Speech

mṛṣā giras tā hy asatīr asat-kathā 

mṛṣā giras tā hy asatīr asat-kathā
na kathyate yad bhagavān adhokṣajaḥ |
tad eva satyaṁ tad u haiva maṅgalaṁ
tad eva puṇyaṁ bhagavad-guṇodayam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.12.49; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha 269)

[Translation based on the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā:] “False, harsh, and improper is that speech which does not describe Bhagavān Adhokṣaja. Only that [speech] through which Bhagavān’s qualities manifest is truthful, only that is beneficial, and only that is purifying.”
[Translation based on the Bhakti Sandarbha vyākhyā:] “Vain, false, and extraneous is that speech which does not describe Bhagavān Adhokṣaja. Only that [speech] through which Bhagavān’s qualities manifest is truthful, only that is beneficial, and only that is purifying.”

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nāpṛṣṭaḥ kasyacid brūyān na cānyāyena pṛcchataḥ

nāpṛṣṭaḥ kasyacid brūyān na cānyāyena pṛcchataḥ |
jānann api hi medhāvī jaḍaval loka ācaret ||
(Manu Smṛti: 2.110)

“Unless asked, do not speak to anyone, and do not speak to someone who asks improperly. Even while knowing, an intelligent person should act like a dullard [when it is unbefitting to disclose one’s knowledge].”

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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.”

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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.”

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apriyaṁ na hi bhāṣet

apriyaṁ na hi bhāṣet na virūdhyeta kenacit |
kārya-siddhiṁ samīheta kārya-bhraṁśo hi mūrkhatā ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2189)

“Do not speak unpleasantly and do not act hostilely with anyone. [Rather, simply] Strive to accomplish your goal. Straying from the goal is foolishness.”

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laukikānāṁ hi sādhūnām

laukikānāṁ hi sādhūnām arthaṁ vāg anuvartate |
ṛṣīṇāṁ punar ādyānāṁ vācam artho’nudhāvati ||
(Uttara-rāma-carita of Bhavabhūti; Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra)

“The speech of ordinary adepts [i.e., kavis] follows the object [they describe], whereas the object runs after the speech of the original ṛṣis.”

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vāg-arthāv iva sampṛktau

vāg-arthāv iva sampṛktau vāg-artha-pratipattaye |
jagataḥ pitarau vande pārvatī-parameśvarau ||
(Raghu-vaṁśa)

“I offer obeisance to Pārvatī and Parameśvara [Śiva], the parents of the world, who are united like speech and [its] meaning, for [gaining] understanding of speech and [its] meaning [or, to understand the meaning of the Veda].”

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