NISHPHALAM- VYARTHAM-IN VAIN-निष्फलं -व्यर्थं

 SUBHASHITHANI:283

“Never think of any right effort as being fruitless. All right effort bears fruit, whether we see the results or not."-Unknown

( My father sri V.K.Narasimhan, former chief editor of 'The Indian Express' often used to tell me that no sincere and good effort will ever go a waste. The results will be unfailingly there sooner or later )

ऊषरेषु  च  क्षेत्रेषु  यथा बीजं  हि निष्फलं  |
उपकारोSपि नीचानां कृतो भवति तादृशः ||
Ushareshu cha kshetreshu yathaa beejam hi nishphalam.
Upakaaropi neechaanaam kruto bhavati taadrushah.
Just as in a field with saline soil it is futile to sow seeds in it (as no crop can grow on it) in the same manner any favour or help rendered to mean and wicked persons also does not produce any fruitful results.

अप्रगल्भस्य या विद्या कृपणस्य च यद्धनं |
यच्च  बाहुबलं  भीरो  व्यर्थमेतत्त्रयं   भुवि  ||Bhoja Prabhanda
Apragalbhasya  yaa vidyaa krupanasya cha yaddhanam.
Yaccha baahubalam bheero  vyarthmetattryam bhuvi.
These three things are considered as in vain: Education for the immature, wealth at the hands of a miser, physical strength of the cowardly.

தாளாண்மை இல்லாதான் வேளாண்மை பேடிகை
வாளாண்மை போலக் கெடும்.-Thirukkural 614
One who doesn’t put in hard work, trying to be beneficent to others, will fail, like the manliness of a coward ( lit-eunuch ) , who has a sword in his hand. 

यदि नात्मनि पुत्रेषु न चेत्पुत्रेषु नप्तृषु |
न त्वेव तु कृतोऽधर्मः कर्तुर्भवति निष्फलः || Manu Smriti
Yadi naatmani putreshu na chet putreshu naptrushu I
Na tveva tu kruto adharmah kartur bhavati nishphalah II—(173)
If not on himself, then on his sons,—if not on his sons, then on his grandsons (falls the punishment); an unrighteousness, once committed, never fails to bring its consequences to the perpetrator.

विषयाभिनिवेशेन न आत्मानं वेद न अपरम्।
वृक्षजीविकया जीवन् व्यर्थं भस्त्र इव यः श्वसन्॥Uddhava Gita
viṣayābhiniveśena nātmānaṁ veda nāparam I
vṛkṣa jīvikayā jīvan vyarthaṁ bhastreva yaḥ śvasan II11.21.22
Due to excessive attachment to the sense pleasures he who knows neither himself nor the supreme lives in vain like a tree and breaths like the bellows.

इतश्चेतश्च सुव्यग्रं व्यर्थमेवाऽभिधावति
दूरात् दूरतरं दीन ग्रामे कौलेयको यथा ॥२॥ Yoga vasistha
Itaschetascha suvyagram vyarthameva abhidhaavati I
Dooraat doorataram deena graame kauleyako yatha II
 The mind roves about at random with ardour and without rest from one place to another, like the poor village dog running afar and wide in quest of food.

अनानन्दकरी शून्या निष्फला व्यर्थमुन्नता ।
अमङ्गलकरी क्रूरा तृष्णा क्षीणेव मञ्जरी ॥ Yoga vasistha
anānandakarī śūnyā niṣphalā vyarthamunnatā |
amaṅgalakarī krūrā tṛṣṇā kṣīṇeva mañjarī || 1.17.21
Avarice is as vain and inane, fruitless and aspiring, unpleasant and perilous, as the dry twig of a tree, which (bears no fruit or flower) but is hurtful with its prickly point.

न हि सत्पुरुषैः सङ्गः क्वचिद्भवति निष्फलः ||

Company of noble persons is never fruitless.

नेता  यस्य  वृहस्पतिः प्रहरणं  वज्रं  सुराः सैनिकाः 
स्वर्गो  दुर्गमनुग्रह : किल  हरेरैरावतो  चारणाः  |
इत्येश्वर्यबलान्वितोSपि  बलिभिर्भग्नः परैः संगरे 
तद्व्यक्तं  वरमेव दैवशरणं धिक्  धिक् वृथा पौरुषम्  || Niti satakam                                    -
His mentor is the sage Bruhaspati ,  'Vajra' is  his most powerful weapon,  various gods are his soldiers, 'Svarga' his kingdom is safe and secure like a fort, the elephant  'Airaavat' is his mount, and the Supreme God 'Hari'  is supposedly his protector.  All these powers possessed by Indra , the ruler of Heaven are of no use while fighting with Demons and
he  is totally at the mercy of his destiny. Then fie on such power and pelf.

यस्य भार्या दयाहीना सेवको चौर्यतत्परः।
विधेयरहिताः पुत्राः  व्यर्थं हि तस्य जीवितम्।।
Yasya bharyaa dayaaheenaa sevako chaurya tatparah I
Videyarahitaah putraah vyartham hi tasya jeevitam  II
One whose wife is without compassion, whose servant is addicted to stealing, whose children are disobedient, his life is worthless.

जपस्-तपो व्रतं तीर्थं यज्ञो दानं तथैव च ।
गुरु-तत्वं-अविज्ञाय सर्वं व्यर्थं भवेत् प्रिये ॥ Guru gita

Japas tapo vratam theertam yagyo daanam tataiva cha I

Guru tatvam aviggyaaya sarvam vyartam bhavet priye  II
“Beloved! Japa (chanting of mantra), tapas (penance), vrata (ceremonial vow), tirtha (pilgrimage to holy places), yagna, danam (ceremonial gift) etc. are all useless without comprehending the principle of Guru.” (1:13)-Lord Shiva to Parvati

नित्यं स्वोदरपूरणाय सकलानुद्दिश्य वित्ताशया
व्यर्थं पर्यटनं करोमि भवतः सेवां न जाने विभो।
मज्जन्मान्तरपुण्यपाकबलतस्त्वं शर्व सर्वान्तर-
स्तिष्ठस्येव हि तेन वा पशुपते ते रक्षणीयोऽस्म्यहम् ॥Sivananda lahari
Always For filling my stomach, And desirous of becoming rich. Many I have contacted, And have travelled without aim, But knew not service to you, Oh all pervading one. Oh, Lord of all beings, Oh . Lord who wipes away sin of his devotees, Because of the good that I did in my previous birth, Knew I, that you are within all beings, And so I become fit to be saved by you.

SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH