|| bhartṛhari viracita nītiśatakam ||
sāhitya-saṅgīta-kalā-vihīnaḥ
sākṣāt paśuḥ puccha-viṣāṇa-hīnaḥ |
tṛṇanna khādannapi jīvamānaḥ
tad bhāga-dheyaṃ paramaṃ paśūnām || 1.12 ||
Re-ordered word-by-word meaning
sāhitya-saṅgīta-kalā-vihīnaḥ - one bereft of good taste in literature, music and art,
sākṣāt paśuḥ -is exactly a beast (cattle),
puccha-viṣāṇa-hīnaḥ - but without a tail or horns.
tṛṇaṃ na khādan api jīvamānaḥ - That he is able to live without foraging for grass,
tad bhāga-dheyaṃ paramaṃ paśūnām - is indeed a supreme fortune of the beasts/animals (as he would be an unworthy rival for their food).
Our Samskrita teacher taught us this shloka in Sarada Vilas High School, Mysore, in the sixties. This poem was cited by my good friend Sri. K.V. Chellappa today!
Bhartrhari was a famous king-poet of Ujjain who lived before 5th century CE.
