A LITTLE-SVALPAM-स्वल्पं ,अल्प:

SUBHASHITHANI:217

अल्पानामपि वस्तूनां संहति: कार्यसाधिका I

तॄणैर्गुणत्वमापन्नैर् बध्यन्ते मत्तदन्तिन: II

Alpaanaamapi vastoonaam samhatih kaarasaadhikaa I

Trunair gunatvamaapannair badhyante mattadantinah II

Even small-small (insignificant) things, when put together, can do a great work. A rope made up of hay sticks can control a powerful elephant. Unity is power.

उपकर्तुं यथा स्वल्पः समर्थो न तथा महान् ।
प्रायः कूपस्तृषां हन्ति न कदापि तु वारिधिः ॥

upakartum yathA svalpaH samartho na tathA mahAn ।
prAyaH kUpaH tRuShAm hanti na kadApi tu vAridhiH ॥

A wealthy person may not be able to help the same way as small person can do. When you are thirsty, a well can help you - not an ocean.

आलस्योपहता विद्या परहस्तगताः स्त्रियः । 

अल्पबीजं हतं क्षेत्रं हन्ति सैन्यमनायकम् ॥

 Knowledge is lost by laziness; women are lost when they are in the custody of others; cultivation fails when the quantity of seeds sown is very less; an army without a commander is lost too.

अनेकशास्त्रं बहुवेदितव्यम्

अल्पश्च कालो बहवश्च विघ्ना: I

यत् सारभूतं तदुपासितव्यं

 हंसो यथा क्षीरमिवाम्भुमध्यात् II

Shaastras  are many and there is lot to be learnt. However, life is short and there are many obstacles to gaining knowledge. It is therefore necessary for one to focus on the essence and skip the others , as swan extracts milk from a mixture of milk and water.

संहतिः श्रेयसी पुंसां स्वकुलैर् अल्पकैर् अपि।

तुषेणापि परित्यक्ता न प्ररोहंति तंडुलाः॥हित्_१.३६॥- Hitopadesha,

samhatih shreyasee pumsaam svakulairalpkairapi l

tuSheNaapi parityaktaa na prarohanti taNDulaah ll

Success comes to only those people who stick by their fellow beings even if they are weak. A seed of rice cannot grow into a plant if it abandons the husk.

न स्वल्पस्य कृते भूरि नाशयेन् मतिमान् नरः ।
एतद् एवात्र पाण्डित्यं यत् स्वल्पाद् भूरि-रक्षणम् ॥ १९ ॥Pancha tantra

na svalpasya kṛte bhūri nāśayen matimān naraḥ |
etad evātra pāṇḍityaṃ yat svalpād bhūri-rakṣaṇam || 19 ||

A prudent man won't trade a big gain for the sake of a small one. It is prudence here, to give up the smaller for the protection of the bigger interest. 

अपराधं सहेताल्पं तुष्येदल्पेऽपि चोदये ।
महोपकारांश्चाध्यक्षान् प्रग्रहेणाभिपूजयेत् ॥Kautilya

aparAdhaM sahetAlpaM tuShyedalpepi chodaye ।
mahopakArAMshcadhyakShAn pragraheNa abhipUjayet ॥
Minor offences must be overlooked. One must rejoice at even small successes. When one helps you explicitly, he must be respected.

व्यसनानंतरं सौख्यं स्वल्पमप्यधिकं भवेत् ।
काषायरसमास्वाद्य स्वाद्वतीवांबु विंदते ॥

vyasanAntaram saukhyam svalpam api adhikam bhavet ।
kAShAya rasam aasvAdya svAdu atIva ambu vondate ॥

That sweetness that follows misery will look like a lot even when it is little. After drinking a bitter medicine, even plain water seems sweet.

अर्थेन हि विहीनस्य पुरुषस्याल्पमेधसः।

क्रियाः सर्वा विनश्यंति ग्रीष्मे कुसरितो यथा॥

Of a person who has no money and a little intellect,
all his actions get destroyed like a small river in summer.

अभ्रच्छाया खलप्रीति: समुद्रान्ते च मेेदिनी।

अल्पेनैव विनश्यन्ति यौवनानि धनानि च॥

Shadow of clouds, friendship with a wicked person, ground near the ocean indeed disappear shortly, similarly as youth and wealth.

अल्पकार्यकराः सन्ति ये नरा बहु भाषिणः |

शरत्कालिनमेघास्ते नूनं गर्जन्ति केवलम् ||
Alpakaaryakaraah santi ye naraah bahu bhaashiNah.
Sharatkaalinameghaaste noonam garjanti kevalam.
Those persons who are very talkative, do very little work and are just like the clouds during autumn season, which merely make rumbling sound and do not produce any rain.

अकृत्वा परसंतापमगत्वा खलनम्रताम् |
अनुसृत्य सतां वर्त्म यत्स्वल्पमपि तद् बहु ||

Akrutvaa parasamtaapam agatvaa khalanamrataam I

Anusrutya sataam vartma yatsvalpamapi tad bahoo II

Without doing trouble to others, without bowing in front of the others, by following saint's path, whatever small (is achieved) that is enough.

दारिद्र्यान्मरणाद्वा मरणं संरोचते न दारिद्र्यम् |
अल्पक्लेशं मरणं दारिद्र्यमनन्तकं दुःखम् ||
daaridryaanmaraNaadvaa maraNam samrochate na daaridryam l
alpaklesham maraNam daaridryamanantakam duhkham ll
Between poverty and death, death is always preferable and not the poverty, because death causes less suffering (and that too only once) whereas poverty causes endless suffering.

महानप्यल्पतां याति निर्गुणे गुणविस्तरः ।
आधाराधेयभावेन गजेंद्र इव दर्पणे ॥

mahAnapi alpatAm yAti nirguNe guNavistaraH ।
aadhAra adheya bhAvena gajendra iva darpaNa ॥

Even a thing with great qualities will look common if viewed from a narrow/lowly point of view. The object inherits the property of the medium. When seen in a mirror, even an elephant looks small.

अल्पज्ञः पूज्यते ग्रामे विशेषज्ञविवर्जिते ।
देशे वृक्षविनाभूतेऽप्येरण्डो हि वनस्पति: ॥

In a place devoid of trees the castor plant is treated as"King of tree'. Even a man of  half-baked knowledge is considered as a scholar where there are no real scholars available.

अनुगन्तुं सतां वर्त्म कृत्स्नं यदि न शक्यते ।
स्वल्पमप्यनुगन्तव्यं मार्गस्थो नावसीदति ॥

If following the righteous path of the noble is difficult and seems impossible, in spite, if one follows - even a little bit, he does not perish.

नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते |

स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात् || BG2.40||

nehābhikrama-nāśho ’sti pratyavāyo na vidyate
svalpam apyasya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt

Working in this state of consciousness, there is no loss or adverse result, and even a little effort saves one from great danger.
SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH