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Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 10 dhanahīnō na hīnaścha dhanikaḥ sa suniśchayaḥ । One destitute of wealth is not destitute, he is indeed rich (if he is learned); but the man devoid of learning is destitute in every way. dṛṣṭipūtaṃ nyasētpādaṃ vastrapūtaṃ pibējjalam । We should carefully scrutinise that place upon which we step (having it ascertained to be free from filth and living creatures like insects, etc.); we should drink water which has been filtered (through a clean cloth); we should speak only those words which have the sanction of the satras; and do that act which we have carefully considered. sukhārthī chēttyajēdvidyāṃ vidyārthī chēttyajētsukham । He who desires sense gratification must give up all thoughts of acquiring knowledge; and he who seeks knowledge must not hope for sense gratification. How can he who seeks sense gratification acquire knowledge, and he who possesses knowledge enjoy mundane sense pleasure? kavayaḥ kiṃ na paśyanti kiṃ na bhakṣanti vāyasāḥ । What is it that escapes the observation of poets? What is that act women are incapable of doing? What will drunken people not prate? What will not a crow eat? raṅkaṃ karōti rājānaṃ rājānaṃ raṅkamēva cha । Fate makes a beggar a king and a king a beggar. He makes a rich man poor and a poor man rich. lubdhānāṃ yāchakaḥ śatrurmūrkhānāṃ bōdhakō ripuḥ । The beggar is a miser's enemy; the wise counsellor is the fool's enemy; her husband is an adulterous wife's enemy; and the moon is the enemy of the thief. yēṣāṃ na vidyā na tapō na dānaṃ Those who are destitute of learning, penance, knowledge, good disposition, virtue and benevolence are brutes wandering the earth in the form of men. They are burdensome to the earth. antaḥsāravihīnānāmupadēśō na jāyatē । Those that are empty-minded cannot be benefited by instruction. Bamboo does not acquire the quality of sandalwood by being associated with the Malaya Mountain. yasya nāsti svayaṃ prajñā śāstraṃ tasya karōti kim । What good can the scriptures do to a man who has no sense of his own? Of what use is as mirror to a blind man? durjanaṃ sajjanaṃ kartumupāyō nahi bhūtalē । Nothing can reform a bad man, just as the posterious cannot become a superior part of the body though washed one hundred times. āptadvēṣādbhavēnmṛtyuḥ paradvēṣāddhanakṣayaḥ । By offending a kinsman, life is lost; by offending others, wealth is lost; by offending the king, everything is lost; and by offending a brahmana one's whole family is ruined. varaṃ vanaṃ vyāghragajēndrasēvitaṃ It is better to live under a tree in a jungle inhabited by tigers and elephants, to maintain oneself in such a place with ripe fruits and spring water, to lie down on grass and to wear the ragged barks of trees than to live amongst one's relations when reduced to poverty. viprō vṛkṣastasya mūlaṃ cha sandhyā The brāhmaṇa is like tree; his prayers are the roots, his chanting of the Vedas are the branches, and his religious act are the leaves. Consequently effort should be made to preserve his roots for if the roots are destroyed there can be no branches or leaves. mātā cha kamalā dēvī pitā dēvō janārdanaḥ । My mother is kamalā dēvī (lakṣmī), my father is Lord janārdana (viṣṇu), my kinsmen are the devotees of viṣṇu and, my homeland is all the three worlds. ēkavṛkṣasamārūḍhā nānāvarṇā vihaṅgamāḥ । (Through the night) a great many kinds of birds perch(Sit and rest) on a tree but in the morning they fly in all the ten directions. Why should we lament (Expression of sorrow) for that? (Similarly, we should not grieve when we must inevitably part company from our dear ones). buddhiryasya balaṃ tasya nirbuddhēścha kutō balam । He who possesses intelligence is strong; how can the man that is unintelligent be powerful? The elephant of the forest having lost his senses by intoxication was tricked into a lake by a small rabbit. (this verse refers to a famous story from the niti-sastra called pañchatantra compiled by the pandit viṣṇuśarma). kā chintā mama jīvanē yadi harirviśvambharō gīyatē Why should I be concerned for my maintenance while absorbed in praising the glories of Lord viśvambhara (viṣṇu), the supporter of all. Without the grace of Lord Hari, how could milk flow from a mother's breast for a child's nourishment? Repeatedly thinking only in this way, O Lord of the Yadavas, O husband of lakṣmī, all my time is spent in serving Your lotus feet. gīrvāṇavāṇīṣu viśiṣṭabuddhi- annāddaśaguṇaṃ piṣṭaṃ piṣṭāddaśaguṇaṃ payaḥ । Flour has ten times the essence than rice. Milk has ten times the essence than flour. Meat has ten times essence than milk. Ghee has ten times the essence than meat. śōkēna rōgā vardhantē payasā vardhatē tanuḥ । Sickness increases through worries, body becomes healthier through milk, virility and energy increases through ghee, meat becomes stronger through meat (by consuming meat, meat may become stronger, but the full body becomes healthier only through eating vegetables).
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