A small idea was stroked in my mind after reading the "Sri Veera Bhrahma Charitra", a future fore-teller, why cant we share his writings. I am in mid of his story book now, but before that I thought to share my previous quotes read from the book.
I chose Chanakya as first to share his quotes.
Following are the quotes I like from his book.
* Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.
*
He is a true friend who doesn't forsake us in time of need, misfortune,
famine, or war, in a King's court , or at the crematorium.
* Untruthfulness, Rashness, Guile, Stupidity, Avarice, Uncleanliness and Cruelty are a Woman's seven natural flaws.
* She is a true wife who is clean , expert, chaste, pleasing to the husband, and truthful.
*
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, and he who speaks out plainly
cannot be deceiver.
* There is no disease as lust ; no enemy like infatuation; no fire like wrath, and no happiness like spiritual knowledge.
*
These five are your father's; he who gave you birth, girdled you with
sacred thread, teaches you, provides you with food, and protects you
from fearful situation's.
* These five should be considered as
mothers, the King's wife, the preceptors wife, the friends wife, your
wife's mother, and your own mother.
* The king, the brahmana, and the ascetic yogi who go abroad are respected; but the woman who wanders is utterly ruined.
* Learn one thing from a lion, one from a crane, four a cock, five from a crow, six from a dog, and three from an ass.
*
The one excellent thing that can be learned from a lion is that
whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a whole hearted
and strenuous effort.
* To wake at the proper time; to take a
bold stand and fight; to make a fair decision (of property) among
relations; and to earn ones own bread by personal exertion are the four
excellent things to be learned from a cock.
* Union in
privacy(with ones wife); boldness; storing away useful items;
watchfulness; and not easily trusting others; these are the five things
are to be learned from a crow.
* 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; and bravery ; these are the six qualities should be learned
from the dog.
* Although an ass is tired, he continues to carry
his burden; he is unmindful of cold and heat; and he is always
contented; these three things should be learned from the ass.
* 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 broken him.
* To whose son is obedient to him,
whose wife's conduct is in accordance with his wishes , and who is
content with his riches, has his heaven here on earth.
* Don't
reveal what you have thought upon doing , but by wise counsel keep it
secret, being determined to carry it into execution.
* Those
parents who do not educate their sons are their enemies; for as is a
crane among swans, so are ignorant sons Ina public assembly.
*
Many a bad habit is developed through over indulgence, and many good one
by chastisement, therefore beat your son as well as your pupil; never
indulge them. (Spare the rod, spoil the child).
* Lakshmi, the
Goddess of wealth, comes of Her own accord where fools are not
respected, grain is well stored up, and the husband and wife do not
quarrel.
* Fondle a son until he is five years of age, and use
stick for another ten years, but when he is attained his sixteenth year
treat him as a friend.
* Religious austerities should be
practised alone, study by two, and singing by three. A journey should be
undertaken by four, agriculture by five, and war by many together.
*
Constant travel brings old age upon a man, a horse becomes old by being
constantly tied up, lack of sexual conduct with her husband brings old
age upon a woman, and garments become old through being left in the sun.
*
As gold is tested in four ways by rubbing , cutting, heating and
beating -- so a man should be tested by these four things: his
renunciation, his conduct, his qualities and his actions.
*
Religion is preserved by wealth; knowledge by diligent practice, a k8ng
by conciliatory words , and a home by a dutiful house wife.
* 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.
* He who gives up shyness in monetary dealings, in acquiring knowledge, in eating and in business , becomes happy.
*
Do not let your foot touch the fire, the spiritual master or a brahmana
; it must never touch a cow, a virgin, a n old person or a child.
*
Conciliate a strong man by submission, a wicked man by opposition, and
the one whose power is equal to yours by politeness or force.
* O wise man! Give your wealth only to the worthy and never to the others.
*
After having rubbed oil on the body, after encountering the smoke from a
funeral pyre, after sexual intercourse, and after being shaved , one
remains a chandala until he bathes.
* Water is the medicine for
indigestion; it is invigorating when the food that is eaten is well
digested; it is like nectar when drunk in the middle of a dinner, and it
is like poison when taken at the end of a meal.
* Knowledge is
lost without putting into practice; a man is lost due to ignorance, an
army is lost without a commander; and a woman is lost without a husband.
*
A man who encounters the following three is unfortunate; the death of
his wife in his old age, the entrusting of money into the hands of
relatives, depending upon others for food.
* There is no
austerity equal to balanced mind, and there is no happiness equal to
contentment, there is no disease like covetousness and no virtue like
mercy.
* Beauty is spoiled by an immoral nature, noble birth by
bad conduct, learning, without being perfected, and wealth by not being
properly utilised.
* The student, the servant, the traveller, the
hungry person, the frightened man, the treasury guard, and the steward ;
these seven ought to be awakened if they fall asleep.
* The
serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the
dog owned by other people and the fool; these seven ought not to be
awakened from sleep.
* He who neither raises fear by his anger,
nor confers a favour when he is pleased can neither control nor protect.
What can he do?
* Poverty is set off by fortitude; shabby
garments by keeping them clean, bad food by warming it, and ugliness by
good behaviour.
* What is it that escapes the observation of
poets? What is that act women are incapable of doing? What will drunken
people not prate? What will not crow eat?
* Generosity, pleasing address, courage and property of conduct are not acquired, but are inbred qualities.
*
He who is engrossed in family life will never acquire knowledge, there
can be no mercy in the eater of flesh, the greedy man will not be
truthful:; and purity will not be found in a woman or a hunter.
*
The student(brahmachari) should completely renounce the following eight
things, -- his lust, anger, greed,desire for sweets, sense of
decorating the body, excessive curiosity, excessive sleep, and excessive
endeavor of bodily maintenance.
* The brahmana who is engrossed in wordly affairs, brings up cows and is engaged in trade is really called a vaishya.
*
He is a blessed grahastha(householder) in whose house there is a
blissful atmosphere, whose sons are talented, whose wife speaks sweetly,
whose wealth is enough to satisfy his desires, who finds pleasure in
the company of his wife, whose servants are obedient, in whose house
hospitality shown, the auspicious Supreme Lord is worshipped daily,
delicious food and drink is partaken, and who finds joy in the company
of devotees.
* Those men who are happy in this world, who are
generous towards their relatives, kind to strangers, indifferent to the
wicked, loving to the good, shrewd I'm their dealings with the base,
Frank with the learned, courageous with enemies, humble with elders and
stern with wife.
* One indeed becomes blessed by having darshan
of a devotee; for the devotee has the ability to purify immediately,
where as the sacred tirtha gives purity only after prolonged contact.
*
The house in which the lotus feet of brahamanas are not washed, in
which vedic mantras are not loudly recited , and in which the holy rites
of svaha(sacrificial offerings to the Supreme Lord) and swadha
(offerings to the ancestors) are not performed; is like crematorium.
*
He who regards as another's wife as his mother, the wealth that does
not belong to him as a lump of mud, and the pleasure and pain of all
other living beings as his own -- truly sees things in the right
perspective, and he is true pandit.
* Realised learning(vidya) is
our friend while travelling, the wife is a friend at home, medicine is
the friend of a sick man, and meritorious deeds are the friend of death.
*
Courtesy should be learned from princess, the art of conversation from
pandits, lying should be learned from gamblers, and deceitful ways
should be learned from women.
* The unthinking spender, the
homeless urchin, the quarrel monger, the man who neglects his wife and
is heedless in his actions -- all these will soon come to ruination.
*
The wise man should not be anxious about his food, he should be anxious
to be engaged only in dharma(Krishna consciousness). The food of each
man is created for him at his birth.
* He who is not shy in the acquisition of wealth, grain, and knowledge and in taking his meals , will be happy.
*
It certainly is nature of demigods, men of good character, and parents
to be easily pleased, Near and distant relatives are pleased when they
are hospitably received with bathing, food and drink; and pandits are
pleased with an opportunity for giving spiritual discourse.
*
Even as the unborn babe is in the womb of his mother, these five are
fixed as his life destiny, his life span, his activities, his
acquisition of wealth and knowledge, and his time of death.
* As a calf follows it's mother among a thousand cows, so the (good and bad) deeds of a man follow him.
* Poverty , disease, sorrow, imprisonment and other evils are the fruits borne by the tree of one's own sins.
*
Oil on water, a secret communicated to the base man, a gift given to
the worthy receiver, and scriptural instruction given to an intelligent
man spread out by virtue of their nature.
* We should not feel
pride in our charity , austerity, valour, scriptural knowledge, modesty
and morality for the world is full of rarest gems.
* We should
always speak what would please the man of whom we expect a favour., Like
the hunter who sings sweetly when he desires to shoot a deer.
*
It is ruinous to be familiar with the king, fire, the religious
preceptor, and a woman. To be altogether indifferent to them is to be
deprived of the opportunity to benefit ourselves, hence our association
with them must be from a safe distance.
* We should always deal
cautiously with fire, water, women, foolish people, serpents, and
members of royal family, for they may, when the occasion presents
itself, at once bring about our death.
* If you wish to gain
control of the world by the performance of a single deed, then keep the
following fifteen, which are prone to wander here and there, from
getting the upper hand of you: the five sense objects (objects of sight
sound, smell, taste and touch):; the five sense organs(ears, eyes, nose,
tongue, and skin) and organs of activity(hands, legs, mouth, genitals
and anus).
* One single object (a woman) appears in three
different ways: to the man who practises austerity it appears as a
corpse, to the sensual it appears as a woman, and to the dogs as a lump
of flesh.
* A wise man should not divulge the formula of a
medicine which he has well prepared; an act of charity which he has
performed ; domestic conflicts; private affairs with his wife; poorly
managed food he may have been offered; or slang he may have heard.
*
There are 2 ways to get rid of throns and wicked persons ; using foot
wear in the first place and in the second shaming them so that they
cannot raise their faces again thus keeping them at a distance.
*
He who wears unclean garments, has dirty teeth, is a glutton, speaks
unkindly, and sleeps after sunrise -- although he may be greatest
personality, - will lose the favour of Lakshmi.
* A true meal is
that which consists of the remnants left after a brahmana's meal. Love,
which is shown to others, is true love, not that which is cherished for
one's own self, to abstain from sin is true wisdom. That is an act of
charity, which is performed without ostentation.
* Sastric
(scriptural) knowledge is unlimited, and the arts to be learned are
many, the time we have is short, and our opportunities to learn are
beset with obstacles. Therefore select for learning that which is most
important , just as swan drinks only the milk in water.
* (Lord
Vishnu asked His spouse Lakshmi why She did not care to live in the
house of a brahmana's. She replied). O Lord a rishi named agastta drank
up My father(the ocean) in anger, Brighu Muni kicked you, brahamanas
pride themselves on their learning having sought the favour of my
competitor Sharswati, and lastly they pluck each day the lotus which is
My Adobe, and therewith worship Lord Shiva. Therefore, O Lord, I fear to
dwell with a brahmana.
