All Shlokas | Sanskrit.Today

एषोऽम्बुदनिःस्वनतुल्यरवः
क्षीबः स्खलमानविलम्बगतिः।
श्रुत्वा घनगर्जितमद्रितटे वृक्षान्
प्रति मोटयति द्विरदः॥

Hearing thunder, the drunk elephant mistakes it for a rival’s call and rushes to fight trees. Nature and instinct intertwine in this animal metaphor.

elephant (117) nature (950) sound (90) thunder (33) aggression (10) misjudgment (43) instinct (19) metaphor (1632) strength (359) confusion (52)

एषोऽहमद्रितनयामुखपद्मजन्मा
प्राप्तः सुरासुरमनोरथदूरवर्ती।
स्वप्नेऽनिरुद्धघटनाधिगताभिरूप-
लक्ष्मीफलामसुरराजसुतां विधाय॥

Born from Parvati’s grace, I conquered what gods and demons only dreamed of. Even in dreams, I shaped a queen from imagination. A poetic boast of supe...

parvati (56) birth (57) dream (23) creation (117) divine love (53) imagination (48) conquest (55) goddess (297) destiny (289) poetry (588)

एष्टव्या बहवः पुत्रा गुणवन्तो बहुश्रुताः।
तेषां वै समवेतानाम् अपि कश्चिद् गयां व्रजेत्॥

One should have many sons, for if even one performs rites at Gaya, salvation is attained. A stress on family and tradition in afterlife rituals.

sons (1) tradition (283) salvation (44) gaya (2) family (165) ritual (164) dharma (540) legacy (39) duty (198) afterlife (35)

एष्टव्या बहवः पुत्रा यद्येकोऽपि गयां व्रजेत्।
यजेत वाश्वमेधेन नीलं वा वृषमुत्सृजेत्॥

If a son performs an Ashvamedha or releases a sacred bull, the merit equals many. An elaboration on rites bringing spiritual benefits.

son (37) ashvamedha (5) sacrifice (146) rituals (34) merit (120) sacred bull (1) tradition (283) legacy (39) spirituality (106) hinduism (13)

एष्टव्या बहवः पुत्रा यद्येकोऽपि गयां व्रजेत्।
यत्रासौ प्रथितो लोकेष्व् अक्षय्यकरणो वटः॥

Where the sacred banyan tree at Gaya stands, one son among many can offer eternal merit. The tree symbolizes continuity and spiritual power.

banyan (1) gaya (2) son (37) eternity (18) sacred (66) ritual (164) afterlife (35) hindu belief (2) merit (120) symbolism (947)

एष्यति मा पुनरयमिति गमने यदमङ्गलं मयाकारि।
अधुना तदेव कारणम् अवस्थितौ दग्धगेहपतेः॥

Once thought inauspicious, this farewell is now the only bond keeping me by the burned house’s ruins. Regret and irony intertwine in this poignant mom...

regret (87) irony (348) ruin (53) house (12) farewell (20) sorrow (325) reversal (19) memory (202) destruction (292) emotion (652)

एष्यन्ति यावद् गणनाद् दिगन्तान्
नृपाः स्मरार्ताः शरणे प्रवेष्टुम्।
इमे पदाब्जे विधिनापि सृष्टास् तावत्य
एकाङ्गुलयोऽत्र लेखाः॥

Kings, driven by desire, will beg at her feet before these feet even finish stepping across the earth—so few yet so powerful. A hyperbolic image of fe...

kings (49) desire (898) woman (157) power (396) surrender (223) feet (34) irony (348) cosmic scale (5) fate (402) exaggeration (34)

एष्यन्त्यवश्यमधुना हृदयाधिनाथा
मुग्धा मुधा कुरुत मा विविधं विलापम्।
इत्थं शशंसुरिव गर्जितकैतवेन पाथोधराः
पथिकपङ्कजलोचनाभ्यः॥

The clouds reassure the tearful travelers—your beloved will return, so cease your weeping. Nature echoes love’s promises.

clouds (59) longing (690) love (1567) return (22) reassurance (5) nature (950) emotion (652) poetry (588) waiting (8) devotion (933)

एहि गच्छ पतोत्तिष्ठ वद मौनं समाचर।
इति वित्रस्तसारङ्गनेत्रया को न वञ्चितः॥

“Come, go, fall, rise, speak, be silent”—who hasn’t been deceived by the gaze of a startled doe-eyed maiden? A satire on love’s emotional manipulation...

command (16) deception (224) love (1567) doe-eyes (2) satire (211) emotion (652) manipulation (21) poetry (588) irony (348) attraction (147)

एहि गच्छ पतोत्तिष्ठ वद मौनं समाचर।
एवमाशाग्रहग्रस्तैः क्रीडन्ति धनिनोऽर्थिभिः॥

“Come, go, rise”—thus do the wealthy toy with the desperate, like hunters with prey. A biting critique of the wealthy's treatment of the needy.

wealth (447) arrogance (135) poor (3) command (16) critique (50) manipulation (21) charity (128) deception (224) injustice (73) class (5)