All Shlokas | Sanskrit.Today

अर्धप्लुष्टं बहुभ्यः शवपिशितमुपाहृत्य हृष्टश्चिताभ्यो
जातग्रासातिरेकः स्फुटतरधमनीनद्धशुष्कार्द्रकायः।
प्रेतः संतर्ज्य दृष्ट्या कुटिलपरुषया मज्जनिष्कर्षशुष्कैर्
आहन्त्याहारलुब्धान्मुहुरभिपततो जम्बुकानस्थिखण्डैः॥

A terrifying spirit, half-burned from funeral fires, driven by hunger, frightens jackals away from leftover corpse meat.

ghost (4) cremation (7) fear (252) corpse (6) horror (20) afterlife (35) hunger (39) terrifying imagery (1) death (241) supernatural (5)

अर्धमीलितविलोलतारके सा
दृशौ निधुवनक्लमालसा।
यन्मुहूर्तमवहन्न तत्पुनस्
तृप्तिरास्त दयितस्य पश्यतः॥

Her eyes, half-closed from fatigue after love, still held the moment’s joy; just that instant gave endless fulfillment to her lover.

love (1567) fulfillment (89) beauty (1797) romance (506) joy (342) gaze (69) eyes (211) tenderness (83) memory (202) passion (501)

तत्क्लमस्तमदिदीक्षत क्षणं
तालवृन्तचलनाय नायकम्।
तद्विधा हि भवदैवतं प्रिया
वेधसोऽपि विदधाति चापलम्॥

Weary yet longing, the heroine glanced at her beloved—like gods themselves are swayed by such divine playfulness.

romance (506) exhaustion (34) desire (898) divine play (96) heroine (5) longing (690) love (1567) charm (252) poetry (588) flirtation (47)

अर्धरात्रे दिनस्यार्धे त्वर्धचन्द्रेऽर्धभास्करे।
रावणेन हृता सीता कृष्णपक्षे सिताष्टमी॥

At midnight, on the half-moon and half-sun day, during Krishna Paksha Ashtami, Ravana abducted Sita—signifying inauspicious timing.

abduction (2) sita (37) ravana (28) midnight (1) symbolism (947) moon (394) sun (195) myth (65) darkness (138) inauspicious omen (1)

अर्धसिद्धेषु कार्येषु आत्मगुह्यं प्रकाशयेत्।
स एव निधनं याति बकः कर्कटकाद्यथा॥

One who reveals secrets before work is complete meets his end, like the heron eaten by the crab—premature disclosure is fatal.

secrecy (61) caution (269) planning (72) downfall (265) proverb (65) betrayal (168) wisdom (1611) protection (293) failure (101) discretion (65)

अर्धस्मितेन विनिमन्त्र्य दशार्धबाणम्
अर्धं विधूय वसनाञ्चलमर्धमार्गे।
अर्धेन नेत्रविशिखेन निवृत्य सार्धम्
अर्धार्धमेव तरुणी तरुणं चकार॥

The maiden, with a subtle half-smile, invites the youth by metaphorically shooting half the arrows of love (symbolizing Cupid’s weapons). She gently d...

courtship (10) subtlety (175) love-arrows (1) poetic-romance (1) feminine-charm (1) symbolic-gesture (2) flirtation (47) allure (96) suggestion (7) partial-expression (1)

अर्धहस्तेन हीनस्तु भवेन्मध्यस्तुरङ्गमः।
ततो हस्तेन हीनश्च हीन एव स्मृतो हयः॥

A horse missing half a hand’s measure in height is considered of medium stature. But if it's missing a full hand, it is deemed inferior. This highligh...

measurement (11) horse-breeding (1) scale (6) stature (3) comparison (402) classification (15) traditional-standards (1) equine-terms (1) subtle-difference (1) proportion (11)

अर्धाङ्गनापुंवपुषः पुरारेर् मूर्त्तिः श्रियं नौरिव वस्तनोतु।
प्रेमातिभारादपरं यदर्धं ममज्ज शृङ्गाररसाम्बुराशौ॥

Shiva’s form as Ardhanarishvara, where half is woman (Parvati) and half man (Shiva), is like a boat of divine beauty. The feminine half immersed in th...

ardhanarishvara (7) divine-love (2) unity (88) duality (134) form-symbolism (1) gender-harmony (1) mythic-beauty (1) love-ocean (1) poetic-metaphor (1) shiva-parvati (1)

अर्धाङ्गाहितपौर्वकीर्तिवनितादीव्यत्सितांशुप्रभं
कैलासीकृतदिक्करीन्द्रशिरसि न्यस्तस्वपादाम्बुजम्।
विश्वव्याप्यविनाशि शंकरपदं यायात्त्वदीयं यशो
न स्यादस्य यदि क्षितीश भवतो दानादिकेभ्यो जनिः॥

The poet extols the half-divine form resting upon the elephant's head atop Mount Kailasa, referring to the Ardhanarishvara whose presence sanctifies t...

kailasa (6) ardhanarishvara (7) cosmic-symbolism (1) royal-fame (1) divine-form (1) mythic-imagery (1) elevation (28) sanctity (34) cosmic-grace (1) shiva-worship (1)

अर्धाङ्गुलपरीणाहजिह्वाग्रायासभीरवः।
सर्वाङ्गक्लेशजननम् अबुधाः कर्म कुर्वते॥

The sounds made by an untrained person using just a tip of their tongue (barely half an angula in width) are merely painful and useless. The ignorant ...

speech (345) ignorance (301) shallow-words (1) ineffective-communication (1) poetic-satire (1) tongue-metaphor (1) pain-through-talk (1) wisdom (1611) articulation (3) ridicule (21)