anarghyāṇy api ratnāni labhyante vibhavaiḥ sukham |
durlabho ratna-koṭyāpi kṣaṇo’pi hi gatāyuṣaḥ ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
“Even invaluable jewels can be obtained easily with riches, but even one moment of life bygone is difficult to attain even with millions of jewels.”
itara-pāpa-phalāni yathecchayā
vitara tāni sahe caturānana |
arasikeṣu kavitva-nivedanaṁ
śirasi mā likha mā likha mā likha ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
“I shall bear [all] those other reactions to my sins you allocate as per your wish, O Brahmā. Just do not write, do not write, do not write on my forehead, “Presenting poetics to the tasteless.”
karmaṇā jāyate jantuḥ karmaṇeva vilīyate |
sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhayaṁ kṣemaṁ karmaṇevābhipadyate ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
“A living being is born because of his karma and dies because of his karma. Happiness, distress, fear, and well-being [all] arise only because of karma.”
karmaṇā manasā vācā parapīḍāṁ karoti yaḥ |
tad-bījaṁ janma phalati prabhūtaṁ tasya cāśubham ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1827)
“He who harms others with his actions, mind, and speech—the seed produced by this [behavior] results in immense inauspiciousness for him.”
apṛṣṭvaiva bhaven mūḍhaḥ jñānaṁ manasi cintanāt |
apūrṇaḥ kurute śabdaṁ na pūrṇaḥ kurute ghaṭaḥ ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2125)
“By not questioning, one becomes foolish. Wisdom comes from reflection in the mind. A vessel that is not full makes noise. A full vessel does not.”
anityatve kṛta-matir mlāna-mālye na śocati |
nityatve kṛta-buddhis tu bhinna-bhāṇḍe’nuśocati ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
“When the mind is fixed regarding impermanence, it does not lament over [even] a withered garland. When the mind is fixed on permanence, however, it laments over [even] a broken pot.”
api kriyārthaṁ sulabhaṁ samit-kuśaṁ
jalāny api snāna-vidhi kṣamāṇi te |
api sva-śaktyā tapasi vartase
śarīram ādyaṁ khalu dharma-sādhanam ||
(Kumāra-sambhavam: 5.33; cited in Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2016)
[Śiva in the form of a young boy asks Pārvatī the following questions as she is performing ongoing penance to attain Śiva as her husband:] “Are samit and kuśa for your rites easy for you to obtain? Do you have suitable water for your regular baths? Are you engaging in austerities according to your ability? The body, indeed, is the primary means of [following] dharma.”
apakāra-daśāyām apy upakurvanti sādhavaḥ |
chindantam api vṛkṣaḥ sva-chāyayā kiṁ na rakṣati ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1876)
“Even in a condition of [receiving] harm, sādhus help [those who harm them]. Does a tree even while being chopped down not offer protection [to those who are cutting it] with its own shade?”
apriya-vacanāṅgārair dagdho’pi na vipriyaṁ vadaty āryaḥ |
kiṁ dahyamānam agaru svabhāva-surabhiṁ parityajati ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2194)
“Even if burnt by the coals of unpleasant words, a noble person do not say something unpleasant [in response]. Does [even] a burning piece of aloewood give up its natural fragrance?”
abhimāna-dhanaṁ yeṣāṁ ciraṁ jīvanti te narāḥ |
abhimāna-vihīnānāṁ kiṁ dhanena kim āyuṣā ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2306)
“People who have the wealth of self-respect live long. What can wealth and what can life do for those who have no self-respect?”
