Containing 11 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
बृह॑स्पते प्रथ॒मं वा॒चो अग्रं॒ यत्प्रैर॑त नाम॒धेयं॒ दधा॑नाः यदे॑षां॒ श्रेष्ठं॒ यद॑रि॒प्रमासी॑त्प्रे॒णा तदे॑षां॒ निहि॑तं॒ गुहा॒विः
"WHEN-men, Br̥ihaspati, giving names to objects, sent out Vâk's first and earliest utterances, All that was excellent and spotless, treasured within them, was disclosed through their affection."
सक्तु॑मिव॒ तित॑उना पु॒नन्तो॒ यत्र॒ धीरा॒ मन॑सा॒ वाच॒मक्र॑त अत्रा॒ सखा॑यः स॒ख्यानि॑ जानते भ॒द्रैषां॑ ल॒क्ष्मीर्निहि॒ताधि॑ वा॒चि
"Where, like men cleansing corn-flour in a cribble, the wise in spirit have created language, Friends see and recognize the marks of friendship: their speech retains the blessed sign imprinted."
य॒ज्ञेन॑ वा॒चः प॑द॒वीय॑माय॒न्तामन्व॑विन्द॒न्नृषि॑षु॒ प्रवि॑ष्टाम् तामा॒भृत्या॒ व्य॑दधुः पुरु॒त्रा तां स॒प्त रे॒भा अ॒भि सं न॑वन्ते
"With sacrifice the trace of Vâk they foIlowed, and found her harbouring within the R̥ishis. They brought her, dealt her forth in many places: seven singers make her tones resound in concert."
उ॒त त्वः॒ पश्य॒न्न द॑दर्श॒ वाच॑मु॒त त्वः॑ शृ॒ण्वन्न शृ॑णोत्येनाम् उ॒तो त्व॑स्मै त॒न्वं१॒॑ वि स॑स्रे जा॒येव॒ पत्य॑ उश॒ती सु॒वासाः॑
"One man hath ne'er seen Vâk, and yet he seeth: one man hath hearing but hath never heard her. But to another hath she shown her beauty as a fond well-dressed woman to her husband."
उ॒त त्वं॑ स॒ख्ये स्थि॒रपी॑तमाहु॒र्नैनं॑ हिन्व॒न्त्यपि॒ वाजि॑नेषु अधे॑न्वा चरति मा॒ययै॒ष वाचं॑ शुश्रु॒वाँ अ॑फ॒लाम॑पु॒ष्पाम्
"One man they call a laggard, dull in friendship: they never urge him on to deeds of valour. He wanders on in profitless illusion: the Voice he heard yields neither fruit,nor blossom."
यस्ति॒त्याज॑ सचि॒विदं॒ सखा॑यं॒ न तस्य॑ वा॒च्यपि॑ भा॒गो अ॑स्ति यदीं॑ शृ॒णोत्यल॑कं शृणोति न॒हि प्र॒वेद॑ सुकृ॒तस्य॒ पन्था॑म्
"No part in Vâk hath he who hath abandoned his own dear friend who knows the truth of friendship. Even if he hears her still in vain he listens: naught knows he of the path of righteous action."
अ॒क्ष॒ण्वन्तः॒ कर्ण॑वन्तः॒ सखा॑यो मनोज॒वेष्वस॑मा बभूवुः आ॒द॒घ्नास॑ उपक॒क्षास॑ उ त्वे ह्र॒दा इ॑व॒ स्नात्वा॑ उ त्वे ददृश्रे
"Unequal in the quickness of their spirit are friends endowed alike with eyes and hearing. Some look like tanks that reach the mouth or shoulder, others like pools of water fit to bathe in."
हृ॒दा त॒ष्टेषु॒ मन॑सो ज॒वेषु॒ यद्ब्रा॑ह्म॒णाः सं॒यज॑न्ते॒ सखा॑यः अत्राह॑ त्वं॒ वि ज॑हुर्वे॒द्याभि॒रोह॑ब्रह्माणो॒ वि च॑रन्त्यु त्वे
"When friendly Brahmans sacrifice together with mental impulse which the heart hath fashioned, They leave one far behind through their attainments, and some who count as Brahmans wander elsewhere."
इ॒मे ये नार्वाङ्न प॒रश्चर॑न्ति॒ न ब्रा॑ह्म॒णासो॒ न सु॒तेक॑रासः त ए॒ते वाच॑मभि॒पद्य॑ पा॒पया॑ सि॒रीस्तन्त्रं॑ तन्वते॒ अप्र॑जज्ञयः
"Those men who step not back and move not forward, nor Brahmans nor preparers of libations, Having attained to Vâk in sinful fashion spin out their thread in ignorance like spinsters."
सर्वे॑ नन्दन्ति य॒शसाग॑तेन सभासा॒हेन॒ सख्या॒ सखा॑यः कि॒ल्बि॒ष॒स्पृत्पि॑तु॒षणि॒र्ह्ये॑षा॒मरं॑ हि॒तो भव॑ति॒ वाजि॑नाय
"All friends are joyful in the friend who cometh in triumph, having conquered in assembly. He is their blame-averter, food-provider prepared is he and fit for deed of vigour."
ऋ॒चां त्वः॒ पोष॑मास्ते पुपु॒ष्वान्गा॑य॒त्रं त्वो॑ गायति॒ शक्व॑रीषु ब्र॒ह्मा त्वो॒ वद॑ति जातवि॒द्यां य॒ज्ञस्य॒ मात्रां॒ वि मि॑मीत उ त्वः
"One plies his constant task reciting verses. one sings the holy psalm in Ṣakvarî measures. One more, the Brahman, tells the lore of being, and one lays down the rules of sacrificing."