| | English | | Devanagari | | Telugu | | Tamil | | Kannada | | Malayalam | | Gujarati | | Odia | | Bengali | | |
| | Marathi | | Assamese | | Punjabi | | Hindi | | Samskritam | | Konkani | | Nepali | | Sinhala | | Grantha | | |
|
Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 4 āyuḥ karma cha vittaṃ cha vidyā nidhanamēva cha । These five: the life-span, the type of work, wealth, learning and the time of one's death are determined while one is in the womb. sādhubhyastē nivartantē putramitrāṇi bāndhavāḥ । Offspring, friends and relatives flee from a devotee of the Lord: yet those who follow him bring merit to their families through their devotion. darśanadhyānasaṃsparśairmatsī kūrmī cha pakṣiṇī । Fish, tortoises, and birds bring up their young by means of sight, attention and touch; so do saintly men afford protection to their associates by the same means. yāvatsvasthō hyayaṃ dēhō yāvanmṛtyuścha dūrataḥ । As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is immanent what can you do? kāmadhēnuguṇā vidyā hyakālē phaladāyinī । Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons. Like a mother, it feeds you on your journey. Therefore learning is a hidden treasure. ēkō'pi guṇavānputrō nirguṇēna śatēna kim । A single son endowed with good qualities is far better than a hundred devoid of them. For the moon, though one, dispels the darkness, which the stars, though numerous, can not. mūrkhaśchirāyurjātō'pi tasmājjātamṛtō varaḥ । A still-born son as superior to a foolish son endowed with a long life. The first causes grief for but a moment while the latter like a blazing fire consumes his parents in grief for life. kugrāmavāsaḥ kulahīnasēvā Residing in a small village devoid of proper living facilities, serving a person born of a low family, unwholesome food, a frowning wife, a foolish son, and a widowed daughter burn the body without fire. kiṃ tayā kriyatē dhēnvā yā na dōgdhrī na garbhiṇī । What good is a cow that neither gives milk nor conceives? Similarly, what is the value of the birth of a son if he becomes neither learned nor a pure devotee of the Lord? saṃsāratāpadagdhānāṃ trayō viśrāntihētavaḥ । When one is consumed by the sorrows of life, three things give him relief: offspring, a wife, and the company of the Lord's devotees. sakṛjjalpanti rājānaḥ sakṛjjalpanti paṇḍitāḥ । Kings speak for once, men of learning once, and the daughter is given in marriage once. All these things happen once and only once. ēkākinā tapō dvābhyāṃ paṭhanaṃ gāyanaṃ tribhiḥ । Religious austerities should be practiced alone, study by two, and singing by three. A journey should be undertaken by four, agriculture by five, and war by many together. sā bhāryā yā śuchirdakṣā sā bhāryā yā pativratā । She is a true wife who is clean (suci), expert, chaste, pleasing to the husband, and truthful. aputrasya gṛhaṃ śūnyaṃ diśaḥ śūnyāstvabāndhavāḥ । The house of a childless person is a void, all directions are void to one who has no relatives, the heart of a fool is also void, but to a poverty stricken man all is void. anabhyāsē viṣaṃ śāstramajīrṇē bhōjanaṃ viṣam । Scriptural lessons not put into practice are poison; a meal is poison to him who suffers from indigestion; a social gathering is poison to a poverty stricken person; and a young wife is poison to an aged man. tyajēddharmaṃ dayāhīnaṃ vidyāhīnaṃ guruṃ tyajēt । That man who is without religion and mercy should be rejected. A guru without spiritual knowledge should be rejected. The wife with an offensive face should be given up, and so should relatives who are without affection. adhvā jarā dēhavatāṃ parvatānāṃ jalaṃ jarā । Constant travel brings old age upon a man; a horse becomes old by being constantly tied up; lack of sexual contact with her husband brings old age upon a woman; and garments become old through being left in the sun. kaḥ kālaḥ kāni mitrāṇi kō dēśaḥ kau vyayāgamau । Consider again and again the following: the right time, the right friends, the right place, the right means of income, the right ways of spending, and from whom you derive your power. agnirdēvō dvijātīnāṃ munīnāṃ hṛdi daivatam । For the twice-born the fire (Agni) is a representative of God. The Supreme Lord resides in the heart of His devotees. Those of average intelligence (alpa-buddhi or kanista-adhikari) see God only in His sri- murti, but those of broad vision see the Supreme Lord everywhere.
|
