Chanakya Quotes on love, success, motivation, wedding, politics

Before reading the quotes about Chanakya, let us listen to this beautiful episode of the great Chanakya’s serial where Chanakya and his pupils sing the famous patriotic song, “Hum kare rashtra aaradhan”.

Even a wise man comes to grief by

Giving instruction to a foolish disciple
Maintaining a wicked wife
Excessive familiarity with the miserable.

A wicked wife
A false friend
A saucy servant
Living in a house with the serpent in it is nothing but death.

Save money against hard times
Save wife at the sacrifice of riches
But invariably save souls even at the sacrifice of wife and riches.

Save your wealth against future calamity.
Do not say, “What fear has a rich man, of calamity?”
When riches begin to forsake one even the accumulated stock dwindles away.

Do not inhabit a place where you

are not respected
cannot earn your livelihood
have no friends
cannot acquire knowledge.

Do not stay for a single day where there are not these five persons: k

a wealthy man
a brahmin well versed in Vedic lore
a king
a river
a physician

Wise men should never go into a country where there are

no means of earning one’s livelihood
people who have no dread of anybody
people who have no sense of shame
people with no intelligence
people with their charitable disposition.

Test a servant while

in the discharge of his duty
a relative in difficulty
a friend in adversity
a wife in misfortune.

He is a true friend who does not forsake us in time of

need
misfortune
famine
war
in a king’s court
at the crematorium (Smasana).

He who gives up what is imperishable for that which is perishable loses that which is imperishable and doubtlessly loses that which is perishable also.

Do not put your trust in

rivers
men who carry weapons
beasts with claws or horns
women
members of a royal family

Women have

hunger two-fold
shyness four-fold
daring six-fold
lust eight-fold

as compared to men

Untruthfulness
Rashness
Guile
Stupidity
Avarice
Uncleanliness
Cruelty

are a woman’s seven natural flaws

To have the ability for eating when dishes are ready at hand
To be robust and virile in the company of one’s religiously wedded wife
To have a mind for making charity when one is prosperous

are the fruits of no ordinary austerities.

He whose son is obedient to him
Whose wife’s conduct is in accordance with his wishes
Who is content with his riches

has his heaven here on earth.

They alone are sons who are devoted to their father.
He is a father who supports his sons.
He is a friend in whom we can confide.
She is a wife in whose company the husband feels contented and peaceful.

Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher of poison with milk on top.

Do not put your trust in a bad companion nor even trust an ordinary friend, for if he should get angry with you, he may bring all your secrets to light.

Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.

Foolishness is indeed painful, and verily so is youth, but more painful by far than either is being obliged in another person’s house.

There does not exist a pearl in every mountain
Nor a pearl in the head of every elephant
Neither are the sadhus to be found everywhere
Nor sandal trees in every forest

[Note: Only elephants in royal palaces are seen decorated with pearls (precious stones) on their heads].

Wise men should always bring up their sons in various moral ways, for children who have knowledge of Nitisastra and are well behaved become a glory to their family.

Those parents who do not educate their sons are their enemies; for as is a crane among swans, so are ignorant sons in a public assembly

Many a bad habit is developed through overindulgence, and many a good one by chastisement, therefore beat your son as well as your pupil; never indulge them. “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”

Let not a single day pass without you

learning a verse
half a verse
a fourth of it
one letter of it;

nor without attending to charity, study and other pious activity.

Separation from the wife
disgrace from one’s own people
an enemy saved in battle
service to a wicked king
Poverty
a mismanaged assembly

these six kinds of evils, if afflicting a person, burn him even without fire

Trees on a riverbank
A woman in another man’s house
Kings without counselors go without doubt to swift destruction

A brahmin’s strength is in his learning
A king’s strength is in his army
A vaishya’s strength is in his wealth
A shudra’s strength is in his attitude of Service

The prostitute has to forsake a man who has no money
The subject a king that cannot defend him
The birds a tree that bears no fruit
The guests a house after they have finished their meals.

Brahmins quit their patrons after receiving alms from them
Scholars leave their teachers after receiving education from them
Animals desert a forest that has been burnt down.

He who befriends a man

Whose conduct is vicious
Whose vision impure
Who is notoriously crooked

is rapidly ruined.

The friendship between equals flourishes
Service under a king is respectable
It is good to be business-minded in public dealings
A beautiful lady is safe, only in her own home.

In this world,

whose family is there without blemish?
Who is free from sickness and grief?
Who is forever happy?

A man’s descent may be discerned by his conduct
his country by his pronunciation of the language
his friendship by his warmth and glow
his capacity to eat by his body.

Give your daughter in marriage to a good family
engage your son in learning
see that your enemy comes to grief
engage your friends in dharma

Of a rascal and a serpent, the serpent is the better, for he strikes only at the time he is destined to kill, while the former at every step.

At the time of the pralaya (universal destruction), the oceans are to exceed their limits and seek to change, but a saintly man never changes.

Do not keep company with a fool for as we can see he is a two-legged beast. Like an unseen thorn, he pierces the heart with his sharp words.

Though men are endowed with beauty and youth and born in noble families, yet without education, they are like the palasa flower, which is void of sweet fragrance.

The beauty of

A cuckoo is in its notes
A woman in her unalloyed devotion to her husband
An ugly person in his scholarship
An ascetic in his forgiveness

Give up a member to save a family
A family to save a village
A village to save a country
The country to save yourself.

There is no poverty for the industrious.
Sin does not attach itself to the person practicing Japa (chanting of the holy names of the Lord).
Those who are absorbed in Maunam (silent contemplation of the Lord) have no quarrel with others.
They are fearless who remain always alert.

What is too heavy for the strong and what place is too distant for those who put forth the effort?
What country is foreign to a man of true learning?
Who can be inimical to one who speaks pleasingly?

As a whole forest becomes fragrant by the existence of a single tree with sweet-smelling blossoms in it, so a family becomes famous by the birth of a virtuous son.

As a single withered tree, if set aflame, causes a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.

As night looks delightful when the moon shines, so is a family gladdened by even one learned and virtuous son.

What is the use of having many sons if they cause grief and vexation? It is better to have only one son from whom the whole family can derive support and peacefulness.

Fondle a son until he is five years of age
Use the stick for another ten years
But when he has attained his sixteenth year treat him as a friend

He who runs away from

a fearful calamity
a foreign invasion
a terrible famine
the companionship of wicked men is safe

He has not acquired one of the following:

religious merit (Dharma)
wealth (Artha)
the satisfaction of desires (Kama)
liberation (Moksa) is repeatedly born to die

Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, comes of Her own accord where

fools are not respected
the grain is well stored up
the husband and wife do not Quarrel

These five:

The life span
The type of work
Wealth
Learning
The time of one’s death

are determined while one is in the womb.

Offspring friends and relatives flee from a devotee of the Lord: yet those who follow him bring merit to their families through their devotion.

Fish, tortoises, and birds bring up their young by means of sight, attention and touch; so do saintly men afford protection to their associates by the same means.

As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is imminent, what can you do?

Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons. Like a mother, it feeds you on your journey. Therefore learning is a hidden treasure.

A stillborn son is superior to a foolish son endowed with a long life. The first causes grief for but a moment while the latter like a blazing fire consumes his parents in grief for life.

Residing in a small village devoid of proper living facilities, serving a person born of a low family, unwholesome food, a frowning wife, a foolish son, and a widowed daughter burn the body without fire.

What good is a cow that neither gives milk nor conceives? Similarly, what is the value of the birth of a son if he becomes neither learned nor a pure devotee of the Lord?

When one is consumed by the sorrows of life, three things give him relief:

Offspring, a wife, and
The company of the Lord’s devotees.

Kings speak for once
Men of learning once
Daughter is given in marriage once

All these things happen once and only once.

Religious austerities should be practiced alone
Study by two
Singing by three
A journey should be undertaken by four
Agriculture by five
War by many together.

She is a true wife who is

Clean (Shuchi)
Expert
Chaste
Pleasing to the husband
Truthful.

The house of a childless person is a void
All directions are void to one who has no relatives
The heart of a fool is also void
But to a poverty-stricken man all is void.

Scriptural lessons not put into practice are poison
A meal is a poison to him who suffers from indigestion
A social gathering is a poison to a poverty-stricken person
A young wife is a poison to an aged man.

That man who is without religion and mercy should be rejected
A guru without spiritual knowledge should be rejected
The wife with an offensive face should be given up
So should relatives who are without affection

Constant travel brings old age upon a man
A horse becomes old by being constantly tied up
Lack of sexual contact with her husband brings old age upon a woman
Garments become old through being left in the sun

Consider again and again the following:

the right time
the right friends
the right place
the right means of income
the right ways of spending
from whom you derive your power

For the twice-born, the fire (Agni) is a representative of God
The Supreme Lord resides in the heart of His devotees
Those of average intelligence (Alpa buddhi) see God only in His Sri-murti
Those of broad vision see the Supreme Lord everywhere

Agni is the worshipable person for the twice-born
the brahmana for the other castes; the husband for the wife
the guest who comes for food at the midday meal for all

As gold is tested in four ways by

rubbing
cutting
heating
beating

so a man should be tested by these four things:

his renunciation
his conduct
his qualities
his actions

A thing may be dreaded as long as it has not overtaken you, but once it has come upon you, try to get rid of it without hesitation.

Though persons are born from the same womb and under the same stars, they do not become alike in disposition as the thousand fruits of the Badri tree.

he whose hands are clean does not like to hold an office
he who desires nothing cares not for bodily decorations
he who is only partially educated cannot speak agreeably
he who speaks out plainly cannot be a deceiver

The learned are envied by the foolish
rich men by the poor
chaste women by adulteresses
beautiful ladies by ugly ones

Indolent application ruins study
Money is lost when entrusted to others
A farmer who sows his seed sparsely is ruined
An army is lost for the want of a Commander

learning is retained through putting into practice
family prestige is maintained through good behavior
a respectable person is recognized by his excellent qualities
anger is seen in the eyes

Religion is preserved by wealth
Knowledge by diligent practice
A king by conciliatory words
Home by a dutiful housewife

Those who blaspheme Vedic wisdom
who ridicule the lifestyle recommended in the Shastras
who deride men of peaceful temperament

come to grief unnecessarily.

charity puts an end to poverty
righteous conduct to misery
discretion to ignorance
scrutiny to fear

There is no disease (so destructive) as lust
No enemy like infatuation
No fire like the wrath
No happiness like spiritual knowledge

A man is born alone and dies alone
He experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone
He goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode

Heaven is but a straw to him who knows spiritual life
so is life to a valiant man
a woman to him who has subdued his senses
the universe to him who is without attachment to the world

Learning is a friend on the journey
a wife in the house
medicine in sickness
religious merit is the only friend after death

The rain which falls upon the sea is useless
so is food for one who is satiated
in vain is a gift for one who is wealthy
a burning lamp during the daytime is useless

there is no water like rainwater
no strength like one’s own
no light like that of the eyes
no wealth more dear than food grain

The poor wish for wealth
animals for the faculty of speech
men wish for heaven
godly persons for liberation

The earth is supported by the power of truth
it is the power of truth that makes the sunshine and the winds blow
indeed all things rest upon truth

The Goddess of wealth is unsteady (Chanchal), and so is the life-breath
The duration of life is uncertain, and the place of habitation is uncertain
but in all this inconsistent world religious merit alone is immovable

among men the barber is cunning
among birds the crow
among beasts the jackal
among women, Malin (flower girl)

These five are your fathers;

he who gave you birth
girdled you with the sacred thread
teaches you
provides you with food
protects you from fearful situations.

These five should be considered as mothers;

the king’s wife
the preceptor’s wife
the friend’s wife
your wife’s mother
your own mother

By means of hearing one understands dharma, malignity vanishes, knowledge is acquired, and liberation from material bondage is gained.

among birds the crow is vile
among beasts the dog
the ascetic whose sins is abominable
but he who blasphemes others is the worst Chandala

Brass is polished by ashes
Copper is cleaned by tamarind
A woman, by her menses
A river by its flow

He who has wealth has friends
He who is wealthy has relatives
The rich one alone is called a man
The affluent alone are respected as pandits

As is the desire of Providence, so functions one’s intellect;
One’s activities are also controlled by Providence;
By the will of Providence, one is surrounded by helpers.

Time perfects all living beings as well as kills them
It alone is awake when all others are asleep.
Time is insurmountable.

Those born blind cannot see
Similarly blind are those in the grip of lust
Proud men have no perception of evil
Those bent on acquiring riches see no sin in their actions.

The spirit soul goes through his own course of karma and he himself suffered the good and bad results thereby accrued. By his own actions he entangles himself in samsara, and by his own efforts, he extricates himself.

The king is obliged to accept the sins of his subjects
Purohit (priest) suffers for those of the king
A husband suffers for those of his wife
The guru suffers for those of his pupils.

a father who is a chronic debtor
an adulterous mother
a beautiful wife
an unlearned son are enemies (in one’s own home)

conciliate a covetous man by means of a gift
an obstinate man with folded hands in salutation
a fool by humoring him
a learned man by truthful words

it is better to be without a kingdom than to rule over a petty one
better to be without a friend than to befriend a rascal
better to be without a disciple than to have a stupid one
better to be without a wife than to have a bad one

How can people be made happy in a petty kingdom?
What peace can we expect from a rascal friend?
What happiness can we have at home in the company of a bad wife?
How can renown be gained by instructing an unworthy disciple?

Learn one thing from a lion

whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a whole-hearted and strenuous effort

One from a crane

restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.

Four from a cock

To wake at the proper time
to take a bold stand and fight
to make a fair division (of property) among relations
to earn one’s own bread by personal exertion

Five from a crow

Union in privacy (with one’s wife)
Boldness
Storing away useful items
Watchfulness
Not easily trusting others

Six from a dog

Contentment with little or nothing to eat although one may have a great appetite
To awaken instantly although one may be in a deep slumber
Unflinching devotion to the master
Bravery
Being Suspicious at the beginning
Loyalty

Three from an ass

Although an ass is tired, he continues to carry his burden
He is unmindful of cold and heat
He is always contented

He who shall practice these twenty virtues shall become invincible in all his undertakings.

A wise man should not reveal his

loss of wealth
the vexation of his mind
the misconduct of his own wife
base words were spoken by others
disgrace that has befallen him

He who gives up

shyness in monetary dealings
in acquiring knowledge
in eating
in business

becomes happy.

The happiness and peace attained by those satisfied by the nectar of spiritual tranquillity is not attained by greedy people restlessly moving here and there.

One should feel satisfied with the following three things

his own wife
food is given by Providence
wealth acquired by honest effort

but one should never feel satisfied with the following three

study
chanting the holy names of the Lord
charity.

Do not pass between

two Brahmanas
a brahmana and his sacrificial fire
a wife and her husband
a master and his servant
and a plough and an ox

Do not let your foot touch

fire
the spiritual master or a brahmana
a cow
a virgin
an old person
a child

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

an elephant is controlled by a goad (Ankush)
a horse by a slap of the hand
a horned animal with the show of a stick
a rascal with a sword

Brahmanas find satisfaction in a good meal
Peacocks in the peal of thunder
A sadhu in seeing the prosperity of others
The wicked in the misery of others

Conciliate

a strong man by submission
a wicked man by opposition
the one whose power is equal to yours by politeness or force

The power of

a king lies in his mighty arms
that of a brahmana in his spiritual knowledge
that of a woman in her beauty, youth, and sweet words.

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.

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.

Accumulated wealth is saved by spending just as incoming fresh water is saved by letting out stagnant water.

He who has wealth has friends and relations; he alone survives and is respected as a man.

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
satisfying the needs of Brahmanas

The following qualities of the denizens of hell may characterize men on earth

extreme wrath
harsh speech
enmity with one’s relations
the company with the base
service to men of low extraction.

By going to the den of the 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.

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.

These are needed by one who desires to rise to the divine platform

Purity of speech
The purity of the mind
The purity of the senses
A compassionate heart.

As you seek

fragrance in a flower
oil in the sesamum seed
fire in wood
ghee (butter) in milk
jaggery (Guda) in sugarcane

so seek the spirit that is in the body by means of discrimination.