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Vidvan Eva Vijanati Vidvajjana Parishramam

Vidvan Eva Vijanati Vidvajjana Parishramam in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 3× repetitions·🕐 While reflecting on scholarship, effort, or the appreciation of merit·📜 Sanskrit Subhashita (niti tradition)
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हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగుதமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡമലയാളംગુજરાતીবাংলাଓଡ଼ିଆਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

Vidvan Eva Vijanati is a striking subhashita on the appreciation of effort. It declares that only a scholar can grasp the labour another scholar has poured into learning, comparing this to how a woman who has never given birth cannot comprehend the pain of childbirth. The verse teaches that genuine understanding and empathy arise from shared experience.

Origin & Story

Sanskrit Subhashita (niti tradition) · Anonymous (traditional subhashita) · Classical Sanskrit literature

This verse belongs to the rich body of subhashitas that celebrate learning and the appreciation of merit. Using the powerful and universal comparison of childbirth, it makes the point that the value of a scholar's painstaking effort is fully grasped only by fellow scholars, a sentiment that has made it a favourite among the learned for centuries.

✦ As told in scripture

It is told that true scholars, recognising one another's labour through this verse, formed bonds of mutual respect that transcended rivalry, so that the community of the learned was held together by the very empathy the shloka describes.

The Mantra

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vidvān eva vijānāti vidvaj-jana-pariśramam। na hi vandhyā vijānāti gurvīṁ prasava-vedanām॥

Meaning:Only a learned person truly understands the toil of another learned person, just as a barren woman can never know the intense pain of childbirth. The verse observes that the worth of hard-won knowledge can be appreciated only by one who has undergone the same labour, for sympathy springs from shared experience.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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vidvān🔊a learned, wise person
eva🔊alone, only
vijānāti🔊truly knows, understands
vidvaj-jana🔊of a learned person
pariśramam🔊the toil, hard labour, effort
na hi🔊indeed not, surely not
vandhyā🔊a barren woman (who has never borne a child)
vijānāti🔊knows, understands
gurvīm🔊great, heavy, intense
prasava-vedanām🔊the pain of childbirth

Benefits of Chanting Vidvan Eva Vijanati Vidvajjana Parishramam

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Cultivates respect for the hard work behind genuine scholarship

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Teaches that empathy and true appreciation arise from shared experience

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Encourages humility in judging others' achievements

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A vivid, memorable verse for reflection on merit and effort

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Reminds us to seek the recognition of qualified peers rather than the ignorant

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Inspires perseverance in study, knowing its value is understood by the wise

How to Chant Vidvan Eva Vijanati Vidvajjana Parishramam

Repetitions3times
Best TimeWhile reflecting on scholarship, effort, or the appreciation of merit

Recite the verse contemplatively, weighing its two images — the scholar's toil and the pain of childbirth. Let it deepen your respect for those who labour at learning and remind you that real understanding comes from walking the same path. It is often shared among students and teachers in praise of dedicated study.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Vidvan Eva Vijanati Vidvajjana Parishramam written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.
Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.
It means that only a learned person can truly understand the hard work of another learned person — just as a woman who has never given birth cannot know the intensity of labour pains. Appreciation comes from shared experience.
It teaches that genuine empathy and recognition of effort require having undergone the same effort oneself. The toil behind real achievement is understood only by those who have toiled likewise.
It is a well-known Sanskrit subhashita from the classical niti tradition, frequently quoted in collections of wise sayings on knowledge, merit and the appreciation of scholarship.

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