Meaning: Agni is the worshipable person for the twice-born; the brahmana for the other castes; the husband for the wife; and the guest who comes for food at the midday meal for all.
Meaning: As gold is tested in four ways by rubbing, cutting, heating and beating - so a man should be tested by these four things: his renunciation, his conduct, his qualities, and his actions.
Meaning: A thing may be dreaded as long as it has not overtaken you, but once it has come upon you, try to get rid of it without hesitation.
Meaning: Though persons are born from the same womb and under the same stars, they do not become alike in disposition as the thousand fruits of the Badri tree.
Meaning: He whose hands are clean does not like to hold an office; he who desires nothing cares not for bodily decorations; he who is only partially educated cannot speak agreeably; and he who speaks out plainly cannot be a deceiver.
Meaning: The learned are envied by the foolish; rich men by the poor; chaste women by adulteresses; and beautiful ladies by ugly ones.
Meaning: Indolent application ruins study; money is lost when entrusted to others; a farmer who sows his seed sparsely is ruined, and an army is lost for want of a commander.
Meaning: Learning is retained through putting into practice; family prestige is maintained through good behavior; a respectable person is recognized by his excellent qualities, and anger is seen in the eyes.
Meaning: Religion is preserved by wealth; knowledge by diligent practice; a king by conciliatory words; and a home by a dutiful housewife.
Meaning: Those who blaspheme Vedic wisdom, who ridicule the lifestyle recommended in the sastras, and who deride men of peaceful temperament, come to grief unnecessarily.
Meaning: Charity puts an end to poverty; righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance; and scrutiny to fear.
Meaning: There is no disease (so destructive) as lust; no enemy-like infatuation; no fire like wrath; and no happiness like spiritual knowledge.
Meaning: A man is born alone and dies alone, and he experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone, and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode.
Meaning: Heaven is but a straw to him who knows spiritual life (Krsna consciousness); so is life to a valiant man; a woman to him who has subdued his senses; and the universe to him who is without attachment for the world.
Meaning: Learning is a friend on the journey; a wife in the house; medicine in sickness; and religious merit is the only friend after death.
Meaning: The rain which falls upon the sea is useless; so is food for one who is satiated; in vain is a gift for one who is wealthy, and a burning lamp during the daytime is useless.
Meaning: There is no water like rainwater; no strength like one's own; no light like that of the eyes; and no wealth dearer than food grain.
Meaning: The poor wish for wealth; animals for the faculty of speech; men wish for heaven; and godly persons for liberation.
Meaning: The earth is supported by the power of truth; it is the power of truth that makes the sunshine and the winds blow; indeed all things rest upon truth.
Meaning: The Goddess of wealth is unsteady (chanchala), and so is the life-breath. The duration of life is uncertain, and the place of habitation is uncertain, but in all this inconsistent world religious merit alone is immovable.
Meaning: Among men the barber is cunning; among birds the crow; among beasts the jackal; and among women, the malin (flower girl).
Meaning: These five are your fathers; he who gave you birth, girdled you with the sacred thread, teaches you, provides you with food and protects you from fearful situations.
Meaning: These five should be considered as mothers; the king's wife, the preceptor's wife, the friend's wife, your wife's mother, and your own mother.
Chanakya Niti Chapter 6 | चाणक्य नीति छठवाँ अध्याय
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