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Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 17 pustakapratyayādhītaṃ nādhītaṃ gurusannidhau । The scholar who has acquired knowledge by studying innumerable books without the blessings of a bonafide spiritual master does not shine in an assembly of truly learned men just as an illegitimate child is not honoured in society. kṛtē pratikṛtiṃ kuryāddhiṃsanē pratihiṃsanam । We should repay the favours of others by acts of kindness; so also should we return evil for evil in which there is no sin, for it is necessary to pay a wicked man in his own coin. yaddūraṃ yaddurārādhyaṃ yachcha dūrē vyavasthitam । That thing which is distant, that thing which appears impossible, and that which is far beyond our reach, can be easily attained through tapasya (religious austerity), for nothing can surpass austerity. lōbhaśchēdaguṇēna kiṃ piśunatā yadyasti kiṃ pātakaiḥ What vice could be worse than covetousness? What is more sinful than slander? For one who is truthful, what need is there for austerity? For one who has a clean heart, what is the need for pilgrimage? If one has a good disposition, what other virtue is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation? What need is there for wealth for the man of practical knowledge? And if a man is dishonoured, what could there be worse in death? pitā ratnākarō yasya lakṣmīryasya sahōdarā । Though the sea, which is the reservoir of all jewels, is the father of the conch shell, and the Goddess of fortune Lakshmi is conch's sister, still the conch must go from door to door for alms (in the hands of a beggar). It is true, therefore, that one gains nothing without having given in the past. aśaktastu bhavētsādhu-rbrahmachārī vā nirdhanaḥ । When a man has no strength left in him he becomes a sādhu or a saint, one without wealth acts like a brahmachāri, a sick man behaves like a devotee of the Lord, and when a woman grows old she becomes devoted to her husband. nā'nnōdakasamaṃ dānaṃ na tithirdvādaśī samā । No gift is better than the gift of rice and water, no date is better than the dvādaśī (the twelfth day of the lunar calendar); no Mantra is greater than the gāyatrī-mantra and no God is greater than mother. takṣakasya viṣaṃ dantē makṣikāyāstu mastakē । For the serpent, the poison lies in the fangs, for the fly, it in the head, for the scorpion it is in the tail, but for the wicked person, there is poison in all parts of their body and full of it. patyurājñāṃ vinā nārī hyupōṣya vratachāriṇī । The woman who fasts and observes religious vows without the permission of her husband shortens his life, and goes to hell. na dānaiḥ śudhyatē nārī nōpavāsaśatairapi । A woman does not become holy by offering by charity, by observing hundreds of fasts, or by sipping sacred water, as by sipping the water used to wash her husbands feet. pādaśēṣaṃ pītaśēṣaṃ sandhyāśēṣaṃ tathaiva cha । The leftover water after washing one’s feet, the leftover water after drinking, and after completing the Sandhya Worship (worship conducted in the morning and evening, during the transitional phase of night to day and vice versa) should never be consumed as if is as abhorsome as the urine of dog. If one drinks it, one must perform the fast of chāndrāyaṇa. [The crux of the aphorism is that water ideally should be consumed directly from the source and not the one that is left over after performing some activity. chāndrāyaṇa vratra means keeping fast the whole day and having food and water only after seeing the moon.] dānēna pāṇirna tu kaṅkaṇēna The hand is not so well adorned by ornaments as by charitable offerings; one does not become clean by smearing sandalwood paste upon the body as by taking a bath; one does not become so much satisfied by dinner as by having respect shown to him; and salvation is not attained by self-adornment as by cultivation of spiritual knowledge. nāpitasya gṛhē kṣauraṃ pāṣāṇē gandhalēpanam । Getting a haircut done by going to a barber's house, applying sandalwood paste to a stone will reduce the grace for even Indra, the king of Devas. sadyaḥ prajñāharā tuṇḍī sadyaḥ prajñākarī vachā । The eating of tuṇḍī fruit deprives a man of his sense, while the vachā root administered revives his reasoning immediately. A woman at once robs a man of his vigour while milk at once restores it. parōpakaraṇaṃ yēṣāṃ jāgarti hṛdayē satām । He who nurtures benevolence for all creatures within his heart overcomes all difficulties and will be the recipient of all types of riches at every step. yadi rāmā yadi cha ramā yadi tanayō vinayaguṇōpētaḥ । What is not there to be enjoyed in the world for one whose wife is loving and virtuous, who possesses wealth, who has a well-behaved son endowed with good qualities, and who has a grandchildren born of his children? āhāranidrābhayamaithunāni Men have eating, sleeping, fearing and mating in common with the lower animals. That in which men excel the beasts is discretionary knowledge; hence, indiscreet men who are without knowledge should be regarded as beasts. dānārthinō madhukarā yadi karṇatālairdūrīkṛtāḥ If the bees which seek the liquid oozing from the head of a lust- intoxicated elephant are driven away by the flapping of his ears, then the elephant has lost only the ornament of his head. The bees are quite happy in the lotus filled lake. rājā vēśyā yamaśchāgnistaskarō bālayāchakau । A king, a prostitute, Lord Yamaraja, fire, a thief, a young boy, and a beggar cannot understand the suffering of others. The eighth of this category is the tax collector. adhaḥ paśyasi kiṃ bālē patitaṃ tava kiṃ bhuvi । O lady, why are you gazing downward? Has something of yours fallen on the ground? (She replies) O fool, can you not understand the pearl of my youth has slipped away? vyālāśrayāpi vikalāpi sakaṇṭakāpi O kētaki flower (of fragrant crew Pine)! Serpents live in your midst, you bear no edible fruits, your leaves are covered with thorns, you are crooked in growth, you thrive in mud, and you are not easily accessible. Still for your exceptional fragrance you are as dear as a kinsmen to others. Hence, a single excellence overcomes a multitude of blemishes.
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