“The greatest kingdoms vanish under time’s relentless march.”
The verse: Bhartrihari Vairagya Shataka 37
The quote above is our paraphrase. This is the verse as it reads in the B. Hale Wortham translation (1886):
“Homage be to time! The delights of the city, the great king with his crowds of courtiers, the counsellors which stand before him, the women with faces beautiful as the moon, the assembly of haughty princes, the bards, the reciters—these are all borne away by time, and become but a memory.”
About the poet: Bhartrihari
Bhartrihari is the Sanskrit poet to whom the Shatakatraya is attributed: three collections of about 100 verses each, usually dated to around the 5th century CE. They cover worldly conduct (Niti), love (Shringara) and renunciation (Vairagya), often in a wry, sceptical voice.
More from Bhartrihari
- “Time devours everything, including kings and empires.”
- “Simplicity in living fosters higher thinking.”
- “Nature itself teaches us the impermanence of life.”
- “Spiritual realization requires discipline and sincerity.”
- “The wise renounce material desires for inner bliss.”
- “Compassion and humility are the marks of the enlightened.”