We all are students, each and everyday unknowingly we learn something.
Here are some sanskrit phrases which were written in our ancient books long back for students.
Which if you follow, really can change your life and bring success.
"Kak cheshta, Bako Dhyanam,
Shwan nidra tathaiwa cha,
Alpahari, Grihtyagi,
Vidyarthi panch lakshman
Let me explain you this :
Vidyarthi, Vidya means knowledge and Arthi means who desires knowledge.
All of us should possess Panch lakshnam - These 5 characteristic features and qualities :
1) Kaka cheshta-
Kaka means crow and cheshta means effort. So Kaka cheshta means the effort of a crow.
All of us in our childhood, has read the story of a crow, who was extremely thirsty, exhausted and was flying around looking for some water. Some moments later, the crow found a pitcher of water. The crow landed on the rim of the pitcher and found some water at the bottom of the pitcher. There was no way to drink water by putting it's beak inside the pitcher, and suddenly it got a brilliant idea, it started looking around and started picking up in its beak tiny pebbles and putting them inside the pitcher, pebble by pebble, the crow kept working hard untill the level of the water rose away up to the rim and then the crow quenched it's thirst.
Kaka cheshta refers to the patience, hardwork and the effort of the crow.
Yes, if we have to truly bring out what is within, outside we have to grow through some painful sharpening of Kakcheshta, hardwork. And don't they say that
only place where success comes before hard work is the dictionary that is because 's' comes before 'w'.
2) Bakodhyanam-
It means the intense focus of a crane.
When one looks at the crane standing on one leg, completely focused into the waters, the crane with one pointed attention is looking at the waters as the fishes are swimming inside the waters. Notice, the crane will allow
tiny, small fish to swim around and not be satisfied by them. The crane will focus and wait for the big fish to come. If the crane settles with the small fish, it will lose the big fish, and if the crane wants big fish, it has to allow small fish to pass by and go around.
Similarly in life, when you want to focus what is important you should allow the small things or disturbances to pass by, we should not be distracted by the little things like inter personal matters and conflicts sometimes there will be health crisis sometimes there might be a financial crisis.
So many things happening in life but you should apply Bakodhyanam and achieve success.
3) Shwan nidra-
Shwan means dog and nidra means sleep of dog. Shwan nidra means sleep of a dog or the alertness of a dog.
All of us have actually seen, when a dog is sleeping, although its eyes are closed the dog, is very alert to the surroundings of it. Even if there is a little noise, or even if someone walks real softly, the dog will immediately open its eyes.
All those who want knowledge in their lives and want to pursue that is meaningful, in life have to practice the quality of alertness.
There is a lot to learn in this world from people, from objects, from situations, from surroundings. One can only be aware of this knowledge when one is alert.
4) Alpahari-
Alpahari means less and agar means food. So literally, Alpahari means that a Vidyarthi, one seeking knowledge should eat less.
But this is not what is implied by this word though. Actually we have varieties of agar, like for example, for tongue, we have food, for ears we have sound, music, talks, for our eyes, we have sights, people, beautiful panaromic scenery and much more.
Yes, this is Ahar, So for each of the senses, there is Ahar. And then, when this verse says that a Vidyarthi should be alpahari, means we should be very careful of what inputs we give to our senses, because whatever inputs we give to our senses actually go and make a very deep indeliable impression on our psyche, on our inner systems; in Sanskrit that is called 'Sanskara', that indelible impression, that sensory inputs leave on our minds. Therefore, when we talk about Alpahari, it means that we should be very careful to choose those sensory inputs which are of value.
So, alpahari means to take only particular information that is good and needed into our psyche.
