The sixth lunar day of the bright half of the month of Jyaishtha (ज्यैष्ठ) is known as Aranya Shashthi (अरण्यषष्ठी) and is dedicated to the worship of various goddesses [see also this] in different parts of the Subcontinent. However, in Bengali Hinduism, it is observed (for some reason that I do not know) as Jamai Shoshthi (জামাই-ষষ্ঠী; जामातृषष्ठी) – a day when a married man is invited to the house of his in-laws and treated to a lavish meal. For obvious reasons, this ritualized annual "propitiation" (if you will) of the son-in-law by a married woman's family has its fair share of admirers, and of detractors as well.
The following verses were presumably penned by sons-in-law as thank-you notes for their relatives by marriage.
(1) Devanagari script:
The following verses were presumably penned by sons-in-law as thank-you notes for their relatives by marriage.
(1) Devanagari script:
असारे खलु संसारे सारं श्वशुरमन्दिरम्|
हरो हिमालये शेते हरिः शेते महोदधौ||
हरो हिमालये शेते हरिः शेते महोदधौ||
asAre khalu saMsAre sAraM zvazuramandiram|
haro himAlaye zete hariH zete mahodadhau||
Loose translation: The most excellent entity in this (otherwise) insubstantial world [see this] is the house of the father-in-law: Shiva reclines in the Himalayas, and Vishnu on the Great Ocean (serving as examples or reminders thereof).
Source: The prolific anthologist Purnachandra De Kabyaratna Udbhatasagara of late 19th-early 20th century Calcutta, in his Udbhata Shloka Maalaa, quotes this couplet as verse 12 of a small collection titled Dharma Viveka (धर्मविवेक) which he ascribes to one Halayudha (हलायुध) [I do not know if this attribution is to the Halayudha]. It is also quoted in other modern anthologies: Verse 55 of Section II of Kabi Kahini (কবি-কাহিনী), compiled by Sri Durgaprasanna Sengupta (শ্রীদুর্গাপ্রসন্ন সেনগুপ্ত) and published in 1895; Verse 687 of Shloka Ratnavali (শ্লোকরত্নাবলী; श्लोकरत्नावली), compiled by Sri Dinanath Sanyal (শ্রী দীননাথ সান্যাল) and first published in 1933; Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara chapter on comedy (हास्यरसनिर्देशः) Verse 12;
Notes: Shiva's wife Uma is a daughter of Himavat, the numen of the Himalayas. Shiva is generally described as an inhabitant of mountainous terrain, and the mountain primarily associated with him is Mount Kailasa, which is part of the Himalayan Region. Moreover, after the demise of his first wife Sati, Shiva spent a long time, absorbed in meditation, in Himavat's territory, where Uma, the reincarnation of Sati, met him for the first time. Vishnu's consort Lakshmi sprang from the ocean during the famous mythical episode of the Churning of the Ocean, and has many names in Sanskrit that literally translate to "ocean-daughter". In Puri, Odisha, the name Mahodadhi, "great ocean", is traditionally applied to the part of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to this coastal city (or sometimes the entire Bay / "Eastern Sea").
There is a plethora of popular shlokas beginning with the words असारे खलु संसारे सारम् . . . , most of which are either didactic or erotic; hence, the above quote can be viewed as a parody of this class of epigrams.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay used a variant of this couplet in his celebrated novel Durgeshnandini (দুর্গেশনন্দিনী; दुर्गेशनन्दिनी); in Part II Chapter 9 of this literary masterpiece, the comedic character Gajapati Vidyadiggaja (গজপতি বিদ্যাদিগ্গজ; गजपतिविद्यादिग्गज) of Brahmin descent blesses the male protagonist Jagat Singh (জগৎ সিংহ; जगत्सिंह) with the following distich:
Source: The prolific anthologist Purnachandra De Kabyaratna Udbhatasagara of late 19th-early 20th century Calcutta, in his Udbhata Shloka Maalaa, quotes this couplet as verse 12 of a small collection titled Dharma Viveka (धर्मविवेक) which he ascribes to one Halayudha (हलायुध) [I do not know if this attribution is to the Halayudha]. It is also quoted in other modern anthologies: Verse 55 of Section II of Kabi Kahini (কবি-কাহিনী), compiled by Sri Durgaprasanna Sengupta (শ্রীদুর্গাপ্রসন্ন সেনগুপ্ত) and published in 1895; Verse 687 of Shloka Ratnavali (শ্লোকরত্নাবলী; श्लोकरत्नावली), compiled by Sri Dinanath Sanyal (শ্রী দীননাথ সান্যাল) and first published in 1933; Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara chapter on comedy (हास्यरसनिर्देशः) Verse 12;
Notes: Shiva's wife Uma is a daughter of Himavat, the numen of the Himalayas. Shiva is generally described as an inhabitant of mountainous terrain, and the mountain primarily associated with him is Mount Kailasa, which is part of the Himalayan Region. Moreover, after the demise of his first wife Sati, Shiva spent a long time, absorbed in meditation, in Himavat's territory, where Uma, the reincarnation of Sati, met him for the first time. Vishnu's consort Lakshmi sprang from the ocean during the famous mythical episode of the Churning of the Ocean, and has many names in Sanskrit that literally translate to "ocean-daughter". In Puri, Odisha, the name Mahodadhi, "great ocean", is traditionally applied to the part of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to this coastal city (or sometimes the entire Bay / "Eastern Sea").
There is a plethora of popular shlokas beginning with the words असारे खलु संसारे सारम् . . . , most of which are either didactic or erotic; hence, the above quote can be viewed as a parody of this class of epigrams.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay used a variant of this couplet in his celebrated novel Durgeshnandini (দুর্গেশনন্দিনী; दुर्गेशनन्दिनी); in Part II Chapter 9 of this literary masterpiece, the comedic character Gajapati Vidyadiggaja (গজপতি বিদ্যাদিগ্গজ; गजपतिविद्यादिग्गज) of Brahmin descent blesses the male protagonist Jagat Singh (জগৎ সিংহ; जगत्सिंह) with the following distich:
यावन्मेरौ स्थिता देवा यावद्गङ्गा महीतले|
असारे खलु संसारे सारं श्वशुरमन्दिरम्||
the most excellent entity in this (otherwise) insubstantial world will continue to be the house of the father-in-law.)
(2) The following quote is, beyond doubt, unsettling to a modern reader, although it might have come across as a memorable witticism to its intended audience; remember that it was (presumably) written in an era when suttee was still prevalent in Bengal. I believe it was inspired by (1), and never became as popular as (1) for obvious reasons.
Devanagari script:
Devanagari script:
असारे खलु संसारे सारं श्वशुरकामिनी|
यस्या गर्भसमुद्भूता मृतेऽपि सहगामिनी||
यस्या गर्भसमुद्भूता मृतेऽपि सहगामिनी||
asAre khalu saMsAre sAraM zvazurakAminI|
yasyA garbhasamudbhUtA mRte(a)pi sahagAminI||
Loose translation: The most excellent entity in this (otherwise) insubstantial world is the wife of your father-in-law, for she who is born from her womb accompanies you even when you are dead.
Source: Verse 56 of Section II of Kabi Kahini (কবি-কাহিনী) [see (1) for further information on this anthology].
Notes: The first hemistich was used by the renowned Bengali dramatist Rai Bahadur Dinabandhu Mitra in his 1863 play Nabin Tapaswini (নবীন তপস্বিনী).
gRhiNIsodarasyeha gRhiNyA AdaraH paraH|
Source: Verse 56 of Section II of Kabi Kahini (কবি-কাহিনী) [see (1) for further information on this anthology].
Notes: The first hemistich was used by the renowned Bengali dramatist Rai Bahadur Dinabandhu Mitra in his 1863 play Nabin Tapaswini (নবীন তপস্বিনী).
(3) Again, in another poet's imagination, Vishnu has taken it upon himself to underscore the preeminence of one's in-laws – in particular, the brother-in-law.
Devanagari script:
Devanagari script:
गृहिणीसोदरस्येह गृहिण्या आदरः परः|
वक्षसि कौस्तुभो नित्यं लक्ष्मीः पादतले हरेः||
वक्षसि कौस्तुभो नित्यं लक्ष्मीः पादतले हरेः||
Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:
gRhiNIsodarasyeha gRhiNyA AdaraH paraH|
vakSasi kaustubho nityaM lakSmIH pAdatale hareH||
Loose translation: In this world, the wife's brother deserves greater care / respect than the wife herself: The Kaustubha jewel rests eternally upon Vishnu's chest while Lakshmi remains at his feet.
Source: Udbhata Sagara Part II Verse 204.
Notes: The jewel named Kaustubha, which adorns Vishnu's necklace, was one of the many treasures that emerged during the Churning of the Ocean [see (1) above], and is hence regarded as one of Lakshmi's brothers. In several canonical depictions, Vishnu reclines on the coils of the many-headed serpent Ananta with Lakshmi massaging his feet and shanks.
Source: Udbhata Sagara Part II Verse 204.
Notes: The jewel named Kaustubha, which adorns Vishnu's necklace, was one of the many treasures that emerged during the Churning of the Ocean [see (1) above], and is hence regarded as one of Lakshmi's brothers. In several canonical depictions, Vishnu reclines on the coils of the many-headed serpent Ananta with Lakshmi massaging his feet and shanks.
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