DAY 277
Do Deer Walk Into a Sleeping Lion's Mouth?
기원후 8~12세기경 편찬
ORIGINAL
उद्यमेन हि सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः । न हि सुप्तस्य सिंहस्य प्रविशन्ति मुखे मृगाः ॥ (udyamena hi sidhyanti kāryāṇi na manorathaiḥ, na hi suptasya siṃhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ)
📜 THE VERSE
Tasks are accomplished only by effort, not by mere wishing — deer do not walk into the mouth of a sleeping lion.
💡 TL;DR
The lion is king of the forest, but its majesty means nothing while it sleeps.
❓ TODAY'S QUESTION
What am I actually doing to get what I want — or am I only wishing for it?
📝Reflection
The lion is king of the forest, but its majesty means nothing while it sleeps. However great one's talent or qualifications, nothing happens without moving. What makes this verse so satisfying is the extremity of its image — even the mightiest creature cannot obtain the weakest one without effort, and the lion and deer make that unmistakably vivid.
— ONGO · Curator
🌱Apply It Today
Take one task you have long postponed and move it forward with just one small action today.
📖 Source:
Hitopadesha, Book 1.
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.
