1. A wise man should not
reveal his loss of wealth, the vexation of his mind,
the misconduct of his
own wife, base words spoken by others, and disgrace
that has befallen him.
2. He who gives up
shyness in monetary dealings, in acquiring knowledge, in
3. The happiness and
peace attained by those satisfied by the nectar of
spiritual tranquillity
is not attained by greedy persons restlessly moving here
and there.
4. One should feel
satisfied with the following three things; his own wife, food
given by Providence and
wealth acquired by honest effort; but one should
never feel satisfied
with the following three; study, chanting the holy names of
the Lord (japa) and
charity.
5. Do not pass between
two brahmanas, between a brahmana and his
sacrificial fire,
between a wife and her husband, a master and his servant, and
a plough and an ox.
6. Do not let your foot
touch fire, the spiritual master or a brahmana; it must
never touch a cow, a
virgin, an old person or a child.
7. Keep one thousand
cubits away from an elephant, a hundred from a horse,
ten from a horned beast,
but keep away from the wicked by leaving the
country.
8. An elephant is
controlled by a goad (ankusha), a horse by a slap of the
hand, a horned animal
with the show of a stick, and a rascal with a sword.
9. Brahmanas find
satisfaction in a good meal, peacocks in the peal of
thunder, a sadhu in
seeing the prosperity of others, and the wicked in the
misery of others.
10. Conciliate a strong
man by submission, a wicked man by opposition, and
the one whose power is
equal to yours by politeness or force.>
11. The power of a king
lies in his mighty arms; that of a brahmana in his
spiritual knowledge; and
that of a woman in her beauty youth and sweet
words.
12. Do not be very
upright in your dealings for you would see by going to the
forest that straight
trees are cut down while crooked ones are left standing.
13. Swans live wherever
there is water, and leave the place where water dries
up; let not a man act so
-- and comes and goes as he pleases.
14. Accumulated wealth
is saved by spending just as incoming fresh water is
saved by letting out
stagnant water.
15. He who has wealth
has friends and relations; he alone survives and is
respected as a man.
16. The following four
characteristics of the denizens of heaven may be seen
in the residents of this
earth planet; charity, sweet words, worship of the
Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and satisfying the needs of brahmanas.
17. The following
qualities of the denizens of hell may characterise men on
earth; extreme wrath,
harsh speech, enmity with one's relations, the company
with the base, and
service to men of low extraction.
18. By going to the den
of a lion pearls from the head of an elephant may be
obtained; but by
visiting the hole of a jackal nothing but the tail of a calf or a
bit of the hide of an
ass may be found.
19. The life of an
uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog, which
neither covers its rear
end, nor protects it from the bites of insects.
20. Purity of speech, of
the mind, of the senses, and a compassionate heart
are needed by one who
desires to rise to the divine platform.
21. As you seek
fragrance in a flower, oil in the sesamum seed, fire in wood,
ghee (butter) in milk,
and jaggery (guda) in sugarcane; so seek the spirit that
is in the body by means
of discrimination.
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