Conduct
vartitavyaṁ śam-icchadbhir bhaktavan na tu kṛṣṇavat
vartitavyaṁ śam-icchadbhir bhaktavan na tu kṛṣṇavat |
ity evaṁ bhakti-śāstrāṇāṁ tātparyasya vinirṇayaḥ ||
rāmādivad vartitavyaṁ na kvacid rāvaṇādivat |
ity eṣa mukti-dharmādi-parāṇāṁ naya īryate ||
(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 3.24–5)
“The bhakti-śāstra is to be followed as a bhakta, and not rather as Kṛṣṇa, by those who desire auspiciousness. This is the proper determination of the intent of the bhakti-śāstras. ‘One should act like Rāma and others [i.e., those of high character], and never like Rāvaṇa and others [i.e., those of condemnable character].’ This is said to be the proper conduct of those who seek mukti, dharma, and so on [but it is not the guideline for those who follow bhakti-śāstra].”
vastreṇa vapuṣā vācā vidyayā vinayena ca
vastreṇa vapuṣā vācā vidyayā vinayena ca |
va-kāraiḥ pañcabhir hīnaḥ naro nāyāti gauravam ||
(Unknown Source)
“Cloth, figure, speech, knowledge, and good conduct—a person without these five v’s does not attain respect.”
yā sādhūṁś ca khalān karoti viduṣo mūrkhān hitān dveṣiṇaḥ
yā sādhūṁś ca khalān karoti viduṣo mūrkhān hitān dveṣiṇaḥ
pratyakṣaṁ kurute parekṣam amṛtaṁ hālāhalaṁ tat-kṣaṇāt |
tām ārādhaya sat-kriyāṁ bhagavatīṁ bhoktuṁ phalaṁ vāñchitaṁ
he sādho vyasanair guṇeṣu vipuleṣv āsthāṁ vṛthā mā kṛthāḥ ||
(Nīti-śatakam: 98)
“O sādhu! To attain your desired goal, worship the goddess of virtuous conduct, which makes the wicked good, the foolish wise, the inimical well-wishers, the invisible visible, and poison nectar in an instant. Do not in vain passionately put faith in numerous [other] qualities.”
hari-bhaktiḥ kevalato vedānta-grantha-vācanābhyāsāt
hari-bhaktiḥ kevalato vedānta-grantha-vācanābhyāsāt
na bhaved yat pañcāṅge kadā kadā kutra vṛṣṭir iti |
tat koṣṭakaṁ sulikhitaṁ teṣāṁ puñjān na caika jala-binduḥ
tadvad bhakti-prāptau tad-ukta-guṇa-bhāk svayaṁ bhūyāt ||
(Sūkti-muktāvalī)
“Hari-bhakti does not manifest just by studying statements in texts on Vedānta, just as not even a drop of water falls from the multitudes of cells in a finely composed pañcāṅga [i.e., almanac] which state when and where there will be rain. To attain bhakti, one must become personally endowed with the stated qualities thereof [i.e., attaining bhakti is not a matter of simply reading and accumulating knowledge of it but rather requires [in additon to acquring proper knowledge of it] that one’s heart, mind, and conduct all become completely pervaded by it and all that is contrary to it be purged therewith].”
na kaścit kasyacin mitraṁ na kaścit kasyacid ripuḥ
na kaścit kasyacin mitraṁ na kaścit kasyacid ripuḥ |
vyavahāreṇa mitrāṇi jāyante ripavas tathā ||
(Hitopadeśa: 1.72)
“No one is [inherently] anyone’s friend, and no one is [inherently] anyone’s enemy. Friends and enemies are created by behavior.”
muhūrtam api jīveta naraḥ śuklena karmaṇā
muhūrtam api jīveta naraḥ śuklena karmaṇā |
na kalpam api kṛṣṇena loka-dvaya-virodhinā ||
(Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍārgāra)
“Let a person live for even a moment engaged in virtuous conduct and not for even a kalpa (epoch) in wickedness which is detrimental to both worlds [i.e., one’s present life and one’s afterlife].”
apriyam uktāḥ purūṣāḥ prayatante dvi-guṇam apriyaṁ vaktum
apriyam uktāḥ purūṣāḥ prayatante dvi-guṇam apriyaṁ vaktum |
tasmād avācyam apriyam apriyam aśrotu-kāmena ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2192)
“People to whom something unpleasant is spoken [typically] try hard to speak something twice as unpleasant [in response]. Therefore, the unpleasant should not be spoken by one who does not wish to hear the unpleasant.”
api mānuṣyakaṁ labdhvā bhavanti jñānino na ye
api mānuṣyakaṁ labdhvā bhavanti jñānino na ye |
paśutaiva varā teṣāṁ pratyavāyāpravartanāt ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2052)
“For those who even after attaining human birth do not become educated, being [born as] an animal would have been better as they would [in that case] not engage in degrading behavior.”
atiśaucam aśaucaṁ vā
atiśaucam aśaucaṁ vā atinindā atistutiḥ |
atyācāram anācāraṃ ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ mūrkha-lakṣaṇam ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
“The six characteristics of a fool are (1) excessive cleanliness [i.e., obsessive concern regarding cleanliness], (2) uncleanliness, (3) excessive criticism, (4) excessive praise, (5) excessive propriety [i.e., pretension, affectation, theatricality, artificiality, etc.], and (6) impropriety.”