अणुभ्यश्च महद्भ्यश्च शास्त्रेभ्यः कुशलो नरः। सर्वतः सारमादद्यात् पुष्पेभ्य इव षट्पदः॥
aṇubhyaśca mahadbhyaśca śāstrebhyaḥ kuśalo naraḥ । sarvataḥ sāramādadyāt puṣpebhya iva ṣaṭpadaḥ ॥
Meaning of Aṇubhyaśca Mahadbhyaśca Śāstrebhyaḥ Kuśalo
A wise and discerning person should extract the essence from every scripture and every branch of knowledge, whether great or small, just as a bee gathers nectar from many different flowers. Likewise, one should seek, absorb, and assimilate the finest and most beneficial wisdom from every source.
Word by word
- अणुभ्यःaṇubhyaḥ
from the small ones, from minor works
अणु
Ablative plural. Sandhi: aṇubhyaḥ + ca gives aṇubhyaśca.
- चca
and
- महद्भ्यःmahadbhyaḥ
from the great ones, from major works
महत्
Ablative plural. Sandhi: mahadbhyaḥ + ca gives mahadbhyaśca.
- चca
and
- शास्त्रेभ्यःśāstrebhyaḥ
from the scriptures, from the branches of learning
शास्त्र
Ablative plural, qualified by aṇubhyaḥ and mahadbhyaḥ.
- कुशलःkuśalaḥ
skilful, adept, discerning
कुशल
Sandhi: kuśalaḥ + naraḥ gives kuśalo naraḥ.
- नरःnaraḥ
a person, a human being
नर
- सर्वतःsarvataḥ
from everywhere, from every side
सर्व
- सारम्sāram
the essence, the sap, the best part
सार
Sandhi: sāram + ādadyāt gives sāramādadyāt.
- आदद्यात्ādadyāt
should take, should gather
आ + √दा
Optative, third person singular.
- पुष्पेभ्यःpuṣpebhyaḥ
from the flowers
पुष्प
Ablative plural. Sandhi: puṣpebhyaḥ + iva gives puṣpebhya iva.
- इवiva
like, just as
- षट्पदःṣaṭpadaḥ
the six-footed one, the bee
षष् + पद
Commentary
The verse sets two words against each other and settles the argument with an image. Aṇu and mahat, the slight text and the weighty one, are both put in the ablative: knowledge is to be taken from them, not ranked by them. What is to be taken is sāra, the essence or sap, and the verb ādadyāt is an injunction — one should take it — while sarvataḥ, 'from every side', leaves no source out. The measure of the reader is kuśala, skilful or adept: the skill lies not in reading widely but in knowing what to carry away. The closing image supplies the method. Ṣaṭpada, 'the six-footed one', is the bee, and a bee does not argue about which flower is worthier; it visits many, takes only the nectar, and leaves the flower unharmed. In its original setting these are the words of the avadhuta describing what the bee taught him, one of the many teachers he found in the ordinary world. For a reader today the counsel is unchanged: draw from many disciplines and many books, judge by what is nourishing rather than by reputation or bulk, and let the gathering be light rather than possessive.
Sources and textual variants
Original Post
More from Srimad Bhagavata Purana
View source pageउद्यमः साहसं धैर्यं बुद्धिः शक्तिः पराक्रमः। षडेते यत्र वर्तन्ते तत्र दैवं सहायकृत्॥
udyamaḥ sāhasaṃ dhairyaṃ buddhiḥ śaktiḥ parākramaḥ । ṣaḍete yatra vartante tatra daivaṃ sahāyakṛt ॥
Effort, courage, patience, intelligence, strength, and valor prepare a person to receive the help of providence.
एको धर्मः परं श्रेयः क्षमैका शान्तिरुत्तमा। विद्यैका परमा तृप्तिरहिंसैका सुखावहा॥
eko dharmaḥ paraṁ śreyaḥ kṣamaikā śāntir uttamā । vidyaikā paramā tṛptir ahiṁsaikā sukhāvahā ॥
A verse from Vidura Niti in the Mahabharata that pairs four virtues with what each one alone can give: dharma brings the highest good, forgiveness the finest peace, knowledge true contentment, and non-violence lasting happiness.
अद्वैधमनसं युक्तं शूरं धीरं विपश्चितम्। न श्रीः सन्त्यजते नित्यमादित्यमिव रश्मयः॥
advaidhamanasaṃ yuktaṃ śūraṃ dhīraṃ vipaścitam । na śrīḥ santyajate nityam ādityamiva raśmayaḥ ॥
The Mahabharata likens lasting prosperity to the sun's inseparable rays: it remains with one who is focused, courageous, steadfast and discerning.
More subhashitams on Knowledge
View topic pageउद्यमः साहसं धैर्यं बुद्धिः शक्तिः पराक्रमः। षडेते यत्र वर्तन्ते तत्र दैवं सहायकृत्॥
udyamaḥ sāhasaṃ dhairyaṃ buddhiḥ śaktiḥ parākramaḥ । ṣaḍete yatra vartante tatra daivaṃ sahāyakṛt ॥
Effort, courage, patience, intelligence, strength, and valor prepare a person to receive the help of providence.
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत्। स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते॥
anudvegakaraṁ vākyaṁ satyaṁ priyahitaṁ ca yat । svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ caiva vāṅmayaṁ tapa ucyate ॥
The Bhagavad Gita describes truthful, pleasant, beneficial, and non-agitating words, together with regular study, as austerity of speech.
एको धर्मः परं श्रेयः क्षमैका शान्तिरुत्तमा। विद्यैका परमा तृप्तिरहिंसैका सुखावहा॥
eko dharmaḥ paraṁ śreyaḥ kṣamaikā śāntir uttamā । vidyaikā paramā tṛptir ahiṁsaikā sukhāvahā ॥
A verse from Vidura Niti in the Mahabharata that pairs four virtues with what each one alone can give: dharma brings the highest good, forgiveness the finest peace, knowledge true contentment, and non-violence lasting happiness.