hospitality

Hospitality 

tṛṇāni bhūmir udakaṁ vāk caturthī ca sūnṛtā | satām etāni geheṣu nocchidyante kadācana || 181 || 

A grass mat (for a seat), space (for sitting), water (to refresh and drink), and, fourthly sweet words — these are never wanting in the houses of the good [for the service of guests]. śraddhayā parayā rājann upanītāni satkṛtim | pravṛttāni mahāprājña dharmiṇāṁ puṇya karmaṇām || 182 || 

Those who are virtuous and devoted to the practice of righteous acts, when desirous of entertaining (guests), have these things ready for being offered with reverence.

 pīṭhaṁ dattvā sādhave’bhyāgatāya ānīyāpaḥ parinirṇijya pādau | sukhaṁ pṛṣṭvā prativedyātma saṁsthaṁ tato dadyād annam avekṣya dhīraḥ || 183 || 

A most accomplished person is one who upon being visited by an emminent guest, first offers a seat, and then fetching water washes the guest's feet and making the usual enquirers, and asking after the guest's welfare, should then speak of one's own affairs, and thereafter serving a meal. 

bhaktaṁ ca bhajamānaṁ ca tavāsmīti vādinam | trīn etān śaraṇaṁ prāptān viṣame'pi na santyajet || 184 || 

These three should never be forsaken even in imminent danger, viz., a follower, a servant [or guest] one who seeks protection, saying — I am yours. 

avadhyā brāhmaṇā gāvaḥ striyo bālāśca jñātayaḥ | yeṣāṁ cānnāni bhuñjīta ye ca syuḥ śaraṇāgatāḥ || 185 || 

These are always inviolable, viz., learned priests, cows, relatives, children, women, those whose food is eaten, and refugees. akarmaśīlaṁ ca mahāśanaṁ ca lokadviṣṭaṁ bahu-māyaṁ nṛśaṁsam | adeśa kālajñam aniṣṭaveṣam etān gṛhe na prativāsayīta || 186 || 

One should not give refuge to these, viz., one who always acts improperly, a glutton, one who is extremely unpopular, one who is exceedingly deceitful, one who is cruel, one who is ignorant of the appropriateness of time and place, and one who dresses inappropriately

self control

Self-control 

yato yato nivartate tatas tato vimucyate | nivartanāddhi sarvato na vetti duḥkham aṇvapi || 171 || 

One is liberated from those [addictive] things from which one regularly abstains, and if one abstains from every indulgence one will never suffer even the least misery. 

sukhaṁ ca duḥkhaṁ ca bhavābhavau ca lābhālābhau maraṇaṁ jīvitaṁ ca | paryāyaśaḥ sarvam iha spṛśanti tasmād dhīro naiva hṛṣyen na śocet || 172 || 

Happiness and misery, abundance and depletion, gain and loss, life and death, are shared by all in due order. Therefore, one who is self-controlled should neither exult in joy nor repine in sorrow. saṁniyacchati yo vegam utthitaṁ krodha-harṣayoḥ | sa śriyo bhājanaṁ rājan yaścāpatsu na muhyati || 173 ||

 One that restrains the force of both anger and joy, and never loses composure under duress, easily obtains prosperity. 

kāma krodha grāhavatīṁ pañcendriya jalāṁ nadīm | nāvaṃ dhṛtimayīṁ kṛtvā janma-durgāṇi santara || 174 || 

Life is a river whose waters are the five senses, and whose crocodiles are desire and anger. Making self-control your raft, cross its currents which are represented by repeated births! 

association

Association 

yadi santaṁ sevate yady-asantaṁ tapasvinaṁ yadi vā stenam eva | vāso yathā raṅgavaśaṁ prayāti tathā sa teṣāṁ vaśam abhyupaiti || 163 || 

By association with good people or wicked, with one that is possessed of ascetic merit or with thieves, one soon takes on the influence of the companion, like a cloth from the dye in which it is soaked. 

yādṛśaiḥ saṁvivadate yādṛśāṁścopasevate | yādṛg icchecca bhavituṁ tādṛg bhavati pūruṣaḥ || 164 || 

One becomes exactly like those with whom one lives, or like those whom one serves, or like those who are one's role models.

 jarā rūpaṁ harati hi dhairyam āśā mṛtyuḥ prāṇān dharmacaryām asūyā | krodhaḥ śriyaṁ śīlam anāryasevā hriyaṁ kāmaḥ sarvam evābhimānaḥ || 165 || 

Decrepitude destroys beauty; hope destroys fortitude; death destroys life; envy destroys righteousness; anger destroys prosperity; bad association destroys good behavior; lust destroys modesty; and arrogance — everything.

 mahān apyekajo vṛkṣo balavān supratiṣṭhitaḥ | prasahya eva vātena śākhāskandhaṁ vimarditum || 166 ||

 atha ye sahitā vṛkṣāḥ saṅghaśaḥ supratiṣṭhitāḥ | te hi śīghratamānvātān sahante’nyonya saṁśrayāt || 167 || 

And the tree that stands alone, though gigantic and strong and deep-rooted, can easily have its trunk smashed and twisted by a mighty wind. But those trees, however, that grow in close compact with others are capable, owing to mutual dependence to resist winds more violent still. 

evaṁ manuṣyam apyekaṁ guṇair api samanvitam | śakyaṁ dviṣanto manyante vāyur drumam ivaikajam || 168 || 

Thus one who is alone, however endowed with all the best qualities, is regarded by foes as susceptible of being vanquished like an isolated tree by the wind. 

 anyonya samupaṣṭambhād anyonyāpāśrayeṇa ca | jñātayaḥ sampravardhante sarasīvotpalānyuta || 169 || 

Relatives again, in consequence of mutual dependence and mutual aid, grow together, like lotus-stalks in a lake. 

asantyāgāt pāpakṛtām apāpāṁs tulyo daṇḍaḥ spṛśate miśrabhāvāt | śuṣkeṇārdraṁ dahyate miśrabhāvāt tasmāt pāpaiḥ saha sandhiṁ na kuryāt || 170 || 

Just as fuel that is wet burns along with that which is dry, so an innocent person is punished equally with the guilty in consequence of constant association with the latter. Therefore, intimate friendship with malefactors should be avoided. 

nobility

Nobility 

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca || mahākulānāṁ spṛhayanti devā dharmārtha vṛddhāśca bahu śrutāśca | pṛcchāmi tvāṁ vidura praśnam etaṁ bhavanti vai kāni mahākulāni || 154 || 

Dhritarashtra said:– "The gods, they that regard both virtue and success and they that are possessed of great learning, express a liking for noble families. I ask you, O Vidura, this question, — which are those families that are called noble?" 

vidura uvāca || tapo damo brahma-vittvaṁ vitānāḥ puṇyā vivāhāḥ satatānnadānam | yeṣvevaite sapta guṇā bhavanti samyagvṛttāstāni mahākulāni || 155 || 

Vidura said:– "Asceticism, discipline, knowledge of the Vedas, sacrifices, worthy marriages, and the regular feeding of people — those families in which these seven exist or are duly practiced, are regarded as noble. 

yeṣāṁ na vṛttaṁ vyathate na yonir vṛtta prasādena caranti dharmam | ye kīrtim icchanti kule viśiṣṭāṁ tyaktānṛtās tāni mahā-kulāni || 156 || There are noble families who never deviate from doing the right thing, whose deceased ancestors are never pained [by witnessing the wrong-doings of their descendants], who cheerfully practice Dharma, who desire to enhance the unalloyed fame of their lineage, and who avoid every kind of deception. 

aṣṭau guṇāḥ puruṣaṁ dīpayanti prajñā ca kaulyaṁ ca damaḥ śrutaṁ ca | parākramaścābahu bhāṣitā ca dānaṁ yathā śakti kṛtajñatā ca || 157 || 

Wisdom, good lineage, self-discipline, learning, competency, absence of talkativeness, generosity to the extent of one's ability, and gratitude — these eight qualities shed a luster upon their possessor. prāpnoti vai vittam asadbalena nityotthānāt prajñayā pauruṣeṇa | na tveva samyag labhate praśaṁsāṁ na vṛttam āpnoti mahā-kulānām || 158 || 

One that is wicked, earns wealth it is true, by exerting his strength, by constant effort, by intelligence, and by diligence, but he can never win honest fame, nor can he acquire the virtues and manners of noble families [in any of which he may be born]. 

sapta doṣāḥ sadā rājñā hātavyā vyasanodayāḥ | prāyaśo yairvinaśyanti kṛtamūlāśca pārthivāḥ || 159 || 

striyo’kṣā mṛgayā pānaṁ vāk-pāruṣyaṁ ca pañcamam | mahacca daṇḍapāruṣyam arthadūṣaṇam eva ca || 160 || 

An executive/politician, should renounce these seven faults that produce calamity, inasmuch as they are able to effect the ruin of even well-established elites, these are; promiscuity, gambling, hunting, intoxication, harshness  of speech, severity of punishment, and misuse of wealth.

friends & foes

Friends & Foes 

tṛṇolkayā jñāyate jāta-rūpaṁ vṛtena bhadro vyavahāreṇa sādhuḥ | śūro bhayeṣv arthakṛcchreṣu dhīraḥ kṛcchrāsvāpatsu suhṛdaścārayaśca || 142 || 

Gold is tested by fire; a noble by good comportment; an honest person by good conduct. A brave person is tested during disasters; a rich person in times of adversity; and friends and foes in times of calamity. 

na tan mitraṁ yasya kopād bibheti yad vā mitraṁ śaṅkitenopacaryam | yasmin mitre pitarīvāśvasīta tad vai mitraṁ saṅgatānītarāṇi || 143 || 

One whose anger inspires fear is not a friend, neither is one who is to be waited upon with fear. One however, on whom one can repose confidence as on a parent, is a true friend. Other friendships are nominal connections. 

yadi ced apyasambandho mitra bhāvena vartate | sa eva bandhus tan mitraṁ sā gatis tat parāyaṇam || 144 || 

One who acts like a friend, even though unconnected by birth or blood, is a true friend, a real refuge and a protector. 

calacittasya vai puṁso vṛddhān anupasevataḥ | pāriplavamater nityam adhruvo mitra saṅgrahaḥ || 145 || 

One whose mind is unsteady, or never serves the aged, or who is of a restless disposition cannot make real stable friendships. 

akasmād eva kupyanti prasīdanty animittataḥ | śīlam etad asādhūnām abhraṁ pāriplavaṁ yathā || 146 || 

Those who suddenly give way to anger and are gratified without sufficient cause; are untrustworthy like clouds that are so inconstant. satkṛtāśca kṛtārthāśca mitrāṇāṁ na bhavanti ye | tān mṛtānapi kravyādāḥ kṛtaghnān nopabhuñjate || 147 || 

Even the birds of prey abstain from touching the dead bodies of those who having been well served and benefited by friends, show ingratitude to them. 

arthayed eva mitrāṇi sati vāsati vā dhane | nānarthayan vijānāti mitrāṇāṁ sāra phalgutām || 148 || 

Be you poor or be you rich, you should always respect your friends. Until the opportunity for some service arises, the sincerity or otherwise of friends cannot be known. 

dveṣyo na sādhur bhavati na medhāvī na paṇḍitaḥ | priye śubhāni karmāṇi dveṣye pāpāni bhārata || 149 || 

An adversery is never regarded as honest or intelligent or wise [even though being so]. One attributes everything good to loved ones; and everything evil to those one hates. 

yayościttena vā cittaṁ naibhṛtaṁ naibhṛtena vā | sameti prajñayā prajñā tayormaitrī na jīryate || 150 || 

The friendship of those persons never cools, whose feelings, secret pursuits and pleasures, and mental intrests accord in every respect [with your own]. 

kṛtajñaṁ dhārmikaṁ satyam akṣudraṁ dṛḍha bhaktikam | jitendriyaṁ sthitaṁ sthityāṁ mitram atyāgi ceṣyate || 151 || 

A friend should be one who is grateful, virtuous, truthful, magnanimous, stable, devoted, self-controlled, always dignified and one who never forsakes a friend. 

nivartamāne sauhārde prītir-nīce praṇaśyati | yā caiva phala-nirvṛttiḥ sauhṛde caiva yat sukham || 152 || 

When the reason that has caused a friendship is over, the friendship of those that are mean, the beneficial result of that connection, and the happiness also derivable from it, all come to an end. 

yatate cāpavādāya yatnam ārabhate kṣaye | alpe’py apakṛte mohān na śāntim upagacchati || 153 || 

They then begin to speak ill of their (erstwhile) friends and endeavor to inflict loss on them, and whether the loss be big or small, they fail to obtain any [personal] peace.

conquest

Conquest

 akrodhena jayet krodham asādhuṁ sādhunā jayet | jayet kadaryaṁ dānena jayet satyena cānṛtam || 138 || 

Anger must be conquered by forgiveness; and the unscrupulous must be conquered by honesty; the miser must be conquered by liberality, and falsehood must be conquered by truth.

 na svapnena jayen nidrāṁ na kāmena striyaṁ jayet | nendhanena jayed agniṁ na pānena surāṁ jayet || 139 || 

One cannot conquer sleep by lying down; women by fulfilment of desires; fire by piling on fuel and wine by drinking. 

avisaṁvādanaṁ dānaṁ samayasyāvyatikramaḥ | āvartayanti bhūtāni samyak praṇihitā ca vāk || 140 || 

Honesty, generosity, observance of the protocols of social intercourse, and well-controlled speech, bring everyone under subjugation. 

priyo bhavati dānena priya-vādena cāparaḥ | mantraṁ mūla-balenānyo yaḥ priyaḥ priya eva saḥ || 141 || 

One becomes agreeable by gifts, another by compliments and praises, a third by the force of incantations and drugs. One however, that is naturally agreeable, always remains so. 

success & failure

Success & Failure

ekaṁ hanyān na vā hanyād iṣur mukto dhanuṣmatā | buddhir buddhimat-otsṛṣṭā hanyād rāṣṭraṁ sarājakam || 129 || 

When a bowman shoots an arrow, he may or may not succeed in killing even a single person, but when an intelligent individual applies his intelligence (viciously); he may destroy an entire principality along with the ruler. 

yasmai devāḥ prayacchanti puruṣāya parābhavam | buddhiṁ tasyāpakarṣanti so’pācīnāni paśyati || 130 || 

If the gods wish someone to be defeated, they first cloud his intelligence, and it is for this reason that one becomes enamoured of dissolute activities. 

buddhau kaluṣa bhūtāyāṁ vināśe pratyupasthite | anayo naya saṅkāśo hṛdayān nāpasarpati || 131 || 

When destruction is immanent, the intelligence becomes confused, and wrong, appearing like right, firmly grips the mind. 

na devā daṇḍam ādāya rakṣanti paśupālavat | yaṁ tu rakṣitum icchanti buddhyā saṁvibhajanti tam || 132 || 

The gods do not protect people, by taking up clubs in their hands after the manner of herdsmen; unto those, however, whom they wish to protect, they grant intelligence [to make the right decisions]. 

yathā yathā hi puruṣaḥ kalyāṇe kurute manaḥ | tathā tathāsya sarvārthāḥ sidhyante nātra saṁśayaḥ || 133 || 

Whatever beneficial works a person intensely applies the mind to, those works will surely yield positive results, without a doubt. nainam chandāṁsi vṛjināt tārayanti māyā-vinaṁ māyayā vartamānam | nīḍaṁ śakuntā iva jāta-pakṣāśchandāṁsy enaṁ prajahaty antakāle || 134 ||

 The Vedas never rescue from sin a deceitful person living by defraud. On the other hand, they forsake him while he is on his death-bed, like newly fledged birds forsaking their nests. 

madyā-pānaṁ kalahaṁ pūga-vairaṁ bhāryāpatyor antaraṁ jñāti-bhedam | rāja-dviṣṭaṁ strī-pumāṁsor vivādaṁ varjyāny-āhuryaśca panthāḥ praduṣṭaḥ || 135 ||

 Drinking alcohol, quarrels, enmity with large numbers of people, fomenting domestic disputes — between couples and relatives, and creating conflict between men and women, disloyalty to the state — these and all paths that are iniquitous and should be avoided. divasenaiva tat kuryād yena rātrau sukhaṁ vaset | aṣṭaT māsena tat kuryādy ena varṣāḥ sukhaṁ vaset || 136 ||

 Do that during the day which may enable you to pass the night in happiness; and do that during eight months of the year which may enable you to pass the four months of the monsoon happily. 

pūrve vayasi tat kuryād yena vṛddhaḥ sukhaṁ vaset | yāvaj jīvena tat kuryād yena pretya sukhaṁ vaset || 137 || 

Do that during youth which will ensure a happy old age; and do that during your whole life here which may enable you to live happily hereafter.