rājā paśyati karṇābhyāṁ dhiyā paśyanti paṇḍitāḥ |
paśuḥ paśyati gandhena bhūte paśyanti barbarāḥ ||
(Unknown source)
“A king sees through his ears [by hearing from his ministers, spies, subjects, and so forth]. The wise see through their intellect. An animal sees through scent [i.e., their sense of smell]. Fools [however] see [only] the past [i.e., they have no foresight at all].”
kṛtasya karaṇaṁ nāsti mṛtasya maraṇaṁ tathā |
gatasya śocanaṁ nāsti hy etad veda-vidāṁ matam ||
(Unknown source)
“There is no doing of the done or dying of the dead. Similarly, there is no sorrow for the bygone. Indeed this is the view of the knowers of the Veda.”
antas-timira-nāśāya śābda-bodho nirarthakaḥ |
na naśyati tamo nāma kṛtayā dīpa-vārtayā ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1661)
“Knowledge of words [i.e., grammar, śāstra] is useless for dispelling inner darkness, as darkness is not dispelled just by engaging in discussion of a lamp.”
yadyapi bahu nādhīṣe tathāpi paṭha putra vyākaraṇam |
svajanaḥ śvajano mā bhūt sakala śakala sakṛc chakṛt ||
(Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra: Vaiyākaraṇa-praśaṁsā, 2)
“Even if you do not study a lot, at least study vyākaraṇa [i.e., grammar], my son, lest svajana (a relative) be śvajana (a dog), sakala (a whole) be śakala (a part), and sakṛt (once) be śakṛt (excrement) [i.e., so that at least you do not pronounce svajana as śvajana, sakala as śakala, and sakṛt as śakṛt, or mistake one for the other].”
anyāyopārjitaṁ dravyam artha-dūṣaṇam ucyate |
apātra-dānaṁ pātrārtha-haraṇaṁ tasya lakṣaṇam ||
(Mahābsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1806)
“An object acquired unjustly is called polluted wealth. Its characteristics are giving [wealth] to an underserving person and taking away the wealth of a deserving person.”
anirloḍita-kāryasya vāg-jālaṁ vāgmino vṛthā |
nimittād aparāddheṣor dhānuṣkasyeva valgitam ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
“The net of words [i.e., verbosity] of a speaker who has not thoroughly deliberated on the subject [meant to be addressed] is as vain as the swaggering [alt., boasting] of an archer who has missed his mark.”
na tathya-vacanaṁ satyaṁ nātathya-vacanaṁ mṛṣā |
yad-bhūta-hitam atyantaṁ tat-satyam itaran mṛṣā ||
(Subhāṣita-sudha-nidhi)
“Speaking in accord with facts is not truthfulness. Speaking not in accord with facts is not falsity. That which is supremely beneficial for living beings is truth, and that which is otherwise is falsity.”
satyaṁ bhūta-hitaṁ proktaṁ na yathārthābhibhāṣaṇam |
(Kahāvata-ratnākara)
“Truth is that which is spoken for the benefit of living beings and not [simply] speech that is factual [lit., ‘as is the object’].”
na satyaṁ kevalaṁ satyam anṛtaṁ na tathānṛtam |
hitaṁ yat sarva-lokasya tat satyaṁ śeṣam anyathā ||
(Bhārata Mañjarī)
“Truth is not just truth, and falsity is not just falsity. That which is beneficial to all beings is truth, and the remainder [i.e., all else] is otherwise [i.e., falsity].”
na puṇyaṁ satya-mātrena satyān nāśo’sti kevalāt |
(Bṛhat-kathā-mañjarī)
“There is no virtue in truth alone; from bare truth ruin ensues.”
