Bhartrihari Shatakatraya
भर्तृहरि शतकत्रय
Type
Stotra
Date
5th century CE
Author
Bhartrihari
Structure
3 shatakas (centuries): Niti Shataka (ethical conduct, ~100 verses), Shringara Shataka (love and passion, ~100 verses), Vairagya Shataka (renunciation, ~100 verses); approximately 300 verses total
Language
Sanskrit
Core Teaching
The Shatakatraya presents a comprehensive arc of human spiritual maturation through three stages of life experience. The Niti Shataka teaches wise conduct, ethical discernment, and the qualities that distinguish the noble from the base, offering practical wisdom for navigating worldly life with dignity. The Shringara Shataka explores the intoxicating power of romantic love and desire, acknowledging its beauty while revealing how attachment ultimately leads to suffering and disillusionment. The Vairagya Shataka culminates in the awakening of detachment, portraying the transience of youth, wealth, and worldly pleasures, and pointing the seeker toward liberation through renunciation. Together, the three shatakas map the soul's journey from worldly engagement through passionate experience to the dawn of spiritual dispassion and the quest for the Absolute.
Key Verses
बोद्धारो मत्सरग्रस्ताः प्रभवः स्मयदूषिताः । अबोधोपहताश्चान्ये जीर्णमङ्गे सुभाषितम् ॥
boddhāro matsaragrastāḥ prabhavaḥ smayadūṣitāḥ | abodhopahatāścānye jīrṇamaṅge subhāṣitam ||
The learned are consumed by jealousy, the powerful are tainted by pride, and the rest are afflicted by ignorance — thus noble speech grows old upon my lips unheard.
This celebrated verse from the Niti Shataka captures Bhartrihari's disillusionment with society. It reveals that wisdom finds no receptive audience — scholars are envious, rulers are arrogant, and common people lack understanding. The verse exemplifies Bhartrihari's penetrating social observation and his characteristic tone of dignified resignation.
स्मितेन भावं न दधाति सम्पदा गतिं न यातीह करोति चेष्टिताम् । न वल्गु वक्ति प्रकरोति वा स्वयं स्वभावतः किं न हि चन्द्रचन्द्रिका ॥
smitena bhāvaṃ na dadhāti sampadā gatiṃ na yātīha karoti ceṣṭitām | na valgu vakti prakaroti vā svayaṃ svabhāvataḥ kiṃ na hi candracandrikā ||
Moonlight does not consciously express emotion through a smile, nor walk with the grace of prosperity, nor speak sweet words — yet by its very nature, does it not enchant all?
From the Shringara Shataka, this verse uses the imagery of moonlight to describe effortless feminine beauty and charm. Bhartrihari suggests that true allure is not contrived but arises naturally, just as moonlight enchants without intention. It reflects the poet's acute sensitivity to beauty and his ability to elevate sensory experience into philosophical contemplation.
भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ताः तपो न तप्तं वयमेव तप्ताः । कालो न यातो वयमेव याताः तृष्णा न जीर्णा वयमेव जीर्णाः ॥
bhogā na bhuktā vayameva bhuktāḥ tapo na taptaṃ vayameva taptāḥ | kālo na yāto vayameva yātāḥ tṛṣṇā na jīrṇā vayameva jīrṇāḥ ||
Pleasures were not enjoyed — rather we were consumed by them. Austerities were not performed — rather we were scorched. Time has not passed — rather we have passed away. Desire has not aged — rather we have grown old.
This iconic verse from the Vairagya Shataka is among the most quoted in all of Sanskrit literature. Through a masterful series of inversions, Bhartrihari reveals that humans do not master their experiences but are mastered by them. It encapsulates the entire teaching of the Vairagya Shataka — that worldly pursuits consume the pursuer, and only awakening to this truth can bring liberation.
Why It Matters
The Bhartrihari Shatakatraya occupies a unique position in Hindu literary and philosophical heritage as one of the most psychologically honest explorations of the human condition in Sanskrit literature. Unlike purely devotional stotras or abstract philosophical treatises, Bhartrihari writes from lived experience — tradition holds that he oscillated between monastic renunciation and worldly life multiple times before his final awakening. This autobiographical authenticity gives the work an emotional immediacy that resonates across centuries. The three shatakas together form a map of spiritual evolution that mirrors the classical Hindu ashrama system: from dharmic engagement with the world (Niti), through the fires of desire and attachment (Shringara), to the liberating clarity of dispassion (Vairagya). For modern readers, the text offers a rare combination of literary brilliance and practical wisdom. Bhartrihari's observations about human nature — the corrupting influence of power, the blindness of infatuation, the relentless march of time — remain startlingly relevant. The work demonstrates that Hindu spirituality does not demand denial of human experience but rather its full acknowledgment as the very ground from which wisdom arises. As a bridge between kavya (literary art) and darshana (philosophy), the Shatakatraya shows that beauty and truth need not be separated, making it an ideal entry point for those seeking to understand the depth and sophistication of Hindu thought beyond its ritual dimensions.
Recommended Level
Level 2
Est. reading: 3-4 hours for all three shatakas with commentary
Recommended Translation
'Poems of Life, Love, and Renunciation' by Barbara Stoler Miller (Columbia University Press) — a scholarly yet poetic rendering; also recommended is 'The Shatakatraya of Bhartrihari' by A.N.D. Haksar (Penguin Classics India) for its accessible modern English with Sanskrit text