तोषः किं लाघवमधमतो याच्ञा॥९॥
kiṃ gahanaṃ strī-caritaṃ kaś caturo yo na khaṇḍitas tena | kiṃ duḥkham asantoṣaḥ kiṃ lāghavam adhamato yācñā ||9||
MeaningWhat is unfathomable? — the ways of the deceitful. Who is (really) clever? — he who is not deceived by them. What is sorrow? — discontent. What is (real) degradation? — begging from a base person. (9)
kiṃ jīvitam anavadyaṃ kiṃ jāḍyaṃ pāṭhato'py anabhyāsaḥ |
किं जीवितमनवद्यं किं जाड्यं पाठतोऽप्यनभ्यासः। को जागर्ति विवेकी का निद्रा मूढता जन्तोः॥१०॥
kiṃ jīvitam anavadyaṃ kiṃ jāḍyaṃ pāṭhato'py anabhyāsaḥ | ko jāgarti vivekī kā nidrā mūḍhatā jantoḥ ||10||
MeaningWhat life is blameless? — (one free of fault). What is dullness? — failure to practise even what one has studied. Who is awake? — the man of discernment. What is the sleep of a creature? — its delusion. (10)
nalinī-dala-gata-jalavat taralaṃ kiṃ yauvanaṃ dhanaṃ cāyuḥ |
नलिनीदलगतजलवत्तरलं किं यौवनं धनं चायुः। कथय पुनः के शशिनः किरणसमाः सज्जना एव॥११॥
nalinī-dala-gata-jalavat taralaṃ kiṃ yauvanaṃ dhanaṃ cāyuḥ | kathaya punaḥ ke śaśinaḥ kiraṇa-samāḥ sajjanā eva ||11||
MeaningWhat is as fickle as a water-drop on a lotus leaf? — youth, wealth and life. And tell again, who are cool and gracious as the rays of the moon? — the virtuous, and they alone. (11)
Word-by-Word Breakdown
Origin & History
Source: Didactic prakarana ascribed to Adi Shankaracharya
Author: Adi Shankaracharya (traditional attribution)
Period: Classical (traditionally 8th century CE)
The Prasnottara Ratna Malika is a beloved short work of Sanskrit gnomic verse cast as a dialogue of questions and answers. Tradition attributes it to Adi Shankaracharya, who is said to have composed it as a 'garland of gems' of wisdom that any seeker might wear at the throat — that is, keep ever in memory. Each crisp answer crystallizes a lesson of ethics, discrimination or the spiritual path. Its blend of worldly prudence and Vedantic insight has kept it popular for centuries as a guide for students and seekers alike; some manuscripts also associate it with the Jain teacher Vimala or with King Amoghavarsha, but the Advaita tradition holds it as Shankara's.
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