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subhashitawisdomnitihitopadesha

යස්ය නාස්ති ස්වයං ප්රජ්ඤා

Yasya Nasti Svayam Prajna in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ hindu·📿 3× repetitions·🕐 Morning reflection, or while studying and seeking to understand·📜 Hitopadesha (Subhashita)
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हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగుதமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡമലയാളംગુજરાતીবাংলাଓଡ଼ିଆਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

Origin & Story

Hitopadesha (Subhashita) · Narayana Pandita (compiler of the Hitopadesha) · Classical Sanskrit literature (c. 9th–12th century CE)

The Hitopadesha is a collection of instructive animal fables in prose interspersed with verse, composed to teach princes wisdom and statecraft through delightful stories. This verse appears among its niti-shlokas, using the memorable image of a mirror useless to the blind to declare that scripture profits only the one already endowed with native intelligence.

✦ As told in scripture

Teachers of old loved to quote this verse to awaken thinking in their pupils; it is said that a student who grasps its meaning stops studying merely to memorise and begins to study in order to understand, and so makes every book he reads truly his own.

The Mantra

Tap any line — or the ▶ button — to hear it recited

යස්ය නාස්ති ස්වයං ප්රජ්ඤා ශාස්ත්රං තස්ය කරෝති කිම්. ලෝචනාභ්යාං විහීනස්ය දර්පණඃ කිං කරිෂ්යති..

yasya nāsti svayaṁ prajñā śāstraṁ tasya karoti kim। locanābhyāṁ vihīnasya darpaṇaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati॥

Meaning:For one who has no wisdom of his own, what can scripture do? Just as, for a person devoid of eyes, what use is a mirror? The verse teaches that book-learning bears fruit only when joined to one's own native intelligence and discernment.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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යස්ය🔊yasyaof whom, for the one who
නාස්ති🔊nāstithere is not, does not exist
ස්වයම්🔊svayamone's own, innate, by oneself
ප්රජ්ඤා🔊prajñāwisdom, native intelligence, discernment
ශාස්ත්රම්🔊śāstramscripture, the science or treatise, book-learning
තස්ය කරෝති කිම්🔊tasya karoti kimwhat can it do for him? (it is of no use)
ලෝචනාභ්යාම්🔊locanābhyāmwith the two eyes
විහීනස්ය🔊vihīnasyaof one who is devoid (deprived), of the one lacking
දර්පණඃ🔊darpaṇaḥa mirror
කිං කරිෂ්යති🔊kiṁ kariṣyatiwhat will it do? (it serves no purpose)

Benefits of Chanting Yasya Nasti Svayam Prajna

✦

Highlights that native intelligence and discernment are essential to learning

✦

Warns that book-knowledge alone, without understanding, is fruitless

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Encourages the cultivation of one's own reasoning and judgement

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Offers a memorable simile to grasp the limits of mere information

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A valuable lesson for students that learning must be understood, not just read

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A short, witty verse for reflection on wisdom versus rote knowledge

How to Chant Yasya Nasti Svayam Prajna

Repetitions3times
Best TimeMorning reflection, or while studying and seeking to understand

Recite the verse thoughtfully, dwelling on its simile of the mirror useless to the eyeless. Reflect that knowledge bears fruit only when met by one's own intelligence and discernment, and resolve to truly understand rather than merely memorise. It is often quoted to students as a reminder that learning is meant to awaken thinking, not replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Yasya Nasti Svayam Prajna written in the Sinhala 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 is a celebrated niti-shloka (subhashita) from the Hitopadesha, the classical Sanskrit collection of moral fables compiled by Narayana Pandita, and it is widely quoted in the broader Subhashita tradition on intelligence.
That scripture and book-learning are of no use to a person who lacks his own wisdom and discernment — just as a mirror is useless to someone without eyes. Native intelligence is essential for knowledge to be of any value.
No. It does not belittle scripture but stresses that its benefit depends on the learner's own intelligence and understanding. Study is fruitful only when joined to discernment, so the verse encourages cultivating both.

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Read the full Yasya Nasti Svayam Prajna with verse-by-verse meaning, or explore more sacred texts

Full Yasya Nasti Svayam Prajna (Devanagari)All MantrasFind by Purpose