Modi's five poetic jibes at Congress

NEW DELHI: While replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in Lok Sabha today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited poetry—from Sanskrit to popular Hindi—to take digs at the Congress party. While PM Modi turned poetic to drive home his points and warned against linking them to the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, his verses would surely resonate with the masses in the poll-bound state which has a large audience for Sanskrit and Hindi poetry and where Kaka Hathrasi—a humorous poet quoted by PM Modi—has been hugely popular.

Here are five verses recited by PM Modi during his speech in Parliament:

1. Hard work instead of mere good plans

Uddhamain hi siddhyanti karayani na manorathe.
Na hi suptasya sinhasya pravishyanti mukhe mriga.

Translation: Work is accomplished through enterprise and not plans or intentions alone. The deer does not enter the mouth of a sleeping lion.

PM Modi quoted this Sanskrit verse to highlight that even the Congress party had made good schemes, but it lacked the initiative to implement them properly which his government is doing now.

2. I did better with all that was already there

Amantram aksharam naasti, naasti moolmanoshdham.
Ayogya purusho naasti, yojakastatra durlabha.

Translation: There is no letter of alphabet which cannot be used in a mantra, and no root which cannot be used as a medicine. There are no useless persons. Only the one who knows how to use them is scarce.

PM Modi recited this Sanskrit verse to illustrate his point that even with old schemes and old system he has done much better than the previous governments .

3. Previous governments did not think of the future

Yavat jivet, sukham jivet.
Rinam kritwa, ghritam pivet.

Translation: A verse from the Charvaka school of the ancient materialist philosophy, it says you live happily if you live in the present. So drink ghee even if you have to borrow money for it.

PM Modi quoted this verse to take a dig at the previous governments which he said cared only for themselves and not for the future of the country.

4. Your intention was bad

Antarpat main khojiye, chhipa hua hai khot.
Mil jaayegi aapko, bilkul satya report.

Translation: This verse by humorous Hindi poet Kaka Hathrasi, who belonged to Hathras in the Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh, says that look deep into your mind where the bad intentions are hidden. Introspection will give you a very true idea of yourself.

PM Modi quoted this verse to stress his point that the Congress governments did make schemes but because as their intention was bad they did not implement them.

5. You knew good from bad but still did bad

Janami dharmam na cha me pravrutthih, janami adharmam na cha me nivrutthih.

Translation: This verse is from the Mahabharata where Duryodhana says to Krishna: I know what is dharma (good conduct), yet I don't have the inclination for it. I know what is adharma, yet I cannot leave it.

PM Modi quoted this verse to highlight his point that the previous Congress governments knew well what India needed to progress but they did not do anything due to their inclinations and lack of abilities.