yathā hy ekena cakreṇa na rathasya gatir bhavet |
tathā puruṣakāreṇa vinā daivaṁ na siddhyati ||
(Hitopadeśa: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 30)
“As no movement shall occur of a chariot with only one wheel, so destiny does not accomplish anything without a person’s endeavor.”
yathā hy ekena cakreṇa na rathasya gatir bhavet Read on →
udyamena hi sidhyanti kāryāṇi na manorathaiḥ |
na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ ||
(Hitopadeśa: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 36; Pañcatantra: Mitra-samprāpti)
“Tasks are accomplished verily by industriousness, and not just by desires. Animals do not enter the mouth of a sleeping lion.”
udyamena hi sidhyanti kāryāṇi na manorathaiḥ Read on →
kāka-tāIīyavat prāptaṁ dṛṣṭvāpi nidhim agrataḥ |
na svayaṁ daivam ādatte puruṣārtham apekṣate ||
(Hitopadeśa: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 35)
“Destiny itself does not grant [one possession of] a jewel even after it has been seen present in the fore like the palm and the crow [i.e., by chance]. A person’s effort is [also] required [for one to obtain it].”
kāka-tāIīyavat prāptaṁ dṛṣṭvāpi nidhim agrataḥ Read on →
gatānugatiko lokaḥ kuṭṭanīm upadeśinīm |
pramāṇayati no dharme yathā goghnam api dvijam ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-lābha, 10)
“People, who are imitative [lit., ‘goers after that which has gone,’ i.e., just followers of what those before them have done], do not accept an advising procuress [i.e., a procuress who gives good advice] as a source of knowledge in regard to dharma as they do even a cow-killing twice-born [i.e., a highly sinful brāhmaṇa who severely transgresses the dharma or behaves in a way that clearly demonstrates he is ignorant of it].”
gatānugatiko lokaḥ kuṭṭanīm upadeśinīm Read on →
kva kasya karma saṁvīkṣya karoty anyo’pi garhitam |
gatānugatiko loko na lokaḥ pāramārthikaḥ ||
(Pañcatantra: 373)
“After observing the contemptible act of someone somewhere, another also does it. People are imitative [lit., they just follow, that is, blindly copy, those who have gone before them]. People are not seekers of a higher object [alt., the ultimate attainment, i.e., they do not really care for virtue, truth, ideals, or a spiritual end].”
kva kasya karma saṁvīkṣya karoty anyo’pi garhitam Read on →
yathā caturbhiḥ kanakaṁ parīkṣyate
nigharṣaṇa-cchedana-tāpa-tāḍanaiḥ |
tathā caturbhiḥ puruṣaḥ parīkṣyate
tyāgena śīlena guṇena karmaṇā ||
(Cāṇakya-nīti-darpaṇa)
“As gold is to be examined in four ways—by rubbing, cutting, heating, and hitting, so a person is to be examined in four respects: renunciation, character, qualities, and actions.”
yathā caturbhiḥ kanakaṁ parīkṣyate Read on →
sarva-dravyeṣu vidyaiva dravyam āhur anuttamam |
ahāryatvād anarghatvād akṣayatvāc ca sarvadā ||
(Hitopadeśa: Maṅgalācaraṇa, 4)
“Among all objects, knowledge alone is said to be the superlative object because of [its] always being inexhaustible, invaluable, and non-stealable.”
sarva-dravyeṣu vidyaiva Read on →
jāḍyaṁ hrīmati gaṇyate vrata-rucau dambhaḥ śucau kaitavaṁ
śūre nirghṛṇatā munau vimatitā dainyaṁ priyālāpini |
tejasviny avaliptatā mukharatā vaktary aśaktiḥ sthire
tat ko nāma guṇo bhavet sa guṇināṁ yo durjanair nāṅkitaḥ ||
(Nīti-śatakam: 54)
“They [i.e., those prone to fault-finding] ascribe folly to the modest,
Pretension to those who have affinity for rites,
Deceit to the honest,
Cruelty to the brave,
Stupidity to the sagacious,
Poverty to those of pleasing speech,
Arrogance to the powerful,
Garrulity to the eloquent,
And inability to the steadfast.
Is there any virtue in a virtuous person which shall not be maligned by the wicked?”
jāḍyaṁ hrīmati gaṇyate vrata-rucau dambhaḥ śucau kaitavaṁ Read on →
pradīpaḥ sarva-vidyānām upāyaḥ sarva-karmaṇām |
āśrayaḥ sarva-dharmānāṁ vidyoddeśe prakīrtitā ||
(Vātsyāyana’s Nyāya-bhāṣya on Gautama’s Nyāya-sūtra: 1.1.1)
“Ānvīkṣikī [i.e., logic (nyāya)] is stated in the enumeration of sciences [i.e., fields of knowledge] to be the lamp of all sciences (vidyās), the means for [accomplishing] all karmas, and the basis of all dharmas.”
pradīpaḥ sarva-vidyānām upāyaḥ sarva-karmaṇām Read on →
yasyāsti vittaṁ sa naraḥ kulīnaḥ
sa paṇḍitaḥ sa śrutavān guṇajñaḥ |
sa eva vaktā sa ca darśanīyaḥ
sarve guṇāḥ kāñcanam āśrayanti ||
(Nīti-śatakam: 1.41)
“One who has wealth is noble person.
He is wise.
He is learned and expert.
He is eloquent, and he is handsome.
All qualities take shelter in gold [i.e., wealth].”
yasyāsti vittaṁ sa naraḥ kulīnaḥ Read on →
