A HALF -ARDHAM-अर्धं

SUBHASHITHANI:218
सर्वनाशे समुत्पन्ने अर्धं त्यजति पण्डितः I

अर्धेन कुरुते कार्यं  सर्वनाशो हि दुःसहः II

Sarva naase samutpanne ardham tyajati panditah I

Ardhene kurute kaaryam sarvanasho hi duh sahah ii

“When all things are going to get lost, the wise one renounces half of it.
He manages with just the half. Complete destruction is unbearable.”

अर्धं भार्या मनुष्यस्य श्रेष्ठतमः सखा ।
भार्या मूलं त्रिवर्गस्य भार्या मूलं तरिष्यतः IIMahabharatham

Ardham bhaaryaa manushyasya shreshtamah sakhaa I

Bhaaryaa moolam trivargasya bhaaryaa moolam tarishyatah II

"A man's half is his wife, the wife is her husband's best of friends; the wife is the source of Dharma, Artha and Kāma; the wife is the source of salvation." 

पूरयेत् अन्नेनार्धं तृतीयम् उदकेन तु।
वायोस्सञ्चरणार्थाय चतुर्थम् अवशेषयेत्॥
pūrayet annenārdhaṁ tṛtīyam udakena tu|
vāyossañcaraṇārthāya caturtham avaśeṣayet||

Half of the stomach should be filled with food; the third part with liquid .The fourth part should be left free for gases to move around.

 अर्धं सज्जनसंपर्कादविद्याया विनश्यति ।
 चतुर्भागस्तु शास्त्रार्थैश्चतुर्भागं स्वयत्नतः ।।

Ardham sajjana samparkaadavidyaayaa vinasyati I

Chatur bhagastu saastraarthair chatur bhagam svayatnatah II

Half of one’s ignorance can be dispelled by association with the noble, another one quarter by learning the sastras , the remaining one quarter by one’s own self-effort.

देवेथं जगति तले पुरहराभाव​: समुन्मीषति
अर्धं दानववैरिणा गिरिजयापि अर्धं शिवस्याहृतं ।
गङ्गासागरमम्बरं शशीधरो नागाधिप​: क्ष्मातलं
सर्वज्ञत्वं ईश्वरत्वमगमत्त्वं मां च भिक्षाटनम् ॥
A poet goes to a king and says - O Lord! Lord Shiva is gone - half of his body taken away by Parvati devi  and another half  by Lord Vishnu - to become Shankara-Narayana.
Of His ornaments - The Ganga has joined the ocean, the moon has gone back to space and the serpent to the base of the earth. But his Omniscience and Omnipotence have come to you O lord!! And I am left with His begging bowl!!!

आयुर्वर्षशतं नृणां परिमितं रात्रौ तदर्धं गतं
तस्यार्धस्य परस्य चार्धमपरं बालत्ववृद्धत्वयोः।
शेषं व्याधिवियोगदुःखसहितं सेवादिभिर्नीयते
जीवे वारितरङ्गचञ्चलतरे सौख्यं कुतः प्राणिनाम्॥Vairagya satakam
āyurvarṣaśataṃ nṛṇāṃ parimitaṃ rātrau tadardhaṃ gataṃ
tasyārdhasya parasya cārdhamaparaṃ bālatvavṛddhatvayoḥ।
śeṣaṃ vyādhiviyogaduḥkhasahitaṃ sevādibhirnīyate
jīve vāritaraṅgacañcalatare saukhyaṃ kutaḥ prāṇinām॥

Men's life-span is limited to a hundred years. Half of it is spent in the darkness of nights. Of the remaining half, half is spent in childhood and old age; and the rest illnesses, bereavements, and vexatious service of others. Where is the happiness for creatures whose life is as fickle as the ripples of water?

प्रहेलिका ( Puzzle)
विराजराजपुत्रारे: यन्नाम चतुरक्षरम् ।
पूर्वार्धं तव वैरिणां परार्धं तव सड्गरे ॥

अन्वय:
विराजराजपुत्रारेः यत् नाम चतुरक्षरं अस्ति, सड्गरे (तस्य पदस्य) पूर्वार्धं तव वैरिणां (भवतु) , (तस्य पदस्य) परार्धं तव (भवतु) ।

अर्थ:

विः इतिचेत् पक्षिः | विराजः तु पक्षिराजः गरुडः |  विराजराजः गरुडस्य स्वामि महाविष्णुः | विराजराजपुत्रः महाविष्णोः पुत्रः मन्मथः | विराजराजपुत्रारिः मन्मथारिः शिवः | विराजराजपुत्रारे: शिवस्य चतुरक्षरं नाम मृत्युज्ञ्जय: | अतः अस्मिन् श्लोकस्य वास्तविकः अर्थ: “युद्धे तव वैरिणां मृत्यु: भवेत् | तव जय: भवेत्” इति अस्ति |

( I am not translating this- Leaving it to sanskrit lovers to enjoy the beauty of the prahelikaa in the original. However, the answer to the puzzle is given in sanskrit.   )

कौसल्याऽजनयद्रामं सर्वलक्षणसंयुतम्।।1.18.10।।
विष्णोरर्धं महाभागं पुत्रमैक्ष्वाकुवर्धनम्।Ramayanam

Vishnor-ardham Mahabhaagam putram ikshvaaku vardhanam I

Kausalya gave birth to a son: a facet of Visnu (as half the amsam of Vishnu), Lord of the entire universe who received obeisance from all the worlds and was adorned with all auspicious signs, the venerable one to perpetuate the Ikshvaku race.

SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH