Friday 11 January 2013

saṃkrita subhāṣita - On things that cannot change

गुडपर्वतमध्ये  तु निम्बबीजं प्रतिष्ठितम्
क्षीरधारासहस्राणि निम्बः किं मधुरायते

Planted in the middle of a mountain of sugar,[watered by] thousands of of streams of milk, the seed of the neem [tree] cannot be sweetened. 
(lit. how can it be sweetened)

गुड - jaggery, sugar; masc. noun
पर्वत - mountain; masc. noun
मध्ये - in the middle; locative, singular of मध्य masc.noun
तु - but, and 
निम्बः - neem; masc. noun
बीजम् - seed; neuter noun
प्रतिष्ठितम् - placed, established, [here] planted past participle from prati+sthā (1P)
क्षीरधारा - stream of milk
सहस्राणि - thousands
निम्बः - neem
किं - how
मधुरायते - to sweeten; denominative/नामधातु of madhura 

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