kāvya-śāstra-vinodena kālo gacchati dhīmatām |
vyasanena tu mūrkhāṇāṁ nidrayā kalahena vā ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-lābha, 1)
“The time of the wise is spent with the joy of kāvya-śāstra, whereas that of fools with vice, sleep, and quarrel.”
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.”
prajñām evāgamayati yaḥ prājñebhyaḥ sa paṇḍitaḥ |
prājño hy avāpya dharmārthau śaknoti sukham edhitum ||
(Mahābhārata: 5.35.57)
“One who procures wisdom from the wise is a paṇḍita, and a wise person, by attaining dharma and artha, is able to increase his happiness.”
prajñā-prasādam āruhya aśocyāḥ śocato janān |
jagatīsthān ivādristho manda-buddhīn avekṣate ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.17.19)
“Having risen to the clarity of wisdom, one who need not be grieved for observes grieving persons, those of feeble intellect, as someone situated atop a mountain [observes] those situated on the ground.”
harṣa-sthāna-sahasrāṇi bhaya-sthāna-śatāni ca |
divase divase mūḍham āviśanti na paṇḍitam ||
(Mahābhārata: Svargārohana Parva, 5.48)
“Thousands of occasions for joy, and hundreds of occasions for fear day by day affect the foolish but not the wise.”
mūrkho hi jalpatāṁ puṁsāṁ śrutvā vācaḥ śubhāśubhāḥ |
aśubhaṁ vākyam ādatte purīṣam iva sūkaraḥ ||
prājñas tu jalpatāṁ puṁsāṁ śrutvā vācaḥ śubhāśubhāḥ |
guṇavad-vākyam ādatte haṁsaḥ kṣīram ivāṁbhasaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 10.69.9–10)
“A fool, having heard a person’s beneficial and unbeneficial words, extracts the unbeneficial statements just as a hog extracts excrement [from mud]. One who is wise, however, having heard a person’s beneficial and unbeneficial words, extracts the valuable statements just as a swan extracts milk from water.”
aṅgaṇa-vedi vasudhā kulyā jaladhiḥ sthalī ca pātālam |
vālimīkaḥ ca sumeruḥ kṛta-pratijñasya dhīrasya ||
(Unknown Source)
“For the dedicated and wise, the earth is a courtyard altar, reservoirs are canals, the netherworld is a clearing, and Mount Sumeru is an anthill.”
