SRI CHANAKYA NITI SASTRA - CHAPTER SIX & SEVEN
Chapter 6
1. By means of hearing one understands dharma,
malignity vanishes, knowledge is acquired, and liberation from material bondage
is gained.
2. Among birds the
crow is vile; among beasts the dog; the ascetic whose sins is abominable, but
he who blasphemes others is the worst chandala.
3. Brass is polished by ashes; copper is
cleaned by tamarind; a woman, by her menses; and a river by its flow.
4.
The king, the brahmana, and
the ascetic yogi who go abroad are respected; but the woman who wanders is
utterly ruined.
5. He who has wealth has friends. He who is
wealthy has relatives. The rich one alone is called a man, and the affluent
alone are respected as pandits.
6. As is the desire of Providence, so functions
one's intellect; one's activities are also controlled by Providence; and by the
will of Providence one is surrounded by helpers.
7. Time perfects all living beings as well as
kills them; it alone is awake when all others are asleep. Time is insurmountable.
8. Those born blind cannot see; similarly blind
are those in the grip of lust. Proud men have no perception of evil; and those
bent on acquiring riches see no sin in their actions.
9. The spirit soul goes through his own course
of karma and he himself suffers the good and bad results thereby accrued. By
his own actions he entangles himself in samsara, and by his own efforts he
extricates himself.
10. The king is obliged to accept the sins of his
subjects; the purohit (priest) suffers for those of the king; a husband suffers
for those of his wife; and the guru suffers for those of his pupils.
11. A father who is a chronic debtor, an
adulterous mother, a beautiful wife, and an unlearned son are enemies ( in
one's own home).
12. Conciliate a covetous man by means of a
gift, an obstinate man with folded hands in salutation, a fool by humouring
him, and a learned man by truthful words.
13. It is better to be without a kingdom than to
rule over a petty one; better to be without a friend than to befriend a rascal;
better to be without a disciple than to have a stupid one; and better to be
without a wife than to have a bad one.
14. How can people be made happy in a petty
kingdom? What peace can we expect from a rascal friend? What happiness can we
have at home in the company of a bad wife? How can renown be gained by
instructing an unworthy disciple?
15. Learn one thing from a lion; one from a
crane; four from a cock; five from a crow; six from a dog; and three from an
ass.
16. The one excellent
thing that can be learned from a lion is that whatever a man intends doing
should be done by him with a whole-hearted and strenuous effort.
17. The wise man should restrain his senses like
the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and
ability.
18. To wake at the proper time; to take a bold
stand and fight; to make a fair division (of property) among relations; and to
earn one's own bread by personal exertion are the four excellent things to be
learned from a cock.
19.
Union in privacy (with one's
wife); boldness; storing away useful items; watchfulness; and not easily
trusting others; these five things are to be learned from a crow.
20.
Contentment with little or
nothing to eat although one may have a great appetite; to awaken instantly
although one may be in a deep slumber; unflinching devotion to the master; and
bravery; these six qualities should be learned from the dog.
21.
Although an ass is tired, he
continues to carry his burden; he is unmindful of cold and heat; and he is
always contented; these three things should be learned from the ass.
22. He who shall
practice these twenty virtues shall become invincible in all his undertakings.
Chapter 7
1. A wise man should not reveal his loss of
wealth, the vexation of his mind, the misconduct of his own wife, base words
spoken by others, and disgrace that has befallen him.
2. He who gives up shyness in monetary dealings,
in acquiring knowledge, in eating and in business, becomes happy.
3. The happiness and peace attained by those
satisfied by the nectar of spiritual tranquillity is not attained by greedy
persons restlessly moving here and there.
4. One should feel satisfied with the following
three things; his own wife, food given by Providence and wealth acquired by
honest effort; but one should never feel satisfied with the following three;
study, chanting the holy names of the Lord (japa) and charity.
5. Do not pass between two brahmanas,
between a brahmana and his sacrificial fire, between a wife and her
husband, a master and his servant, and a plough and an ox.
6. Do not let your foot touch fire, the
spiritual master or a brahmana; it must never touch a cow, a virgin, an
old person or a child.
7. Keep one thousand cubits away from an
elephant, a hundred from a horse, ten from a horned beast, but keep away from
the wicked by leaving the country.
8. An elephant is controlled by a goad
(ankusha), a horse by a slap of the hand, a horned animal with the show of a
stick, and a rascal with a sword.
9. Brahmanas find satisfaction in a good
meal, peacocks in the peal of thunder, a sadhu in seeing the
prosperity of others, and the wicked in the misery of others.
10. Conciliate a strong man by submission, a wicked
man by opposition, and the one whose power is equal to yours by politeness or
force.
11. The power of a king lies in his mighty arms;
that of a brahmana in his spiritual knowledge; and that of a woman in
her beauty youth and sweet words.
12. Do not be very upright in your dealings for you
would see by going to the forest that straight trees are cut down while crooked
ones are left standing.
13. Swans live wherever there is water, and leave
the place where water dries up; let not a man act so -- and come and go as he
pleases.
14. Accumulated wealth is saved by spending just as
incoming fresh water is saved by letting out stagnant water.
15. He who has wealth has friends and relations; he
alone survives and is respected as a man.
16. The following four characteristics of the
denizens of heaven may be seen in the residents of this earth planet; charity,
sweet words, worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and satisfying the
needs of brahmanas.
17. The following qualities of the denizens of hell
may characterise men on earth; extreme wrath, harsh speech, enmity with one's
relations, the company with the base, and service to men of low extraction.
18. By going to the den of a lion pearls from the
head of an elephant may be obtained; but by visiting the hole of a jackal
nothing but the tail of a calf or a bit of the hide of an ass may found.
19. The life of an uneducated man is as useless as
the tail of a dog which neither covers its rear end, nor protects it from the
bites of insects.
20. Purity of speech, of the mind, of the
senses, and the of a compassionate heart are needed by one who desires to rise
to the divine platform.
21. As you seek fragrance in a flower, oil in the
sesamum seed, fire in wood, ghee in milk, and jaggery (guda) in sugarcane; so
seek the spirit that is in the body by means of discrimination.
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