The man who remains a fool

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Sri Chanakya Niti-Shastra: Chapter Twelve

 

(The Political Ethics of Chanakya

Pandit)

 

 

1. He is a blessed grihasta (householder) in

whose house there is a blissful

atmosphere, whose sons are talented, whose

wife speaks sweetly, whose wealth

is enough to satisfy his desires, who finds

pleasure in the company of his wife,

whose servants are obedient, in whose house

hospitality is shown, the

auspicious Supreme Lord is worshiped daily,

delicious food and drink is

partaken, and who finds joy in the company of

devotees.

 

2. One who devotedly gives a little to a

brahmana who is in distress is

recompensed abundantly. Hence, O Prince, what

is given to a good brahmana is

got back not in an equal quantity, but in an

infinitely higher degree.

 

3. Those men who are happy in this world, who

are generous towards their

relatives, kind to strangers, indifferent to

the wicked, loving to the good, shrewd

in their dealings with the base, frank with

the learned, courageous with enemies,

humble with elders and stern with the wife.

 

4. O jackal, leave aside the body of that man

at once, whose hands have never

given in charity, whose ears have not heard

the voice of learning, whose eyes

have not beheld a pure devotee of the Lord,

whose feet have never traversed to

holy places, whose belly is filled with

things obtained by crooked practices, and

whose head is held high in vanity. Do not eat

it, O jackal, otherwise you will

become polluted.

 

5. "Shame upon those who have no devotion to

the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, the

son of mother Yasoda; who have no attachment

for the describing the glories of

Srimati Radharani; whose ears are not eager

to listen to the stories of the Lord's

lila." Such is the exclamation of the

mridanga sound of dhik-tam dhik-tam

dhigatam at kirtana.

 

6. What fault of spring that the bamboo shoot

has no leaves? What fault of the

sun if the owl cannot see during the daytime?

Is it the fault of the clouds if no

raindrops fall into the mouth of the chatak

bird? Who can erase what Lord

Brahma has inscribed upon our foreheads at

the time of birth?

 

7. A wicked man may develop saintly qualities

in the company of a devotee, but

a devotee does not become impious in the

company of a wicked person. The

earth is scented by a flower that falls upon

it, but the flower does not contact the

odour of the earth.

 

8. One indeed becomes blessed by having

darshan of a devotee; for the devotee

has the ability to purify immediately,

whereas the sacred tirtha gives purity only

after prolonged contact.

 

9. A stranger asked a brahmana, "Tell me, who

is great in this city?" The

brahmana replied, "The cluster of palmyra

trees is great." Then the traveller

asked, "Who is the most charitable person?"

The brahmana answered, "The

washerman who takes the clothes in the

morning and gives them back in the

evening is the most charitable." He then

asked, "Who is the ablest man?" The

brahmana answered, "Everyone is expert in

robbing others of their wives and

wealth." The man then asked the brahmana,

"How do you manage to live in such

a city?" The brahmana replied, "As a worm

survives while even in a filthy place

so do I survive here!"

 

10. The house in which the lotus feet of

brahmanas are not washed, in which

Vedic mantras are not loudly recited, and in

which the holy rites of svaha

(sacrificial offerings to the Supreme Lord)

and swadha (offerings to the

ancestors) are not performed, is like a

crematorium.

 

11. (It is said that a sadhu, when asked

about his family, replied thusly): truth is

my mother, and my father is spiritual

knowledge; righteous conduct is my

brother, and mercy is my friend, inner peace

is my wife, and forgiveness is my

son: these six are my kinsmen.

 

12. Our bodies are perishable, wealth is not

at all permanent and death is always

nearby. Therefore we must immediately engage

in acts of merit.

 

13. Arjuna says to Krishna. "Brahmanas find

joy in going to feasts, cows find

joy in eating their tender grass, wives find

joy in the company of their husbands,

and know, O Krishna, that in the same way I

rejoice in battle.

 

14. He who regards another's wife as his

mother, the wealth that does not belong

to him as a lump of mud, and the pleasure and

pain of all other living beings as

his own -- truly sees things in the right

perspective, and he is a true pandit.

 

15. O Raghava, the love of virtue, pleasing

speech, and an ardent desire for

performing acts of charity, guileless

dealings with friends, humility in the guru's

presence , deep tranquillity of mind, pure

conduct, discernment of virtues,

realised knowledge of the sastras, beauty of

form and devotion to God are all

found in you." (The great sage Vasistha Muni,

the spiritual preceptor of the

dynasty of the sun, said this to Lord

Ramachandra at the time of His proposed

coronation).

 

16. The desire tree is wood; the golden Mount

Meru is motionless; the

wish-fulfilling gem cintamani is just a

stone; the sun is scorching; the moon is

prone to wane; the boundless ocean is saline;

the demigod of lust lost his body

(due to Shiva's wrath); Bali Maharaja, the

son of Diti, was born into a clan of

demons; and Kamadhenu (the cow of heaven) is

a mere beast. O Lord of the

Raghu dynasty! I cannot compare you to any

one of these (taking their merits

into account).

 

17. Realised learning (vidya) is our friend

while travelling , the wife is a friend at

home, medicine is the friend of a sick man,

and meritorious deeds are the friends

at death.

 

18. Courtesy should be learned from princes,

the art of conversation from

pandits, lying should be learned from

gamblers and deceitful ways should be

learned from women.

 

19. The unthinking spender, the homeless

urchin, the quarrel monger, the man

who neglects his wife and is heedless in his

actions -- all these will soon come to

ruination.

 

20. The wise man should not be anxious about

his food; he should be anxious to

be engaged only in dharma. The food of each

man is created for him at his birth.

 

21. He who is not shy in the acquisition of

wealth, grain and knowledge, and in

taking his meals, will be happy.

 

22. As centesimal droppings will fill a pot

so also are knowledge, virtue and

wealth gradually obtained.

 

23. The man who remains a fool even in

advanced age is really a fool, just as the

Indra-Varuna fruit does not become sweet no

matter how ripe it might become.

 

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