Speech that is poison

[Guest guest]

adeza-kAlajJam anAyati-kSamaM

yad apriyaM lAghava-kAri cAtmanaH |

yo’trAbravIt kAraNa-varjitaM vaco

na tad-vacaH syAd viSam eva tad bhavet ||

 

"Speech that is inappropriate to time and place, that may produce unpleasant consequences in the future (to oneself or others), which is unpleasant to hear, which reveal the speaker to be petty and insignificant, and which is spoken without valid reason, is not really speech at all, but poison." (Panchatantra 3.112)

 

balopapanno'pi hi buddhimAn naraH

pare nayen na svayam eva vairitAm |

bhiSaG mamAstIti vicintya bhakSayed

akAraNAt ko hi vicakSaNo viSam ||

 

Even a powerful man does not, if he is intelligent, go about wilfully creating enemies. Does an intelligent person drink poison without reason, thinking "I have a doctor, so there is no problem."? (Panchatantra 3.113)

 

parivAdaH pariSadi

na kathaJcit paNDitena vaktavyaH |

satyam api tan na vAcyaM

yad uktam asukhAvahaM bhavati ||

 

"A wise man should not, under any circumstance, reproach others in the public arena. Even if true, if it causes distress, it should not be spoken." (Panchatantra 3.114)

[raga]

Thanks to Jagadananda for giving us the translation of these words of wisdom.

 

(You can give credit to translators even if they aren't followers of Prabhupada.)

[krsna]

muka kavitva kare yan-sabara smarane

pangu giri langhe, andha dekhe tara-gane

 

By remembering the lotus feet of the Panca-tattva, a dumb man can become a poet, a lame man can cross mountains, and a blind man can see the stars in the sky.

Cc. Adi 8.5