eka eva khago mānī cirañjīvatu cātakam |
mriyate vā pipāsārto yācate vā purandaram ||
(Pañcatantra)
“Long live the cātaka, the bird of unparalleled self-respect. When afflicted with thirst, it either dies or begs from Indra [but will never drink water from anywhere but a raincloud, that is, from anywhere beneath him on the ground].”
santu ramyāṇi bhūrīṇi prārthyaṁ syād idam eva me |
iti yo nirṇayo dhīrair abhimānaḥ sa ucyate ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 14.19)
“‘Let many pleasing things be [i.e., let me disregard them], and let this alone be desirable to me [i.e., let me desire only this],’—such determination is called abhimāna by the wise.”
abhimānaṁ surāpānaṁ gauravaṁ rauravaṁ samam |
pratiṣṭhā śūkarī-viṣṭhā trayaṁ tyaktvā hariṁ bhajet ||
(Viṣṇu-sūkti: 99)
“Pride is like drinking liquor. Reverence [i.e., being revered] is like Raurava [loosely, hell]. Pratiṣṭhā is like pig-stool. Avoid these three and worship Hari.”
deho’sthi-māṁsa-rudhire’bhimatiṁ tyaja tvaṁ
jāyā-sutādiṣu sadā mamatāṁ vimuñca |
paśyāniśaṁ jagad idaṁ kṣaṇa-bhaṅga-niṣṭhaṁ
vairāgya-rāga-rasiko bhava bhakti-niṣṭhaḥ ||
(Padma Purāṇa: Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 4.79)
“You should always give up identification with the body made of bones, flesh, and blood, and lay aside possessiveness over wife, sons, and so forth. Uninterruptedly see this world to be founded on transience. Be a relisher of rāga coupled with vairāgya and fixed in bhakti.”
