265. Sopānārohaṇa-nyāya
Climb the stairs one by one to reach the top. It's impossible to jump from one floor to the next. It is dangerous too. Likewise any accomplishment must be done in a step by step manner. That is what this nyāya says.
266. Sthālīpulāka-nyāya
Pulāka means grains of boiled rice. Everyone knows how to check if the rice is cooked. Just pick a few grains and squish them. If that is cooked, then so is the rest. Otherwise all the rice needs more time. This nyāya describes the scenario where a few out of a collection can be checked to arrive at a conclusion about the whole set. This is how exams are held right? A student is not examined to know whether he knows each and every topic he has studied.
267. Sthāvarajaṅgamaviṣa-nyāya
The poison from plants and metals are sthāvaraviṣa, i.e. they are static. The poison from animals are jaṅgamaviṣa, i.e. dynamic/with movement. Both can be fatal. Resulting in death. But they are opposite to each other. It is said that the sthāvaraviṣa nullifies the effects of jaṅgamaviṣa and vice versa. It is said that aconite is an antidote to the poison of the snakes.
There is a story related to this in the Mahābhārata. Bhīmasena was fed poison ladened food by Duryodhana and was drowned in the river. He reached Pātāla. The snakes there bit him. It seems the poison from the food was thus nullified and he woke up. In cases where a tit for tat strategy is used, this nyāya can be used to describe it.
268. Sthūṇānikhanana-nyāya
The nyāya is related to planting a pole. Sthūṇā means pole. When a pole is being planted, it is shaken multiple times, and the resulting cracks are filled again and again with mud and finally trampled upon by legs to ensure that it is stably planted. The intent is to make it firmly stand for a long time. Likewise when we want to establish or prove a hypothesis, we take up many arguments which are against and refute them to establish the proof on a firm footing. Even when it looks well established there might be a need to bring up arguments from other perspectives and again refute them. This nyāya can be used to describe such situations.
269. Sphaṭikalauhitya-nyāya
Lauhitya means redness. When we place a rose near a crystal it reflects the redness. Apparently it looks as though it is red too. The crystal doesn’t possess redness in reality. Likewise we sometimes find an attribute of one object to be present in another object even though it isn’t the reality. This nyāya can be used to describe such situations.
270. Svaviṣamūrcchito bhujaṅgaḥ ātmānameva daśati
A snake which has been stupefied by its own venom bites itself! A human being too enraged by his own mistakes harms himself! When one commits blunder upon blunder and destroys oneself, this nyāya is used to describe it.
271. Svāṅgulijvālayā paradāha-nyāya
Setting one’s own finger on fire to later use it to burn someone else! Whether it burns the other fellow or not, it definitely burns the first one’s finger. This nyāya is used to describe such a situation when one destroys himself first in a bid to destroy someone else.
272. Svedajanimittena śāṭakatyāga-nyāya
Svedaja means lice. Śāṭaka means clothes. Throwing away the clothes to get rid of lice! Does one throw away the paddy to get rid of the husk? Wisdom lies in getting rid of the unwanted stuff while preserving the rest. The usage of this nyāya is quite evident.
273. Hiraṇyanidhi-nyāya
People might be treading on a path beneath which there might be a huge treasure buried. They’d not know that just beneath their feet there is a treasure. When one is afflicted with disease he would go in search of a good doctor. Finally the apocryphal cure suggested by his grandmother might work. Such stories are in abundance. Doesn’t one go on a yātrā when the divinity is present within oneself?
हिरण्यनिधिं निहितमक्षेत्रज्ञा उपर्युपरि सञ्चरन्तो न विन्देयुः,
एवमेवेमाः सर्वाः प्रजा अहरहर्ब्रह्मलोकं गच्छन्त्य एतं ब्रह्मलोकं न विन्दन्त्यनृतेन हि प्रत्यूढाः (छान्दोग्य 8-3-2)People unknowingly tread on the treasure buried beneath their feet. They’d never get it or know it. Likewise everyone in their sleep experiences and becomes one with the parabrahman but still aren’t aware of it once they wake up. Because they are filled with ignorance, i.e. avidyā.
274. Hradanakra-nyāya
Hrada means pond/lake, nakra means crocodile. Since the lake is deep, the crocodile gets a safe haven. Since the crocodile is present, people don’t venture near the lake and the water remains protected. Thus due to the mutual presence both the lake and the crocodile are safe. This is similar to the vanasimha-nyāya.
Appendix
The nyāyas alluding to futility
We expect just fruits for our efforts. Wherever the efforts go futile the following nyāyas are used to convey that. Even though all these nyāyas declare how futile a venture is, there are subtle differences and their usage needs to be prudent. One size doesn’t fit all. (Some are already discussed before, here they are collected under one heading for easy reference.)
1. Araṇyarodana-nyāya
What is the use of crying in the forest? Who listens?
2. Andhadarpaṇa-nyāya
There is no use in providing a mirror to a blind man.
3. Ākāśa/Gaganaromantha-nyāya
Ruminating the sky/emptiness
4. Ākāśamuṣṭihanana-nyāya
Punching the sky!
5. Ūṣaravṛṣṭi-nyāya
Rains in the desert
6. Kākadantaparīkṣā-nyāya
Counting the crow’s teeth
7. Gardabharomagaṇana-nyāya
Counting the number of hairs on a donkey!
8. Jalatāḍana-nyāya
Punching the waters
9. Jalamanthana-nyāya
Churning the waters. Doesn’t result in butter
10. Piṣṭapeṣaṇa-nyāya
Grinding the flour. Repeating ad infinitum
11. Badhirakarṇajapa-nyāya
Whispering in the ears of the deaf
12. Mūrkhasevana-nyāya
What use would it be to serve a foolish but rich person? It's futile since they can’t judge good qualities from bad ones.
13. Mṛtamāraṇa-nyāya
Beating up the dead
14. Śavodvartana-nyāya
Decorating the dead body, anointing it with oil etc.
15. Śvapucchonnāma-nyāya
Straightening a dog’s tail.
16. Samudravṛṣti-nyāya
Raining water into the sea. Giving money to the rich. Carrying coal to newcastle. Imparting knowledge to the expert.
Concluded
This is the thirtieth and the final part of the multi-part translation of the Kannada book "Sandarbha Sukti" by Mahamahopadhyaya Vidwan Dr. N Ranganatha Sharma. Thanks to Dr. Sharada Chaitra for granting us permission to translate this wonderful work. Thanks to Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh for his inputs. The original in Kannada can be read here
