पुण्यवन्तो लभन्ते हि जन्मास्मिन् पुण्यपत्तने ।

सुवर्णं क्रीणते यत्र शाकवद् धनिनो जना: ।।

"Only the meritorious ones get birth in the city of Pune, where the rich buy gold like buying vegetables."

वीराणां विदुषां चैव यदासीत् पुण्यपत्तनम् ।

तदेवाधुनिके काले जनै: सङ्गणकीकृतम् ।।

"The city of Pune that used to be a city of warriors and scholars has turned in modern times into a city of computers."

यदि सङ्गणके कार्यं न कुर्यात् पुण्यपत्तनम् ।

अमेरिकायाश्चक्राणि न गमिष्यन्ति कुत्रचित् ।।

"If the city of Pune will not work on computers, the wheels of America will not go anywhere."

पुण्यपत्तनबाला येऽमेरिकायां धृतव्रता: ।

यदि सर्वे निवर्तेयु: किं करिष्यत्यमेरिका ।।

"The boys and girls from Pune who have taken up commitments in America, if they were all to return, what will America do?"

अमेरिका धनवती बुद्धिस्तत्र न दृश्यते ।

कुतोऽन्यथा पुण्यबालानाह्वयेत् सर्वकर्मसु ।।

"America is rich, but little sign of intelligence there.  Otherwise, why will it invite the boys and girls from Pune for all kinds of work."

रे रे पुत्रक मा गच्छ दूरत: पुण्यपत्तनात् ।

न किञ्चिदूनमत्रास्ति कुतोऽन्यत्र गमिष्यसि ।।

"O my little son, don't go away from the city of Pune.  There is nothing lacking here.  Why will you go anywhere else?"

गन्तव्यमेव चेदस्ति प्रत्यागच्छ पुरं तव ।

अल्पेनैव हि कालेन, मा स्थातुं त्वं मतिं कुरु ।।

"If you must go, come back to your city after a short time.  Don't think of staying over there."

यदि सर्वे गमिष्यन्ति पुण्यपत्तनबालका: ।

अमेरिकां युरोपं वा वृद्धान् क: पालयिष्यति ।।

"If all boys and girls from Pune with go to America or Europe, who will look after the elderly?"

--

Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics
Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1608, USA