DAY 250
What Good Is a Book Without Wisdom of Your Own?
기원후 3~12세기경 편찬(구전 격언시)
ORIGINAL
यस्य नास्ति स्वयं प्रज्ञा शास्त्रं तस्य करोति किम् । लोचनाभ्यां विहीनस्य दर्पणः किं करिष्यति ॥ (yasya nāsti svayaṃ prajñā śāstraṃ tasya karoti kim, locanābhyāṃ vihīnasya darpaṇaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati)
📜 THE VERSE
What can a book do for one who has no wisdom of his own? What can a mirror do for one who has no eyes?
❓ TODAY'S QUESTION
Am I only accumulating information, or actually turning it over in my own mind until it becomes wisdom?
📝Reflection
A mirror only shows the face; without eyes to see, it is useless. In the same way, a book only holds meaning; without a mind willing to chew on it and make it one's own, it is just paper. In an age flooded with information, this verse stings all the more — reading much and becoming wise are entirely different things.
— ONGO · Curator
🌱Apply It Today
Take one thing you read today and rewrite it in your own words, not the author's.
📖 Source:
Subhashita (Traditional Sanskrit Maxims).
Sanskrit original with public-domain translations consulted; rendered independently by ONGO.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
