All Shlokas | Sanskrit.Today

अथवा मृदु वस्तु हिंसितुं मृदुनैवारभते प्रजान्तकः।
हिमसेकविपत्तिरत्र मे नलीनी पूर्वनिदर्शनं मता॥

Death begins gently even to destroy the soft—lotus suffering from cold dew is a classic example.

death (241) gentleness (44) fragility (29) lotus (346) cold (21) fate (402)

At Indra’s request, Arjuna performed austere penance to please Shiva, with cheerful resolve and proper method.

arjuna (34) shiva (328) penance (43) indra (54) tapas (22) devotion (933) mahabharata (41)

Bhairava, born mounted on a bull, arose from the bonds of worldly dissolution—he is a reservoir of fierce energies.

bhairava (4) destruction (292) birth (57) dissolution (18) divine (346) energy (65)

Cupid, bow resting on a maiden’s brow-arch, arrives with floral weapons, flanked by springtime companions, to salute Indra.

kama (47) love (1567) bow (31) maiden (32) beauty (1797) indra (54) spring (134) metaphor (1632)

Renouncing worldly pleasures, the king passed on the throne to his son and retired with his wife to a forest—an Iksvaku family tradition.

renunciation (267) kingship (164) tradition (283) ikshvaku (1) forest life (7) dharma (540)

The couple, struck by separation and dusk’s red hue, fell apart as if their hearts bled in anguish.

separation (258) dusk (22) pain (225) love (1567) metaphor (1632) heartache (23)

A general portrayal of love—praise of youth, gender identity, and union of lovers.

romance (506) gender (19) love (1567) union (125) classical poetry (2)

The Ganges, called out to bathe, stirred with fish and lotuses, waves crashing, humming like swans.

ganga (83) marriage (104) water (140) nature (950) bride (25) river (88) swan (53) festivity (7)

The ocean, fearing the churning, hid its treasure-rich depths within a forest pond seen by the king.

ocean (160) treasure (23) hiding (3) fear (252) king (200) forest (145) mythology (86)

Salutations to the ever-pure, eternal deity, destroyer of sin, light of consciousness, beyond rituals.

prayer (89) deity (20) consciousness (36) purity (356) transcendence (83)