साहित्य संगीत कला विहीनः। English translation of Sanskrit shloka

Some people are not interested in any kind of art. They only keep working day and night, working and working and just earn money. For them, it is as if all the happiness of life lies in guarding their vault.

Nature has given man a huge gift. The gift is ART. And the person who, being a human, does not take interest in any art, then he is like an animal in the form of man.

In this subject the Sanskrit Subhashitkar says –

Shloka

साहित्यसङ्गीतकलाविहीनः
साक्षात्पशुः पुच्छविषाणहीनः।
तृणं न खादन्नपि जीवमानः
तद्भागधेयं परमं पशूनाम्॥

English (Roman) transliteration of the verse

sāhityasaṅgītakalāvihīnaḥ
sākṣātpaśuḥ pucchaviṣāṇahīnaḥ|
tṛṇaṃ na khādannapi jīvamānaḥ
tadbhāgadheyaṃ paramaṃ paśūnām||

We will learn both the lines of this verse one by one.

The parsing of the first line of the verse is

साहित्य-संगीत-कला-विहीनः
साक्षात् पशुः पुच्छ-विषाण-हीनः

Word to word meaning 

• साहित्य – literature, Poetry etc
• सङ्गीत – music
• कला – art
• विहीनः – who does not have
• साक्षात् – in front of eyes, literally
• पशुः – animal
• पुच्छ – tail
• विषाण – horn
• हीनः – without having

Anvay 

(यः) साहित्यसङ्गीतकलाविहीनः (अस्ति, सः) साक्षात् पुच्छविषाणहीनः पशुः (एव अस्ति)।

English translation

A person who does not have (interest in) literature, music or any other art is an animal without having a tail and horns.

Explanation

Out of all the animals in this world, the only human is the only creature that can truly laugh, rejoice. Human beings can become happy by listening to a good song or seeing a beautiful picture or listening to a good story. But some people have nothing to do with these arts. 

Animals also eat, drink, fear, sleep and grow their family. If we also keep doing the same thing, then there will be no difference between us and other animals. There is only one thing that differentiates us and other animals. And that is literature, music and art. 

Sahitya Sangit Kala

That is why the Sanskrit poet says that a person who is only after earning money, eating, drinking, sleeping and increasing his family, who don’t have an interest in art that person is only an animal without horns and tail.

Now let us consider the second line of the verse.

Parsing of the second line of the verse

तृणं न खादन् अपि जीवमानः तद् भागधेयं परमं पशूनाम्॥२॥

Word to word meaning

• तृणम् – Grass 
• न – No 
• खादन् – Eating food
• अपि – also
• जीवमानः – One who lives 
• तद् – that
• भागधेयम् – Good luck 
• परमम् – very big
• पशूनाम् – of animals

Anvaya

(सः मानवः) तृणं न खादन् अपि जीवमानः (अस्ति) तत् पशूनां परमं भागधेयम् (अस्ति)।

English translation

That man lives even without eating grass, this is the great fortune of animals. 

Explanation

In this line, the poet is ridiculing that stone-hearted person. In the first line, he was called an animal without horns and tail. Now it is the fate of other animals that this animal-like person lives without eating grass. (Because if he also starts living by eating grass, then the animals will start suffering. One share in their food will increase.)