My father Arunadri Ram devoted his spare time in learning and promoting Sanskrit. It was typical to see him at his typewriter and later, his computer typing his translations of any and every Sanskrit verse he came across. He did it for his own satisfaction and hoped that his children will benefit from it.
I am honored and privileged to possess his monumental works that I will be presenting here.
Versus from Kalidasa कालिदासः
पुराणमित्येव न साघु सर्वम् न चापि काव्यं नवमित्यवघ्यम् ।
सन्तः परीक्ष्यान्यतरद्भजन्ते मूढः परप्रत्ययनेयबुघ्दिः ।।Antiquity alone by itself does not confer great merit on everything even like a new composition being censurable because of its newness. The virtuous perhaps pass on their opinion (criticism) to others only after they have themselves studied the work. A fool, however, is led by the opinion of others.
purāṇamityeva nasādhu sarvam na cāpi kāvyam navamityavadhyam,
santah parīkṣhānyatarad bhajante mūḍhah parapratyayaneya budhdih.
एकैश्वर्यं स्थितोअपि प्रणतबहुफलोदयः स्वयं कृत्तिवासाः
कान्तासंमिश्रितदेहोअपि अविषयमानसा परस्ताद्यतीनाम् ।
अष्टाभिर्यस्य कृत्नं जगदापि तनुभिर्बिभ्रातो नाभिमानः
सन्मार्गलोकनाय व्यपनयतु स व(न)स्तामसि वृत्तिः ।। Though established as the only one in supreme felicity, the conferrer of numerous blessings to his devotees yet himself clad in elephant skin, with his body though united with his beloved, yet beyond the ken of ascetics with their minds turned wholly away from the senses, though bearing the universe with the eight forms yet having no arrogance – may He (Shiva) dispel your (our)condition of ignorance for beholding the virtuous path.
ekaiśvaryam sthitoapi praṇatabahuphalodayah svayam kṛttivāsāh
kāntāsammiśritadehoapi āvisgayamānasā parastādyatīnām,
ashṭābhiryasya kṛtnam jagadāpi tanubhirbibhrāto nābhimānah
sanmārgalokanāya vyapanayatu sa vanastāmasi vṛttih.
देवानामिदमामनान्ति मुनयः क्रतुं चाक्षुषम्
रुद्रेणेदमुमाकृतव्यतिकरे स्वाङ्गे विभक्तं द्विधा ।
त्रैगुण्योद्भवमत्र लोकचरितं नानारसं दृश्यते
नाट्यं भिन्नरुचेर्जनस्य बहुधाप्यकं समाराधनम् ।।
In praise of dance:
The sages declare this to be the becalming sacrifice to the eyes; Rudra manifested this in his union with Uma through the division of his body into two parts; in it is seen with its various sentiments the behavior of the people arising from the (three) qualities – dancing is the only gratification to the people with diverse tastes.
devānāmidamāmnānti munayah kratum cākṣusham
rudreāṇedamumākṛtavyatikare svāngge vibhaktam dvidhā,
triguṇyodabhavamatra lokacaritam nānārasam dṛśyate
nāṭym bhinnarucerjanasya bahudhāpyakam samārādhanam.
पात्रविशेषे न्यस्तं गुणान्तरं व्रजति शिल्पमाधातुः ।
जलमपिसमुद्रशुक्तौ मुक्ताफलतां पयोदयस्य ।।
An object deposited in a befitting receptacle attains excellence in a form other than its original state even indeed like the water of the cloud lodged in an oyster in the sea attaining the status of a pearl.
pātraviṣeshe nyastam guṇāntaram vrajati śilpamādhātuh,
jalamapisamudraśuktou muktāphalatām payodayasya.
या सृष्टिः सष्टुराद्या वहति विधिहुतं याहविर्याच होत्री
ये द्वे कालं विधत्तः श्रुतिविषयगुणा या स्थिता व्याप्य विश्वम् ।
यामाहुः सर्वभूतप्रकृतिरिति यया प्राणिनः प्राणवन्तः
प्रत्यक्षाभिः प्रपन्नस्तनुभिरवतु वस्ताभिरष्टाभिरीशः ।।
Eight –fold aspects of Lord Shiva:
That which is the very first creation of the creator (Water) – that which carries the oblation offered to it in the prescribed manner (Fire) – that which constitutes the priest officiating at the sacrifice -those two (Sun and Moon) which divide Time – that which stands established as the (sacred monosyllable Om) characteristic of the essence of the scriptures (Ether) – that which they say is the very nature of all beings (Earth) – that by which the living creatures are endowed with breath (air) – with those grace-conferring easily cognizable eight forms may the Lord protect you all.
yā sṛshṭih sashṭrādyā vahati vidhihutam yāhaviryāca hotri
ye dve kālam vidhattah śrutivishayaguṇā yā sthitā vyāpya viśvam,
yāmāhuh sarvabhūtaprakṛtiriti yayā prāṇinah prāṇavantah
prtyakṣābhih prapannastanubhiravatu vastābhirashṭābhirīśah.
रम्याणि विषय मधुरांश्च निशम्य शब्दान्
पर्युत्सुको भवति यत्सुखितोअपि जन्तुः ।
तच्चेतसा स्मरति नूनमबोधपूर्वम्
भावस्थिराणि जननान्तरसौहृदानि ।।
When a creature, though living at ease with happiness, becomes perturbed on seeing beautiful things and hearing sweet sounds, it certainly remembers with its mind what was unknown before but lodged in his nature, viz, the friendships it had in its births.
ramyāṇi vishaya madhurāmśca niśamya śabdān
paryutsuko bhavati yatsukhitoapi jantuh,
taccetasā smarati nā nūnamabodhapūrvam
bhāvasśthirāṇi jananāntarasouhṛdāni.
वेदान्तेषु यमाहुरेकपूरुषं व्याप्य स्थितं रोदसि
यस्मिन्नीश्वरः इत्यनन्यविषयः शब्दो यथार्थाक्षरः ।
अन्तर्यश्च मुमुक्षुभिर्नियमितप्राणादिभिर्मृग्यते
स स्थाणुः स्थिरभक्तियोगसुलभो निःश्रेयासायास्तु वः ।।
Him whom they proclaim as the only Being, who after encompassing the earth and the heaven remains (transcendent), in whom and in none else the nomenclature Ishvara (supreme overlord), accords fully with the significance of the syllable, who is sought by persons designing final emancipation through restraint over their vital life-breaths – He the permanent (eternal one), the One easily accessible through steadfast concentrated devotion – May He confer on ye all Supreme Bliss.
vedānteshu yamāhurekapūrusham vyāpya sthitam rodasi
yasminnīśvarah ityananyavishayah śabdo yathārthākṣarah,
antaryaśca mumukṣubhirniyamitaprāṇādibhirmṛgyate
sa sthāṇuh sthirabhaktiyogasulabho nihśreyāsāyāstu vah.
वागर्थाविव संपृक्तौ वागर्थप्रतिपत्तये ।
जगतः पितरौ वनदे पार्वतीपरमेश्वरौ ।।
I bow down before the parents of the universe, Parvathi and Parameswara, who are blended like the word and its import for my comprehension of the word and its meaning.
jagatah pitarou vande pārvatīparameśvarou.
I will be posting more versus by Kalidasa. I have explained the romanization of sanskrit used here. Please read and get familiar with it for reading the romanized versus.
