Today's quote is near identical to the one in my first post on the theme of sanctimony – as they say, great minds ... often copy other great minds.
Devanagari text:
Devanagari text:
पीठीप्रक्षालनेन क्षितिपतिकथया सज्जनानां प्रवादैः
प्रातर्नीत्वार्धयामं कुशकुसुमसमारम्भणव्यग्रहस्ताः|
पश्चादेते निमज्जत्पुरयुवतिकुचाभोगदत्तेक्षणार्धाः
प्राणायामापदेशादिह सरिति सदा वासराणि क्षिपन्ति||
प्रातर्नीत्वार्धयामं कुशकुसुमसमारम्भणव्यग्रहस्ताः|
पश्चादेते निमज्जत्पुरयुवतिकुचाभोगदत्तेक्षणार्धाः
प्राणायामापदेशादिह सरिति सदा वासराणि क्षिपन्ति||
Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:
pIThIprakSAlanena kSitipatikathayA sajjanAnAM pravAdaiH
prAtarnItvArdhyAmaM kuzakusumasamArambhaNavyagrahastAH|
prAtarnItvArdhyAmaM kuzakusumasamArambhaNavyagrahastAH|
pazcAdete nimajjatpurayuvatikucAbhogadattekSaNArdhAH
prANAyAmApadezAdiha sariti sadA vAsarANi kSipanti||
prANAyAmApadezAdiha sariti sadA vAsarANi kSipanti||
– Anonymous
Loose translation: They always spend the first hour and a half of the morning washing their seats, telling stories about kings, gossiping about good people, and busily gathering sacred grass and flowers (for offerings), and the rest of the day catching glimpses of the full breasts of city lasses taking ritual dips, while pretending to perform breathing exercises (pranayama) on this river bank.
Source: 14th century Shaarngadharapaddhati Verse 4028.
Notes: I have translated पीठी (pIThI) as 'seat' for want of a better word, assuming it to be identical to the more common पीठिका (pIThikA) which can denote a seat (stool, bench, etc.) or the plinth of an idol – it is the known origin of words in many Northern Indic languages for a low rectangular (usually wooden) seat with short or no legs on which a deity may be placed, a preacher may station themselves while delivering sermons, or any person may sit while dining (Hindustani: पीड़ी, पिड़िया; Maithili: पीढ़ी; Bengali: পিঁড়ি).
kathA (कथा) often refers to a long and highly embellished narrative, and might have been used by the poet to suggest that the individuals targeted by the above couplet were inventing tall tales to convince their listeners of their connections to the powers that be.
Notes: I have translated पीठी (pIThI) as 'seat' for want of a better word, assuming it to be identical to the more common पीठिका (pIThikA) which can denote a seat (stool, bench, etc.) or the plinth of an idol – it is the known origin of words in many Northern Indic languages for a low rectangular (usually wooden) seat with short or no legs on which a deity may be placed, a preacher may station themselves while delivering sermons, or any person may sit while dining (Hindustani: पीड़ी, पिड़िया; Maithili: पीढ़ी; Bengali: পিঁড়ি).
kathA (कथा) often refers to a long and highly embellished narrative, and might have been used by the poet to suggest that the individuals targeted by the above couplet were inventing tall tales to convince their listeners of their connections to the powers that be.
प्रक्षालनेनेति स्त्यात्।
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