aneka-saṁśayocchedi parokṣārthasya darśakam |
sarvasya locanaṁ śāstraṁ yasya nāsty andha eva saḥ ||
(Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha, Hitopadeśa: 1.10)
“The remover of numerous doubts and revealer of the invisible, śāstra is the eye of everyone. One without it is certainly blind.”
mātāpy ekā pitāpy ekā mama ca tasya pakṣiṇo |
ahaṁ munibhir ānītas sa cānīto gavāśanaiḥ |
ahaṁ munīnāṁ vacanaṁ śṛṇomi gavāśanānāṁ sa śṛṇoti vākyam |
na tasya doṣo na ca me guṇo vā saṁsargajā doṣa-guṇā bhavanti ||
(Unknown Source)
[A parrot explains why he and his brother speak and act very differently:] “Although the other bird and I have the same mother and the same father, I was taken by sages, and he was taken by cow-eaters [from our parents’ nest when we were young]. I hear the speech of sages, and he hears the statements of cow-eaters. So, there is no fault on his part or any quality on my part. Faults and qualities are produced by association.”
saṁsāra-viṣa-vṛkṣasya dve eva madhure phale |
subhāṣitaṁ ca susvādu sadbhiś ca saha saṅgamaḥ ||
(Unknown Source)
“On the poisonous tree of saṁsāra there are only two sweet fruits: highly relishable subhāṣitas and association with the sādhus.”
saṁsāra-kaṭu-vṛkṣasya dve phale amṛtopame |
subhāṣita-rasāsvādaḥ saṅgatiḥ sujane jane ||
(Subhāṣita-ratnākara)
“On the poisonous tree of saṁsāra only two fruits are like nectar: tasting the rasa of subhāṣitas and association with sādhus.”
api sahavasatām asatāṁ jalarūha-jalavad bhavaty asaṁśleṣaḥ |
dūre’pi satāṁ vasatāṁ prītiḥ kumudenduvad bhavati ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 2078)
“Even by living together with the impious, like water on a lotus leaf, there is no connection [i.e., no real bond or friendship], yet even by residing afar from the sādhus, like a lily afar from the moon, amity [i.e., friendship, affection, love, and joy] develops.”
gaṅgā pāpaṁ śaśī tāpaṁ dainyaṁ kalpa-tarur haret |
pāpaṁ tāpaṁ ca dainyaṁ sadyaḥ sādhu-samāgamaḥ ||
(Garga-saṁhitā: 10.62.9)
“The Gaṅgā removes sin, the moon suffering [alt., heat], and the desire-tree dejection [i.e., poverty]. Meeting with a sādhu [however] immediately removes sin, suffering, and dejection.”
śaile śaile na māṇikyaṁ mauktikaṁ na gaje gaje |
sādhavo na hi sarvatra candanaṁ na vane vane ||
(Cāṇakya-nīti-darśana: 2.9)
“A ruby is not on every mountain. A pearl is not on every elephant. Sādhus are not everywhere. Sandalwood is not in every forest.”
vikṛtiṁ naiva gacchanti saṅga-doṣeṇa sādhavaḥ |
āveṣṭitaṁ mahāsarpaiś candanaṁ na viṣāyate ||
(Unknown Source)
“Sādhus do not become corrupted by bad association. Sandalwood does not become poisonous [even] when encircled by large snakes.”
upakāriṣu yaḥ sādhuḥ sādhutve tasya ko guṇaḥ |
apakāriṣu yaḥ sādhuḥ sa sādhuḥ sadbhir ucyate ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 7031)
“What sort of quality is the goodness of one who is good [only] to those who are helpful [to oneself]? One who is good [even] to those who are harmful [to oneself] is said to be good [i.e., a sādhu] by the wise.”
asadbhiḥ śapathenoktaṁ jale likhitam akṣaram |
sadbhis tu līlayā proktaṁ śilā-likhitam akṣaram ||
(Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra)
“The words [even] under oath of the wicked are like letters written on water [i.e., completely insubstantial]. The [even] playful words of sādhus, however, are like words written in stone [i.e., they certainly prove truthful].”
