Chanakya and Sex

2008-02-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Chanakya Niti
Chapter One
1. Humbly bowing down before the almighty Lord Sri Vishnu, the Lord of the three worlds, I recite maxims of the science of political ethics (niti) selected from the various satras (scriptures
2. That man who by the study of these maxims from the satras acquires a knowledge of the most celebrated principles of duty, and understands what ought and what ought not to be followed, and what is good and what is bad, is most excellent.
3. Therefore with an eye to the public good, I shall speak that which, when understood, will lead to an understanding of things in their proper perspective.
4. Even a pandit comes to grief by giving instruction to a foolish disciple, by maintaining a wicked wife, and by excessive familiarity with the miserable.
5. A wicked wife, a false friend, a saucy servant and living in a house with a serpent in it are nothing but death.
6. One should save his money against hard times, save his wife at the sacrifice of his riches, but invariably one should save his soul even at the sacrifice of his wife and riches.
7. 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.
8. Do not inhabit a country where you are not respected, cannot earn your livelihood, have no friends, or cannot acquire knowledge.
9. Do not stay for a single day where there are not these five persons: a wealthy man, a brahmin well versed in Vedic lore, a king, a river and a physician
10. Wise men should never go into a country where there are no means of earning one's livelihood, where the people have no dread of anybody, have no sense of shame, no intelligence, or a charitable disposition.
11. Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortun.
12. He is a true friend who does not forsake us in time of need, misfortune, famine, or war, in a king's court, or at the crematorium (smasana).
13. 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.
14. A wise man should marry a virgin of a respectable family even if she is deformed. He should not marry one of a low-class family, through beauty. Marriage in a family of equal status is preferable.
15. Do not put your trust in rivers, men who carry weapons, beasts with claws or horns, women, and members of a royal family
16. Even from poison extract nectar, wash and take back gold if it has fallen in filth, receive the highest knowledge (Krsna consciousness) from a low born person; so also a girl possessing virtuous qualities (stri-ratna) even if she were born in a disreputable family.
17. Women have hunger two-fold, shyness four-fold, daring six-fold, and lust eight-fold as compared to men
Chapter Two
1. Untruthfulness, rashness, guile, stupidity, avarice, uncleanliness and cruelty are a woman's seven natural flaws
2. To have ability for eating when dishes are ready at hand, to be robust and virile in the company of one's religiously wedded wife, and to have a mind for making charity when one is prosperous are the fruits of no ordinary austerities.
3. He 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.
4. 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, and she only is a wife in whose company the husband feels contented and peaceful.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise counsel keep it secret, being determined to carry it into execution.
8. Foolishness is indeed painful, and verily so is youth, but more painful by far than either is being obliged in another person's house.
9. 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].
10. Wise men should always bring up their sons in various moral ways, for children who have knowledge of niti-sastra and are well behaved become a glory to their family.
11. 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>
12. Many a bad habit is developed through over indulgence, 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."
13. Let not a single day pass without your learning a verse, half a verse, or a fourth of it, or even one letter of it; nor without attending to charity, study and other pious activity.
14. Separation from the wife, disgrace from one's own people, an enemy saved in battle, service to a wicked king, poverty, and a mismanaged assembly: these six kinds of evils, if afflicting a person, burn him even without fire
15. Trees on a riverbank, a woman in another man's house, and kings without counsellors go without doubt to swift destruction.
16. A brahmin's strength is in his learning, a king's strength is in his army, a vaishya's strength is in his wealth and a shudra's strength is in his attitude of service
17. 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, and the guests a house after they have finished their meals.
18. Brahmins quit their patrons after receiving alms from them, scholars leave their teachers after receiving education from them, and animals desert a forest that has been burnt down.
19. He who befriends a man whose conduct is vicious, whose vision impure, and who is notoriously crooked, is rapidly ruined.
20. Friendship between equals flourishes, service under a king is respectable, it is good to be business-minded in public dealings, and a handsome lady is safe in her own home.

Chapter Three
1. In this world, whose family is there without blemish? Who is free from sickness and grief? Who is forever happy?
2. A man's descent may be discerned by his conduct, his country by his pronunciation of language, his friendship by his warmth and glow, and his capacity to eat by his body.
3. Give your daughter in marriage to a good family, engage your son in learning, see that your enemy comes to grief, and engage your friends in dharma. (Krsna consciousness).
4. Of a rascal and a serpent, the serpent is the better of the two, for he strikes only at the time he is destined to kill, while the former at every step.
5. Therefore kings gather round themselves men of good families, for they never forsake them either at the beginning, the middle or the end.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Though men be 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.
9. The beauty of a cuckoo is in its notes, that of a woman in her unalloyed devotion to her husband, that of an ugly person in his scholarship, and that of an ascetic in his forgiveness.
10. Give up a member to save a family, a family to save a village, a village to save a country, and the country to save yourself.
11. 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.
12.-13.
What is too heavy for the strong and what place is too distant for those who put forth effort? What country is foreign to a man of true learning? Who can be inimical to one who speaks pleasingly?
14. 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.
15. As a single withered tree, if set aflame, causes a whole forest to burn, so does a rascal son destroy a whole family.
16. As night looks delightful when the moon shines, so is a family gladdened by even one learned and virtuous son.
17. 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.
18. Fondle a son until he is five years of age, and use the stick for another ten years, but when he has attained his sixteenth year treat him as a friend.
19. He who runs away from a fearful calamity, a foreign invasion, a terrible famine, and the companionship of wicked men is safe.
20. He who has not acquired one of the following: religious merit (dharma), wealth (artha), satisfaction of desires (kama), or liberation (moksa) is repeatedly born to die
21. 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.
Chapter Four
1. These five: the life span, the type of work, wealth, learning and the time of one's death are determined while one is in the womb.
2. Offspring, friends and relatives flee from a devotee of the Lord: yet those who follow him bring merit to their families through their devotion.
3. 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.
4. 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?
5. 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.
6. A single son endowed with good qualities is far better than a hundred devoid of them. For the moon, though one, dispels the darkness, which the stars, though numerous, cannot.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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?
10. 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.
11. Kings speak for once, men of learning once, and the daughter is given in marriage once. All these things happen once and only once.
12. Religious austerities should be practiced alone, study by two, and singing by three. A journey should be undertaken by four, agriculture by five, and war by many together.
13. She is a true wife who is clean (suci), expert, chaste, pleasing to the husband, and truthful.
14. 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.
15. Scriptural lessons not put into practice are poison; a meal is poison to him who suffers from indigestion; a social gathering is poison to a poverty-stricken person; and a young wife is poison to an aged man.
16. 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, and so should relatives who are without affection.
17. 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; and garments become old through being left in the sun.
18. 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, and from whom you derive your power.
19. 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 or kanista-adhikari) see God only in His sri-murti, but those of broad vision see the Supreme Lord everywhere.
Chapter Five
1. Agni is the worshipable person for the twice born; the brahmana for the other castes; the husband for the wife; and the guest who comes for food at the midday meal for all.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Though persons be born from the same womb and under the same stars, they do not become alike in disposition as the thousand fruits of the badari tree.
5. 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 a deceiver.
6. The learned are envied by the foolish; rich men by the poor; chaste women by adulteresses; and beautiful ladies by ugly ones
7. Indolent application ruins study; money is lost when entrusted to others; a farmer who sows his seed sparsely is ruined; and an army is lost for want of a commander.
8. Learning is retained through putting into practice; family prestige is maintained through good behaviour; a respectable person is recognised by his excellent qualities; and anger is seen in the eyes.
9. Religion is preserved by wealth; knowledge by diligent practice; a king by conciliatory words; and a home by a dutiful housewife.
10. Those who blaspheme Vedic wisdom, who ridicule the life style recommended in the satras, and who deride men of peaceful temperament, come to grief unnecessarily.
11. Charity puts and end to poverty; righteous conduct to misery; discretion to ignorance; and scrutiny to fear.
12. There is no disease (so destructive) as lust; no enemy like infatuation; no fire like wrath; and no happiness like spiritual knowledge.
13. A man is born alone and dies alone; and he experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone; and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode.
14. Heaven is but a straw to him who knows spiritual life (Krsna consciousness); so is life to a valiant man; a woman to him who has subdued his senses; and the universe to him who is without attachment for the world.
15. Learning is a friend on the journey; a wife in the house; medicine in sickness; and religious merit is the only friend after death.
16. 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; and a burning lamp during the daytime is useless.
17. There is no water like rainwater; no strength like one's own; no light like that of the eyes; and no wealth more dear than food grain.
18. The poor wish for wealth; animals for the faculty of speech; men wish for heaven; and godly persons for liberation.
19. 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.
20. The Goddess of wealth is unsteady (chanchala), 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.
21. Among men the barber is cunning; among birds the crow; among beasts the jackal; and among women, the malin (flower girl).
22. These five are your fathers; he who gave you birth, girdled you with sacred thread, teaches you, provides you with food, and protects you from fearful situations.
23. These five should be considered as mothers; the king's wife, the preceptor's wife, the friend's wife, your wife's mother, and your own mother.
Chapter Six
1. By means of hearing one understands dharma, malignity vanishes, knowledge is acquired, and liberation from material bondage is gained.
2. 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.
>3. Brass is polished by ashes; copper is cleaned by tamarind; a woman, by her menses; and a river by its flow.
4. The king, the brahmana, and the ascetic yogi who go abroad are respected; but the woman who wanders is utterly ruined.
5. He who has wealth has friends. He who is wealthy has relatives. The rich one alone is called a man, and the affluent alone are respected as pandits
6. As is the desire of Providence, so functions one's intellect; one's activities are also controlled by Providence; and by the will of Providence one is surrounded by helpers.
7. Time perfects all living beings as well as kills them; it alone is awake when all others are asleep. Time is insurmountable.
8. Those born blind cannot see; similarly blind are those in the grip of lust. Proud men have no perception of evil; and those bent on acquiring riches see no sin in their actions.
9. The spirit soul goes through his own course of karma and he himself suffers the good and bad results thereby accrued. By his own actions he entangles himself in samsara, and by his own efforts he extricates himself.
10. The king is obliged to accept the sins of his subjects; the purohit (priest) suffers for those of the king; a husband suffers for those of his wife; and the guru suffers for those of his pupils.
11. A father who is a chronic debtor, an adulterous mother, a beautiful wife, and an unlearned son are enemies ( in one's own home).
12. Conciliate a covetous man by means of a gift, an obstinate man with folded hands in salutation, a fool by humouring him, and a learned man by truthful words.
13. 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; and better to be without a wife than to have a bad one.
14. 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?
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.
18. To wake at the proper time; to take a bold stand and fight; to make a fair division (of property) among relations; and to earn one's own bread by personal exertion are the four excellent things to be learned from a cock.
19. Union in privacy (with one's wife); boldness; storing away useful items; watchfulness; and not easily trusting others; these five things are to be learned from a crow.
20. 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 six qualities should be learned from the dog.
21. 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.
22. He who shall practice these twenty virtues shall become invincible in all his undertakings.

Chapter Seven
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 eating and in business, becomes happy.
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.>
Chapter Eight
. Low class men desire wealth; middle class men both wealth and respect; but the noble, honour only; hence honour is the noble man's true wealth.
3. The lamp eats up the darkness and therefore it produces blackened lamp; in the same way according to the nature of our diet (sattva, rajas, or tamas) we produce offspring in similar quality.
4. O wise man! Give your wealth only to the worthy and never to others. The water of the sea received by the clouds is always sweet. The rainwater enlivens all living beings of the earth both movable (insects, animals, humans, etc.) and immovable (plants, trees, etc.), and then returns to the ocean where its value is multiplied a million fold.
5. The wise who discern the essence of things have declared that the yavana (meat eater) is equal in baseness to a thousand candalas (the lowest class), and hence a yavana is the basest of men; indeed there is no one more base.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Knowledge is lost without putting it into practice; a man is lost due to ignorance; an army is lost without a commander; and a woman is lost without a husband.
9. 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, and depending upon others for food.
10. Chanting of the Vedas without making ritualistic sacrifices to the Supreme Lord through the medium of Agni, and sacrifices not followed by bountiful gifts are futile. Perfection can be achieved only through devotion (to the Supreme Lord) for devotion is the basis of all success.
13. There is no austerity equal to a balanced mind, and there is no happiness equal to contentment; there is no disease like covetousness, and no virtue like mercy.
14. Anger is a personification of Yama (the demigod of death); thirst is like the hellish river Vaitarani; knowledge is like a kamadhenu (the cow of plenty); and contentment is like Nandanavana (the garden of Indra).
15. Moral excellence is an ornament for personal beauty; righteous conduct, for high birth; success for learning; and proper spending for wealth.
16. Beauty is spoiled by an immoral nature; noble birth by bad conduct; learning, without being perfected; and wealth by not being properly utilised.
17. Water seeping into the earth is pure; and a devoted wife is pure; the king who is the benefactor of his people is pure; and pure is the brahmana who is contented.
18. Discontented brahmanas, contented kings, shy prostitutes, and immodest housewives are ruined.
19. Of what avail is a high birth if a person is destitute of scholarship? A man who is of low extraction is honoured even by the demigods if he is learned.
20. A learned man is honoured by the people. A learned man commands respect everywhere for his learning. Indeed, learning is honoured everywhere.
21. Those who are endowed with beauty and youth and who are born of noble families are worthless if they have no learning. They are just like the kimshuka blossoms ( flowers of the palasa tree) which, though beautiful, have no fragrance.
22. The earth is encumbered with the weight of the flesh-eaters, wine-bibblers, dolts (dull and stupid) and blockheads, who are beasts in the form of men.
23. There is no enemy like a yajna (sacrifice) which consumes the kingdom when not attended by feeding on a large scale; consumes the priest when the chanting is not done properly; and consumes the yajaman (the responsible person) when the gifts are not made.
Chapter Nine
1. My dear child, if you desire to be free from the cycle of birth and death, then abandon the objects of sense gratification as poison. Drink instead the nectar of forbearance, upright conduct, mercy, cleanliness and truth.
2. Those base men who speak of the secret faults of others destroy themselves like serpents that stray onto anthills.>
3. Perhaps nobody has advised Lord Brahma, the creator, to impart perfume to gold; fruit to the sugarcane; flowers to the sandalwood tree; wealth to the learned; and long life to the king
4. Nectar (amrita) is the best among medicines; eating good food is the best of all types of material happiness; the eye is the chief among all organs; and the head occupies the chief position among all parts of the body.
5. No messenger can travel about in the sky and no tidings come from there. The voice of its inhabitants is never heard, nor can any contact be established with them. Therefore the brahmana who predicts the eclipse of the sun and moon, which occur in the sky, must be considered as a vidwan (man of great learning).
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Of those who have studied the Vedas for material rewards, and those who accept foodstuffs offered by shudras, what potency have they? They are just like serpents without fangs.
9. He who neither rouses fear by his anger, nor confers a favour when he is pleased can neither control nor protect. What can he do?
10. The serpent may, without being poisonous, raise high its hood, but the show of terror is enough to frighten people -- whether he be venomous or not.
11. Wise men spend their mornings in discussing gambling, the afternoon discussing the activities of women, and the night hearing about the activities of theft. (The first item above refers to the gambling of King Yudhisthira, the great devotee of Krsna. The second item refers to the glorious deeds of mother Sita, the consort of Lord Ramachandra. The third item hints at the adorable childhood pastimes of Sri Krsna who stole butter from the elderly cowherd ladies of Gokula. Hence Chanakya Pandita advises wise persons to spend the morning absorbed in Mahabharata, the afternoon studying Ramayana, and the evening devotedly hearing the Srimad-Bhagvatam.)
12. By preparing a garland for a Deity with one's own hand; by grinding sandal paste for the Lord with one's own hand; and by writing sacred texts with one's own hand -- one becomes blessed with opulence equal to that of Indra.
14. Poverty is set off by fortitude; shabby garments by keeping them clean; bad food by warming it; and ugliness by good behaviour.
Chapter Ten
1. One destitute of wealth is not destitute, he is indeed rich (if he is learned); but the man devoid of learning is destitute in every way.
2. We should carefully scrutinise that place upon which we step (having it ascertained to be free from filth and living creatures like insects, etc.); we should drink water, which has been filtered (through a clean cloth); we should speak only those words, which have the sanction of the satras; and do that act which we have carefully considered.
3. He who desires sense gratification must give up all thoughts of acquiring knowledge; and he who seeks knowledge must not hope for sense gratification. How can he who seeks sense gratification acquire knowledge, and he who possesses knowledge enjoy mundane sense pleasure?
4. 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 a crow eat?
5. Fate makes a beggar a king and a king a beggar. He makes a rich man poor and a poor man rich
6. The beggar is a miser's enemy; the wise counsellor is the fool's enemy; her husband is an adulterous wife's enemy; and the moon is the enemy of the thief.
7. Those who are destitute of learning, penance, knowledge, good disposition, virtue and benevolence are brutes wandering the earth in the form of men. They are burdensome to the earth.
8. Those that are empty-minded cannot be benefited by instruction. Bamboo does not acquire the quality of sandalwood by being associated with the Malaya Mountain.
9. What good can the scriptures do to a man who has no sense of his own? Of what use is as mirror to a blind man?
10. Nothing can reform a bad man, just as the posteriors cannot become a superior part of the body though washed one hundred times.
11. By offending a kinsman, life is lost; by offending others, wealth is lost; by offending the king, everything is lost; and by offending a brahmana (Brahmin) one's whole family is ruined.
12. It is better to live under a tree in a jungle inhabited by tigers and elephants, to maintain oneself in such a place with ripe fruits and spring water, to lie down on grass and to wear the ragged barks of trees than to live amongst one's relations when reduced to poverty.
13. The brahmana (Brahmin) is like a tree; his prayers are the roots, his chanting of the Vedas are the branches, and his religious acts are the leaves. Consequently effort should be made to preserve his roots for if the roots are destroyed there can be no branches or leaves.
14. My mother is Kamala devi (Lakshmi), my father is Lord Janardana (Vishnu), my kinsmen are the Vishnu-bhaktas (Vaisnavas) and, my homeland is all the three worlds.
15. (Through the night) a great many kinds of birds perch on a tree but in the morning they fly in all the ten directions. Why should we lament for that? (Similarly, we should not grieve when we must inevitably part company from our dear ones)
16. He who possesses intelligence is strong; how can the man that is unintelligent be powerful? The elephant of the forest having lost his senses by intoxication was tricked into a lake by a small rabbit. (This verse refers to a famous story from the niti-sastra called pancatantra compiled by the pandit Vishnusharma 2500 years ago).
17. Why should I be concerned for my maintenance while absorbed in praising the glories of Lord Vishwambhara (Vishnu), the supporter of all? Without the grace of Lord Hari, how could milk flow from a mother's breast for a child's nourishment? Repeatedly thinking only in this way, O Lord of the Yadus, O husband of Lakshmi, all my time is spent in serving Your lotus feet.

Chapter Eleven
1. Generosity, pleasing address, courage and propriety of conduct are not acquired, but are inbred qualities.
2. He who forsakes his own community and joins another perishes as the king who embraces an unrighteous path.
3. The elephant has a huge body but is controlled by the ankusha (goad): yet, is the goad as large as the elephant? A lighted candle banishes darkness: is the candle as vast as the darkness. A mountain is broken even by a thunderbolt: is the thunderbolt therefore as big as the mountain? No, he whose power prevails is really mighty; what is there in bulk?
5. 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.
6. The wicked man will not attain sanctity even if he is instructed in different ways, and the Nim tree will not become sweet even if it is sprinkled from the top to the roots with milk and ghee.
7. Mental dirt cannot be washed away even by one-hundred baths in the sacred waters, just as a wine pot cannot be purified even by evaporating all the wine by fire.
8. It is not strange if a man reviles a thing of which he has no knowledge, just as a wild hunter's wife throws away the pearl that is found in the head of an elephant, and picks up a gunj (a type of seed which poor tribals wear as ornaments).
9. He who for one year eats his meals silently (inwardly meditating upon the Lord's prasadam); attains to the heavenly planets for a thousand crore of years. ( Note: one crore equals ten million)
10. The student (brahmacari) 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 endeavour for bodily maintenance.
12. He alone is a true brahmana (dvija or "twice-born") who is satisfied with one meal a day, who has the six samskaras (or acts of purification such as garbhadhana, etc.) performed for him, and who cohabits with his wife only once in a month on an auspicious day after her menses.
13. The brahmana who is engrossed in worldly affairs, brings up cows and is engaged in trade is really called a vaishya.
14. The brahmana who deals in lac-die, articles, oil, indigo, silken cloth, honey, clarified butter, liquor, and flesh is called a shudra.
15. The brahmana who thwarts the doings of others, who is hypocritical, selfish, and a deceitful hater, and while speaking mildly cherishes cruelty in his heart, is called a cat.
16. The brahmana who destroys a pond, a well, a tank, a garden and a temple is called a mleccha.
17. The brahmana who steals the property of the Deities and the spiritual preceptor, who cohabits with another's wife, and who maintains himself by eating anything and everything s called a chandala.
18. The meritorious should give away in charity all that they have in excess of their needs. By charity only Karna, Bali and King Vikramaditya survive even today. Just see the plight of the honeybees beating their legs in despair upon the earth. They are saying to themselves, "Alas! We neither enjoyed our stored-up honey nor gave it in charity, and now someone has taken it from us in an instant."
Chapter Twelve
1. He is a blessed grhasta (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 is shown, the auspicious Supreme Lord is worshiped daily, delicious food and drink is partaken, and who finds joy in the company of devotees.
2. One who devotedly gives a little to a brahmana who is in distress is recompensed abundantly. Hence, O Prince, what is given to a good brahmana is got back not in an equal quantity, but in an infinitely higher degree.
3. 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 in their dealings with the base, frank with the learned, courageous with enemies, humble with elders and stern with the wife.
4. O jackal, leave aside the body of that man at once, whose hands have never given in charity, whose ears have not heard the voice of learning, whose eyes have not beheld a pure devotee of the Lord, whose feet have never traversed to holy places, whose belly is filled with things obtained by crooked practices, and whose head is held high in vanity. Do not eat it, O jackal, otherwise you will become polluted.
5. "Shame upon those who have no devotion to the lotus feet of Sri Krsna, the son of mother Yasoda; who have no attachment for the descriptions of the glories of Srimati Radharani; whose ears are not eager to listen to the stories of the Lord's lila." Such is the exclamation of the mrdanga sound of dhik-tam dhik-tam dhigatam at kirtana.
6. What fault of spring that the bamboo shoot has no leaves? What fault of the sun if the owl cannot see during the daytime? Is it the fault of the clouds if no raindrops fall into the mouth of the chatak bird? Who can erase what Lord Brahma has inscribed upon our foreheads at the time of birth?
7. A wicked man may develop saintly qualities in the company of a devotee, but a devotee does not become impious in the company of a wicked person. The earth is scented by a flower that falls upon it, but the flower does not contact the odour of the earth.
8. One indeed becomes blessed by having darshan of a devotee; for the devotee has the ability to purify immediately, whereas the sacred tirtha gives purity only after prolonged contact.
9. A stranger asked a brahmana, "Tell me, who is great in this city?" The brahmana replied, "The cluster of palmyra trees is great." Then the traveller asked, "Who is the most charitable person?" The brahmana answered, "The washer man who takes the clothes in the morning and gives them back in the evening is the most charitable." He then asked, "Who is the ablest man?" The brahmana answered, "Everyone is expert in robbing others of their wives and wealth." The man then asked the brahmana, "How do you manage to live in such a city?" The brahmana replied, "As a worm survives while even in a filthy place so do I survive here!"
10. The house in which the lotus feet of brahmanas 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 a crematorium.
11. (It is said that a sadhu, when asked about his family, replied thusly): truth is my mother, and my father is spiritual knowledge; righteous conduct is my brother, and mercy is my friend, inner peace is my wife, and forgiveness is my son: these six are my kinsmen.
12. Our bodies are perishable, wealth is not at all permanent and death is always nearby. Therefore we must immediately engage in acts of merit.
13. Arjuna says to Krsna. "Brahmanas find joy in going to feasts, cows find joy in eating their tender grass, wives find joy in the company of their husbands, and know, O Krsna, that in the same way I rejoice in battle.
14. He who regards 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 a true pandit.
15. O Raghava, the love of virtue, pleasing speech, and an ardent desire for performing acts of charity, guileless dealings with friends, humility in the guru's presence, deep tranquillity of mind, pure conduct, discernment of virtues, realised knowledge of the sastras, beauty of form and devotion to God are all found in you." (The great sage Vasistha Muni, the spiritual preceptor of the dynasty of the sun, said this to Lord Ramachandra at the time of His proposed coronation)
16. Kalpataru (the wish fulfilling tree) is but wood; the golden Mount Meru is motionless; the wish-fulfilling gem chintamani is just a stone; the sun is scorching; the moon is prone to wane; the boundless ocean is saline; the demigod of lust lost his body (due to Shiva's wrath); Bali Maharaja, the son of Diti, was born into a clan of demons; and Kamadhenu (the cow of heaven) is a mere beast. O Lord of the Raghu dynasty! I cannot compare you to any one of these (taking their merits into account).
17. 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 friends at death.
18. Courtesy should be learned from princes, the art of conversation from pandits, lying should be learned from gamblers and deceitful ways should be learned from women.
19. 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.
20. The wise man should not be anxious about his food; he should be anxious to be engaged only in dharma (Krsna consciousness). The food of each man is created for him at his birth.
21. He who is not shy in the acquisition of wealth, grain and knowledge, and in taking his meals, will be happy
22. As centesimal droppings will fill a pot so also are knowledge, virtue and wealth gradually obtained.
23. The man who remains a fool even in advanced age is really a fool, just as the Indra-Varuna fruit does not become sweet no matter how ripe it might become.
Chapter Thirteen
1. A man may live but for a moment, but that moment should be spent in doing auspicious deeds. It is useless living even for a kalpa (4,320,000 *1000 years) and bringing only distress upon the two worlds (this world and the next).
2. We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future; men of discernment deal only with the present moment.
3. It certainly is nature of the 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.
4 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.
5. Oh, see what a wonder it is! The doings of the great are strange: they treat wealth as light as a straw, yet, when they obtain it, they bend under its weight
6. He who is overly attached to his family members experiences fear and sorrow, for the root of all grief is attachment. Thus one should discard attachment to be happy.
7. He who is prepared for the future and he who deals cleverly with any situation that may arise are both happy; but the fatalistic man who wholly depends on luck is ruined.
8. If the king is virtuous, then the subjects are also virtuous. If the king is sinful, then the subjects also become sinful. If he is mediocre, then the subjects are mediocre. The subjects follow the example of the king. In short, as is the king so are the subjects.
9. I consider him who does not act religiously as dead though living, but he who dies acting religiously unquestionably lives long though he is dead.
10. He who has acquired neither virtue, wealth, satisfaction of desires nor salvation (dharma, artha, kama, moksa), lives an utterly useless life, like the "nipples" hanging from the neck of a goat.
11. The hearts of base men burn before the fire of other's fame, and they slander them being themselves unable to rise to such a high position.
12. Excessive attachment to sense pleasures leads to bondage, and detachment from sense pleasures leads to liberation; therefore it is the mind alone that is responsible for bondage or liberation
13. He who sheds bodily identification by means of knowledge of the indwelling Supreme Self (Paramatma), will always be absorbed in meditative trance (samadhi) wherever his mind leads him.
14. Who realises all the happiness he desires? Everything is in the hands of God. Therefore one should learn contentment.
15. As a calf follows its mother among a thousand cows, so the (good or bad) deeds of a man follow him.
16. He whose actions are disorganised has no happiness either in the midst of men or in a jungle -- in the midst of men his heart burns by social contacts, and his helplessness burns him in the forest.
17. As the man who digs obtains underground water by use of a shovel, so the student attains the knowledge possessed by his preceptor through his service
18. Men reap the fruits of their deeds, and intellects bear the mark of deeds performed in previous lives; even so the wise act after due circumspection.
19. Even the man who has taught the spiritual significance of just one letter ought to be worshiped. He who does not give reverence to such a guru is born as a dog a hundred times, and at last takes birth as a chandala (dog-eater).
20. At the end of the yuga, Mount Meru may be shaken; at the end of the kalpa, the waters of the seven oceans may be disturbed; but a sadhu will never swerve from the spiritual path.
21. There are three gems upon this earth; food, water, and pleasing words -- fools (mudhas) consider pieces of rocks as gems.
Chapter Fourteen
1. Poverty, disease, sorrow, imprisonment and other evils are the fruits borne by the tree of one's own sins.
2. Wealth, a friend, a wife, and a kingdom may be regained; but this body when lost may never be acquired again.
3. The enemy can be overcome by the union of large numbers, just as grass through its collectiveness wards off erosion caused by heavy rainfall.
4. Oil on water, a secret communicated to a base man, a gift given to a worthy receiver, and scriptural instruction given to an intelligent man spread out by virtue of their nature.
5. If men should always retain the state of mind they experience when hearing religious instruction, when present at a crematorium ground, and when in sickness -- then who could not attain liberation.
6. If a man should feel before, as he feels after, repentance -- then who would not attain perfection?
7. We should not feel pride in our charity, austerity, valour, scriptural knowledge, modesty and morality for the world is full of the rarest gems.
8. He who lives in our mind is near though he may actually be far away; but he who is not in our heart is far though he may really be nearby.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. We should always deal cautiously with fire, water, women, foolish people, serpents, and members of a royal family; for they may, when the occasion presents itself, at once bring about our death.
12. He should be considered to be living who is virtuous and pious, but the life of a man who is destitute of religion and virtues is void of any blessing.
13. 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).
14. He is a pandit (man of knowledge) who speaks what is suitable to the occasion, who renders loving service according to his ability, and who knows the limits of his anger.
15 One single object (a woman) appears in three different ways: to the man who practices austerity it appears as a corpse, to the sensual it appears as a woman, and to the dogs as a lump of flesh.
16. 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 prepared food he may have been offered; or slang he may have heard.
17. The cuckoos remain silent for a long time (for several seasons) until they are able to sing sweetly (in the Spring) so as to give joy to all.
18. We should secure and keep the following: the blessings of meritorious deeds, wealth, grain, the words of the spiritual master, and rare medicines. Otherwise life becomes impossible.
19. Eschew wicked company and associate with saintly persons. Acquire virtue day and night, and always meditate on that which is eternal forgetting that which is temporary.

Chapter Fifteen
1. For one whose heart melts with compassion for all creatures; what is the necessity of knowledge, liberation, matted hair on the head, and smearing the body with ashes?
2. There is no treasure on earth the gift of which will cancel the debt a disciple owes his guru for having taught him even a single letter (that leads to Krsna consciousness).
3. There are two ways to get rid of thorns and wicked persons; using footwear in the first place and in the second shaming them so that they cannot raise their faces again thus keeping them at a distance.
4. He who wears unclean garments, has dirty teeth, is a glutton, speaks unkindly and sleeps after sunrise -- although he may be the greatest personality -- will lose the favour of Lakshmi.
5. He who loses his money is forsaken by his friends, his wife, his servants and his relations; yet when he regains his riches those who have forsaken him come back to him. Hence wealth is certainly the best of relations.
6. Sinfully acquired wealth may remain for ten years; in the eleventh year it disappears with even the original stock.
7. A bad action committed by a great man is not censured (as there is none that can reproach him), and a good action performed by a low-class man comes to be condemned (because none respects him). Just see: the drinking of nectar is excellent, but it became the cause of Rahu's demise; and the drinking of poison is harmful, but when Lord Shiva (who is exalted) drank it, it became an ornament to his neck (nila-kantha).
8. 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.
9. For want of discernment the most precious jewels lie in the dust at the feet of men while bits of glass are worn on their heads. But we should not imagine that the gems have sunk in value, and the bits of glass have risen in importance. When a person of critical judgement shall appear, each will be given its right position.
10. 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 the swan drinks only the milk in water.
11. He is a chandala who eats his dinner without entertaining the stranger who has come to his house quite accidentally, having travelled from a long distance and is wearied.
12. One may know the four Vedas and the Dharma-sastras, yet if he has no realisation of his own spiritual self, he can be said to be like the ladle (spoon) which stirs all kinds of foods but knows not the taste of any.
13. Those blessed souls are certainly elevated who, while crossing the ocean of life, take shelter of a genuine brahmana, who is likened unto a boat. They are unlike passengers aboard an ordinary ship that runs the risk of sinking.
14. The moon, who is the abode of nectar and the presiding deity of all medicines, although immortal like amrta and resplendent in form, loses the brilliance of his rays when he repairs to the abode of the sun (day time). Therefore, will not an ordinary man be made to feel inferior by going to live at the house of another?
15. This humble bee, which always resides among the soft petals of the lotus and drinks abundantly its sweet nectar, is now feasting on the flower of the ordinary kutaja. Being in a strange country where the lotuses do not exist, he is considering the pollen of the kutaja to be nice.
16. (Lord Visnu asked His spouse Lakshmi why She did not care to live in the house of a brahmana.She replied:)" O Lord a rishi named Agastya drank up My father (the ocean) in anger; Brighu Muni kicked You; brahmanas pride themselves on their learning having sought the favour of My competitor Sarasvati; and lastly they pluck each day the lotus which is My abode, and therewith worship Lord Shiva. Therefore, O Lord, I fear to dwell with a brahmana".
17. There are many ways of binding by which one can be dominated and controlled in this world, but the bond of affection is the strongest. For example, take the case of the humble bee, which, although expert at piercing hardened wood, becomes caught in the embrace of its beloved flowers (as the petals close at dusk).
18. Although sandalwood is cut, it does not forsake its natural quality of fragrance; so also the elephant does not give up sportiveness though he should grow old. The sugarcane does not cease to be sweet though squeezed in a mill; so the man of noble extraction does not lose his lofty qualities, no matter how pinched he is by poverty.
Chapter Sixteen
2. The heart of a woman is not united; it is divided. While she is talking with one man, she looks lustfully at another and thinks fondly of a third in her heart.
3. The fool (mudha) who fancies that a charming young lady loves him, becomes her slave and he dances like a shakuntal bird tied to a string.
4. Who is there who, having become rich, has not become proud? What licentious man has put an end to his calamities? What man in this world has not been overcome by a woman? Who is always loved by the king? Who is there who has not been overcome by the ravages of time? What beggar has attained glory? Who has become happy by contracting the vices of the wicked?
6. A man attains greatness by his merits, not simply by occupying an exalted seat. Can we call a crow an eagle (garuda) simply because he sits on the top of a tall building.
8. The man who is praised by others as great is regarded as worthy though he may be really void of all merit. But the man who sings his own praises lowers himself in the estimation of others though he should be Indra (the possessor of all excellences).
9. If good qualities should characterise a man of discrimination, the brilliance of his qualities will be recognised just as a gem, which is essentially bright, really shines when fixed in an ornament of gold.
10. Even one who by his qualities appears to be all knowing suffers without patronage; the gem, though precious, requires a gold setting.
11. I do not deserve that wealth which is to be attained by enduring much suffering, or by transgressing the rules of virtue, or by flattering an enemy.
13. Those who were not satiated with the enjoyment of wealth, food and women have all passed away; there are others now passing away who have likewise remained unsatiated; and in the future still others will pass away feeling themselves unsatiated.
14. All charities and sacrifices (performed for fruitive gain) bring only temporary results, but gifts made to deserving persons and protection offered to all creatures shall never perish
15. A blade of grass is light, cotton is lighter, and the beggar is infinitely lighter still. Why then does not the wind carry him away? Because it fears that he may ask alms of him.
16. It is better to die than to preserve this life by incurring disgrace. The loss of life causes but a moment's grief, but disgrace brings grief every day of one's life.
17. All the creatures are pleased by loving words; and therefore we should address words that are pleasing to all, for there is no lack of sweet words.
18. There are two nectarine fruits hanging from the tree of this world: one is the hearing of sweet words (such as Krsna-katha) and the other, the society of saintly men.
19. The good habits of charity, learning and austerity practised during many past lives continue to be cultivated in this birth by virtue of the link (yoga) of this present life to the previous ones.
20. One whose knowledge is confined to books and whose wealth is in the possession of others, can use neither his knowledge nor wealth when the need for them arises.
Chapter Seventeen
1. The scholar who has acquired knowledge by studying innumerable books without the blessings of a bonafide spiritual master does not shine in an assembly of truly learned men just as an illegitimate child is not honoured in society.
2. We should repay the favours of others by acts of kindness; so also should we return evil for evil in which there is no sin, for it is necessary to pay a wicked man in his own coin.
3. That thing which is distant, that thing which appears impossible, and that which is far beyond our reach, can be easily attained through tapasya (religious austerity), for nothing can surpass austerity.
4. What vice could be worse than covetousness? What is more sinful than slander? For one who is truthful, what need is there for austerity? For one who has a clean heart, what is the need for pilgrimage? If one has a good disposition, what other virtue is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation? What need is there for wealth for the man of practical knowledge? And if a man is dishonoured, what could there be worse than death?
5. Though the sea, which is the reservoir of all jewels, is the father of the conch shell, and the Goddess of fortune Lakshmi is conch's sister, still the conch must go from door to door for alms (in the hands of a beggar). It is true, therefore, that one gains nothing without having given in the past.
6. When a man has no strength left in him he becomes a sadhu, one without wealth acts like a brahmacari, a sick man behaves like a devotee of the Lord, and when a woman grows old she becomes devoted to her husband.
8. There is poison in the fang of the serpent, in the mouth of the fly and in the sting of a scorpion; but the wicked man is saturated with it.
9. The woman who fasts and observes religious vows without the permission of her husband shortens his life, and goes to hell.
10. A woman does not become holy by offering charity, by observing hundreds of fasts, or by sipping sacred water, as by sipping the water used to wash her husbands feet.
12. The hand is not so well adorned by ornaments as by charitable offerings; one does not become clean by smearing sandalwood paste upon the body as by taking a bath; one does not become so much satisfied by dinner as by having respect shown to him; and salvation is not attained by self-adornment as by cultivation of spiritual knowledge.
14. The eating of tundi fruit deprives a man of his sense, while the vacha root administered revives his reasoning immediately. A woman at once robs a man of his vigour while milk at once restores it.
15. He who nurtures benevolence for all creatures within his heart overcomes all difficulties and will be the recipient of all types of riches at every step.
16. What is there to be enjoyed in the world of Lord Indra for one whose wife is loving and virtuous, who possesses wealth, who has a well-behaved son endowed with good qualities, and who has grandchildren born of his children?
17. Men have eating, sleeping, fearing and mating in common with the lower animals. That in which men excel the beasts is discretionary knowledge; hence, indiscreet men who are without knowledge should be regarded as beasts.
18. If the bees that seek the liquid oozing from the head of a lust-intoxicated elephant are driven away by the flapping of his ears, then the elephant has lost only the ornament of his head. The bees are quite happy in the lotus filled lake.
19. A king, a prostitute, Lord Yamaraja, fire, a thief, a young boy, and a beggar cannot understand the suffering of others. The eighth of this category is the tax collector.
20. O lady, why are you gazing downward? Has something of yours fallen on the ground? (She replies) O fool, can you not understand the pearl of my youth has slipped away?
21. O ketki flower! Serpents live in your midst, you bear no edible fruits, your leaves are covered with thorns, you are crooked in growth, you thrive in mud, and you are not easily accessible. Still for your exceptional fragrance you are as dear as kinsmen to others. Hence, a single excellence overcomes a multitude of blemishes.___________________________________
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Sri Chanakya Niti-SastraThe Political Ethics of Chanakya PanditBy Miles Davis (Patita Pavana dasa)
About 2300 years ago the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great invaded the Indian sub-continent. His offensive upon the land's patchwork of small Hindu empires proved to be highly successful due to the disunity of the petty rulers. It was Chanakya Pandit who, feeling deeply distressed at heart, searched for and discovered a qualified leader in the person of Chandragupta Maurya. Although a mere dasi-putra, that is, a son of a maidservant by the Magadha King Nanda, Chandragupta was highly intelligent, courageous and physically powerful. Chanakya cared little that by birth he should not have dared to approach the throne. A man of acute discretion, Chanakya desired only that a ruler of extraordinary capabilities be raised to the exalted post of King of Magadha so that the offensive launched by the Yavanas (Greeks) could be repressed.
It is said that Chanakya had been personally offended by King Nanda and that this powerful brahmana (Brahmin) had vowed to keep his long sikha (hair) unknotted until he saw to the demise of the contemptuous ruler and his drunken princes. True to his oath, it was only after Chanakya Pandit engineered a swift death for the degraded and worthless rulers of the Nanda dynasty that this great Brahmin was able to again tie up his tuft of hair. There are several versions relating the exact way that Chanakya had set about eliminating the Nandas, and it appears historians have found it difficult to separate fact from folk legend as regards to certain specific details.
After the Nanda downfall, it became easy for Chandragupta to win the support of the Magadha citizens, who responded warmly to their new heroic and handsome young ruler. Kings of neighbouring states rallied under Chandragupta's suzerainty and the last of the Greeks headed by Alexander's general Seleucus were defeated.
With the dual obstacles of the Nandas and Alexander's troops out of the way, Chanakya Pandit used every political device and intrigue to unite the greater portion of the Indian sub-continent. Under the Prime ministership of Chanakya, King Chandragupta Maurya conquered all the lands up to Iran in the Northwest and down to the extremities of Karnataka or Mysore state in the South (India). It was by his wits alone that this skinny and ill-clad brahmin directed थे formation of the greatest Indian empire ever before seen in history (i.e. since the beginning of Kali-yuga). Thus the indigenous Vedic culture of the sacred land of Bharata (India) was protected and the spiritual practices of the Hindus could go on unhampered.
Although many great savants of the science of niti such as Brihaspati, Shukracharya, Bhartrihari and Vishnusharma have echoed many of these instructions in their own celebrated works*, it is perhaps the way that Chanakya applied his teachings of niti-sastra (political science) that has made him stand out as a significant historical figure. The great Pandit teaches us that lofty ideals can become a certain reality if we intelligently work towards achieving our goal in a determined, progressive and practical manner.

2008-02-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

Introduction
Some of you may wonder why I would include a person like Chanakya, who plotted and overthrew governments, as a saint. Some have even gone as far as to say that he was evil. If re-establishing the truth and the glory of Bharat is evil, then may Gandhiji be accused of overthrowing the British and getting independence of India. If remaining calm during war is not a mark of a yogi, what is ?
Chanakya has been misunderstood by a lot of people, mainly the modern western scholars. Though I can not do justice to his greatness by a few lines of his life, I hope the following lines will convince you read some more about his life. Today is the independence day of India, and India is in a similar situation which Chanakya encountered. The country had been ravaged by Alexander and there were numerous petty kings looking after their own interests. The nationalistic pride had disappeared, and people were not proud or even aware of their ancestry. Chanakya appeared on the scene and united Bharat under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya. He was fearless, not afraid of death, disgrace or defeat. He was compassionate to the poor and kind, evil to deceit. His writings which clearly show his fearlessness in the pursuit of Truth has been echoed over 2000 years later when Swami Vivekananda cried out, 'Arise, Awake, sleep not till the goal is reached.'
Mukherji in his article 'The foundation of the mauryan empire' comments, 'The country had hardly recovered from the shock of Alexanders victorious march through it - march which had dislocated its indigenous political organisation....The atmosphere was full of frustration and depression. The battle of India's independence against these heavy odds called for a leader of exceptional ability and vision who would infuse new life and enthusiasm into the drooping spirits of a defeated people, and organise a fresh national resistance against alien domination. Fortunately the country produced such a leader in young Chandragupta who had already been prepared for the great mission in life by the Brahmin Chanakya, better known as Kautilya [his given name was Vishnugupta]. Chanakya's superior vision and insight led him to discover in this youth the disciple who would be able, under his direction, to free the motherland of foreign rule.'
Probably the most accurate description of Chanakya can be found in Nehru's words in the Discovery of India, 'Chanakya has been called the Indian Machiavelli and to some extent the comparision is justified. But he was a much bigger person in every way, greater in intellect and reason. He was no mere follower of a King, a humble adviser of an all powerful emperor. A picture of him emerges from an old Indian [sanskrit] play 'mudra rakshasa' [rakshasa's ring] which deals with this period. Bold and scheming, proud and revengeful, never forgetting a slight, never forgetting his purpose, availing himself of every device to delude and defeat the enemy, he sat with the reins of empire in his hands and looked upon the emperor more as a loved pupil than as master. Simple and austere in life, uninterested in pomp and pageantry of high position, when he had redeemed his pledge and accomplished his purpose, he wanted to retire, brahminlike, to a life of contemplation.
There was hardly anything Chanakya would have refrained from doing to achieve his purposel he was unscrupulous enough, yet he was aslo wise enough to know that this very purpose might be defeated by means unsuited to the end. Long before Clausewitz, he is reported to have said that war is only a continuance of state policy by other means. But he adds, war must always serve the larger ends of policy and not become an end in itself. The statesman's objective must always be the betterment of the State as a result of war and not the mere defeat and destruction of the enemy.'
As Subramaniam puts it 'There is an ethical undertone in his thought and teaching. In the Arthasastra, which has often been misunderstood, he says that the crux of this political science is control over senses.' If one looks closely into his teaching, it is seen that Chankaya advocated moderation in material pleasures and adherence to the path of righteousness. He himself lived such a life, refusing all adornments or riches even after establishing the first Indian empire. His constant exhortation to give up sensory pleasures, and cultivate qualities like kindness, patience etc may sound hypocritical coming from a man who overthrew governments. But it is not !! In talking about the four stages of life (commonly followed in Hinduism), he feels a mixing of spiritual and sensual aspects are essential with the former slowly displacing the latter in stages. As Subramaniam notes, 'One can go on and on with illustrations to prove Chanakya's farsightedness, keenness of perception, and infallibility.'
A few hundred years before Chanakya, Confucius said that the three marks of a superior man are being virtuous, and thus free from anxiety, being wise, and thus free from perplexity, being brave, and thus free from fear. Chanakya may not have known about Confucius or his sayings, but he lived that life !
Biography
Chanakya lived during the period 350-275 BC. Details of his birth and life are hazy, and we have to rely on tradition. His works have been faithfully preserved through word of mouth for well over two thousand years. His place of birth has to be ascertained from other sources, namely the Buddhist and Jain scriptures. The mahavamsa tika (buddhist) mentions his birth place as taxila, while jain scriptures like adbidhana chintamani mention his birth place as South India, around present day kerala. Probably the latter is appropriate when we consider the frequent mention of the tuft of hair, which is a mark of present day nambudhiri. However, Chanakya's birth place will continue to remain a controversy.
Let us not forget that the major puranas, including the bhagavata purana, vayu, matsya, brahmanda and bhavishya purana all mention chanakya along with chandragupta maurya. Probably the short and wonderful play mudra rakshasha written by visakhadatta is the most famous on chanakya, though this covers only the portion of his life after the downfall of nandas and the establishment of Chandragupta. Naturally, the life of these two people (Chanakya and Chandragupta) has been closely intervined. However, in my personal opinion, I would say that Chandragupta's fame and intelligence was in major portion due to Chanakya (this is not to put down chandragupta in any way).
I have divided this biography into 30-35 chapters, so that I can write 4-5 chapters per week and finish it in less than two months. Please note the names of the characters carefully. Some do have multiple names, but none of them mentioned or the incidents attributed to them should conflict with the available scriptural/ archeaological or traditional evidence. If you do find some error, it is entirely mine, and please let me know.
Chandragupta and Chanakya meet
The commonly told tale is that after Chanakya was humilated by the Nandas, and chandragupta being thrown out of the nanda army, chanakya was walking in a forest when the kusa grass hurt him by tripping him over. Since the grass is extremely difficult to uproot, people let it grow without destroying it but chanakya poured sugar syrup on the grass. When Chandragupta asked him why, Chanakya replied that he was making the root of the grass sweet which will attract ants and the ants will destroy the grass. And that did happen. When asked why a simple grass was being destroyed for vegenance, Chanakya replied that everyone owes a duty to the society by removing noxious things, and he would remove even a king if the king adopted adharma. Seeing Chanakya's intelligence and foresight, Chandragupta asked to be accepted as a disciple.
This tale does not, however, have a historical basis and violates the writings of some buddhist scriptures. Though I have taken the writer's liberty in writing Chanakya's biography, I have tried not to violate any known historical facts. Therefore we have to reject this tale and accept the version given in mahavamsa. However, this tale may indeed be true, occuring later in chandragupta's life.
The meeting is mentioned in the mahavamsa as follows : Chanakya found chandragupta playing the rajakila, was impressed with the bravery of the lad and bought the boy's freedom (chandragupta was an adopted son of a cowherd who used him for menial labor). He put him in school in Taxila for 6-7 years, and made him highly learned and accomplished.
Let us open the biography when Chanakya was 30 years old or so. By this time, he was already well established in Kashi and Taxila as a learned vedic scholar. His given name was Vishnugupta, though people called him Kautilya, based on his gotra. Some people called him Chanakya because his father's name was Chanak. At this time, he had accepted Chandragupta as his disciple, though he confessed to Chandragupta that his intention was to re-establish Dharma, unite India into a single empire and establish him as the king.
Chanakya is humiliated
Chanakya entered the palace of the Nandas. He saw ten gold plates and thrones. He was told that nine were for the eight Nanda princes (who were brothers) and their father Sarvarthasiddhi. The tenth was for the most learned person in Vedas. It was occupied by Subandhu, whose incompetence was widely known. Chanakya sat down in the tenth throne. The nine princes and Subandhu entered the place and noticed Chanakya sitting on the throne. The youngest two brothers, Sukalpa and Dhanananda, asked him to get up and leave. Chanakya replies, 'I am the most qualified for the tenth throne. It is my right to sit on it. If subandhu defeats me in a literary debate, I will readily step down.'
The princes become angry but Chanakya remains calm and continues his request for a debate. Sukalpa insults him by calling him a monkey but Chanakya continues to be calm and says that the duty of the king is obey the dharma. Since the tenth throne is to be given to the most learned man, it is dharmic that a contest be held. Further, Chanakya notes that he may be black like a monkey but scholars are noted for what is in them.
The princes get angry and ask the guards to throw him out by pulling him by the tuft of the hair. At this instance, Chanakya takes the famous oath, 'I will not tie my tuft of hair until I uproot the whole Nanda dynasty and establish dharma in magadha. Rulers like you have spoiled Bharat. The tuft of hair which you arrogantly pull now will be like a serpent which comes back to bite you.'
Hearing this, sukalpa orders him to be put to death. However, the minister subuddisarman intervenes and requests the king to forgive chanakya. Chanakya goes away and meet a worried chandragupta.
Chandragupta : Thank God that you were not put to death by the evil princes.
Chanakya : I knew that they would not dare to such a thing in public. My act and oath will incite the community here against Nandas. I will uproot the adharmic Nandas when the time is ripe.
Chandragupta : Do you think that dharma will win even in the Kali yuga ?
Chanakya : No doubt about it. Truth and Dharma will always triumph.
Chandragupta : I am quite worried about your welfare. These princes may secretly try to kill you if you stay in Magadha.
Chanakya agrees that his life is in danger, and sets out in the direction of vardhamanapura. We should note here that Chanakya is not afraid to die but instead he wants to uproot the adharmic nanda rulers but does not have the monetary or military capacity now. Further, he is not interested in sitting in thrones etc as would be evident later.
Enter Jeevasiddhi
Possibly, the most important character, next to Chandragupta, in uprooting the Nandas was the spy, Jeevasiddhi employed by Chanakya. Chanakya on reaching vardhamanapura visits his disciple, Indusarman, a reputed scholar in the field of medicine, astrology and psychology. Chanakya relates to him the incident at Maghada and the humilation of him at the hands of the adharmic nanda kings. He requests Indusarman to serve as a spy by posing as a Jain (or Buddhist) monk and getting the confidence of the Nanda king.
Indusarman : I will readily accept any role you give me. Would you kindly give me your blessings too ?
Chanakya : What is the need for my blessings when you fight for the establishment of Dharma in Bharat ? Bharat Mata Herself will provide all the required strength to you.
Indusarman bows in respect and leaves for Magadha. He secretly meets Chandragupta and ascertains the life history of a few noted people, including their weakness, strengths and dalliances. He also obtains a well guarded secret that a brahmin was killed in the premises of the seventh room in the palace. This fact was known only to Chandragupta's father, Maurya and the present king's father, Sarvarthasiddhi (there are various other names for him including Sukalpa). Maurya tells this to Chandragupta on his death bed. [See Chandragupta's history below]
Within a couple of weeks, the whole town of Magadha is agog with the rumor that a Jain monk named Jeevasiddhi has taken upon himself to destroy Chanakya and his buddies. The princes, especially Dhanananda (the future king), and the minister, Rakshas (one of the most important characters who is the minister to the king. His given name is Kathyayana, but people called him Rakshas (demon) because he obeys the king only and commits cruelty against the subjects) are very worried of Chanakya since Chanakya is reputed to have evil powers (this is just a rumor circulated by chanakya himself). Therefore, they arrange a meeting with Jeevasiddhi.
Dhanananda : We hear that you have a lot of magical powers and a good knowledge of astrology.
Jeevasiddhi : That's correct. I am the best though the evil Chanakya has challenged me. It is my ambition to defeat him. Why don't you test my knowledge in astrology by giving me a few people's date of birth, and I will give you their life's details.
Dhanananda and Rakshas give a few person's names and their date of birth etc. Jeevasiddhi (using the knowledge obtained by Chandragupta) accurately predicts all the life-history. Dhanananda is very impressed and rewards him with 1000 gold coins. Jeevasiddhi rejects it saying that his only aim is to defeat Chanakya and he is not concerned about money or fame. Dhanananda, a miser, is immensely pleased.
After a couple of weeks, Dhanananda and his brothers along with Jeevasiddhi walk along the palace. When they cross the seventh room,
Jeevasiddhi : Ah, evil powers are here. There is surely a dead brahmin here helping a alive brahmin, Chanakya.
Dhanananda : Are you crazy ? There is no brahmin or bodies of brahmin here.
Jeevasiddhi : Oh, you doubt my powers ? I stake my reputation on it.
Soon the place is dug up, and the bones of the dead brahmin is found. The princes and the ministers are astounded at the powers of Jeevasiddhi and promise to consult him in all future plans.
Jeevasiddhi is also reputed to have caused minor fevers in the princes by feeding them contaminated milk etc and curing them using drugs all the while claiming that Chanakya is using his evil powers but the demons of Chanakya can not fight him.
Jeevasiddhi continues his antics. He sees the Nandas feeding the Brahmins and sanyasis and protests saying that these people should not be fed for free. Dhanananda, who is a miser as previously mentioned, gladly accepts this but the other princes protest. Jeevasiddhi asks, 'Why do you feed persons who will support Chanakya in a war?' Reluctantly, the princes concede and stop feeding the sanyasis.
This naturally causes an uproar in the city since a long tradition has been violated. The Brahmins are naturally very displeased and become involved in plans to uproot the Nandas. Jeevasiddhi, of course, is very pleased and writes to Chankaya, 'I have started the fire. I will let it destroy the whole Nanda empire with your help.' Within a month, Jeevasiddhi establishes himself as the confidant of all ministers loyal to the king, and the princes. He transmits this good news to Chanakya.
Chandragupta is sentenced to death
Chandragupta who was the supervisor of the feeding is no longer required. His fame among the brahmins, and his courage had already attracted a few people in the army. He was highly popular among the town folk.
Realizing the turmoil Chandragupta can cause, Rakshas devises a plan to arrest Chandragupta and put him to death. In a midnight meeting with the Nandas and Jeevasiddhi, Rakshas reveals this plan. Jeevasiddhi protests saying that killing him could cause a rebellion, and that he be exiled. But Rakshas differs from him and says that the killing can done in secrecy, and his exiling would only prolong the problem since Chandragupta will form a team with Chanakya. Jeevasiddhi, realizing that Rakshas is a powerful person and a confidant of the king, readily agrees with Rakshas. Rakshas is highly pleased.
Chandragupta escapes
Jeevasiddhi promptly informs of the decision to Chandragupta. Siddharthaka, Chankaya's spy, also becomes aware of this decision and meets with Chandragupta and explains the situation to him. Both of them disguise themselves and proceed in a cart towards Vardhamanapura. During the trip, Siddharthaka evades the spies and other soldiers who are on the lookout for Chandragupta. They finally reach Vardhamanapura and meet Chanakya, who is pleased to receive them.
Chandragupta's history
We should pause here and reflect on the history and lineage of Chandragupta. Maurya, Chandragupta's grandfather, was the son of Mahanandin and Mura. But Mahanandin had two other sons through his other wife, Sunanda. Meanwhile, there lived a poor royal barber named Mahapadma. But he was very brave and strong. One day he watched some robbers steal from a rich man's house and run away with valuables. But the citizens and the royal soldiers were afraid of the robbers and did not pursue them. But Mahapadma pursued them and recovered all the valuables. He ingrained himself as a brave soldier, and rose in the ranks of the army to become the commander-in-chief. Sunanda, taken by the handsome features of Mahapadma, conspires to kill her husband. Mahapadma, after killing the king, marries Sunanda and has eight sons, including the present King Sukalpa and his seven brothers. Though the overthrow of the king does not cause any protests in the kingdom (since people knew that Mahanandin was incompetent), a brahmin protests against the injustice to the king. He is killed within the palace (whose bones are later found by jeevasiddhi, as mentioned above).
Mahapadma is a strong ruler and puts down all rebellions, and controls the kingdom with an iron hand. He also conquers the nearby kingdoms and establishes himself to be a ruler of several states. He befriends, Maurya, who is made the commander of the vast army. However, when he became old, Mahapadma takes the life of a hermit and is known as Sarvarthasiddhi.
After Sukalpa is crowned the king, and his seven brothers rule the various provinces, the kingdom suffers terribly from the lack of military and administrative ability. The commander of the army, Bhaddasala (or Bhadrasala) is highly inefficent and also corrupt. Only the prime minister, Varruchi has any morals.
Chandragupta fails to win

2008-02-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

Military History Companion: Kautilya
Kautilya (also known as Kautalya, Canakya, Chanakya, or Visnugupta) (active c.300 bc). Hindu statesman, philosopher, and writer of the Arthasastra, the classic ancient Hindu political text. Kautilya was the PM and chief political adviser to Chandragupta, ruler of the Magadha empire from 320 bc to c.297 bc. Under Kautilya's guidance, Chandragupta consolidated his dynasty, defeated Seleucos Nicator's attempt to claim the heritage of Alexander ‘the Great’ in India, and expanded his empire. However, Kautilya is more important for the political theories expounded in the Arthasastra.The central idea of Kautilya's doctrine was the prosperity of king and country and the king's struggle for victory against his rival neighbouring states. The king had to try to defeat one after another of his enemies. Kautilya identified seven factors of power, which affected his ability to do so. These factors were first, the qualities of the king, then of his ministers, his provinces, his city, his treasure, his army, and his allies. The aim of the Arthasastra was to instruct the king on how to improve the qualities of these factors and undermine those of his enemies. He provided detailed instruction for spies and agents and showed great understanding of the weakness of human nature, earning himself comparison with
Biography: Kautilya
Kautilya (4th century B.C.), also known as Vishnugupta and Chanakya, is traditionally known as the author of the "Arthashastra", the celebrated ancient Indian work on polity, and as the counselor of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya empire.
Most of the details of the life of Kautilya are uncertain and shrouded in myth and legend. Ancient Indian tradition describes him as a native of Taxila (near Peshawar in modern Pakistan) who had journeyed to Pataliputra (Patna), capital of the Nanda empire, in search of recognition of his learning. There he was insulted by Dhana Nanda, last of the Nanda rulers, and the irascible Brahmin swore vengeance on the house of the Nandas. Pursued by Nanda soldiers, Kautilya escaped into the forests, where he met the young Chandragupta Maurya. Kautilya took Chandragupta to Taxila. This was the time when Alexander's legions were invading northwestern India. Alexander retreated from the Punjab in 325 B.C., and soon thereafter Chandragupta worked his dynastic revolution, killing Dhana Nanda and becoming the ruler of India. Indian tradition asserts that Kautilya had masterminded this revolution and continued as Chandragupta's counselor.
The Arthashastra
Whatever the nature of accounts of Kautilya's life, it is certain that Kautilya was a historical figure and that he was responsible for the compilation of a work on polity, a work that has exerted a profound influence on the development of political ideas in traditional India. The Arthashastra was believed to have been lost and was known only through references to it and quotations from it in subsequent works on law and polity in Sanskrit. It was discovered and published in the 1920s and immediately provoked extensive discussion on the nature of its contents and their implications for understanding the traditional Indian polity.
The Arthashastra is not a work on political philosophy, which it treats only incidentally, but a manual of instruction on the administration of a state and ways to meet challenges to it. Kautilya is a thoroughgoing political realist and often gives the impression of being amoral. He views the state as a seven-limbed organism which grows in war and whose purpose is to destroy its enemies and extend the territory under its control by all means, including aggression against and subversion of its opponents.
The work treats of the many departments of governmental administration and pays special attention to war, preparation for it, and its triumphant execution. The bureaucracy, as envisioned by Kautilya, must be all-pervasive, efficient, and honest. The king is the central point of this vast and sprawling bureaucratic structure, and Kautilya's exhortation to him is to be on guard at all times. Kautilya's Arthashastra is often compared to Machiavelli's Prince, with which it shares many common philosophical and practical views. In its spirit of realpolitik and machtpolitik it reveals an altogether surprising aspect of the Indian civilization.
Further Reading
The most scholarly edition and translation of the Arthashastrais by R. P. Kangle, The Kautiliya Arthasastra (3 vols., 1965). R. Shamasastry, The Arthashastra (1956), has long been a standard work of reference. M. V. Krishna Rao, Studies in Kautilya (1953; 2d rev. ed. 1958), presents the Arthashastra ideas in a popular style. U. N. Ghoshal, A History of Indian Political Ideas (1959), has extensive materials on the statecraft of Kautilya.
Political Dictionary: Kautilya
(c. 300 bc) Kautilya (also known as Chanakya and Vishnugupta) is known as the author of the Arthashastra (which can be translated as The Art of Well-being or The Science of Polity), a book which is part political philosophy, part manual of statecraft. Although the Arthashastra had been referred to in other ancient books, a full text was only rediscovered in 1904, when an ancient copy, written on palm leaves, was handed over to an Indian librarian by an anonymous donor.Kautilya was a political adviser in the service of Chandragupta, the founder of the Mauryan empire which stretched across the north of the Indian subcontinent. The Arthashastra describes the means by which a state should be established and maintained in the face of the threat of competing powers and an inherent danger of social instability. In the absence of the state, people are subject to the ‘law of the fishes’, whereby the stronger swallows the weak. The role of the king is to enhance the prosperity of his people, increasing the power of the state, and expanding the territory through conquest. The prosperity of the people is enhanced through the promotion of trade, the development of infrastructure (such as dams and communications), and the strict enforcement of a system of law and order. A comprehensive list of crime and punishment is set down, ranging from being publicly smeared with dung for minor theft to being boiled alive for sleeping with a queen. The power of the state stems from a strong basis in trade which is harnessed through a taxation system run by a well-maintained civil service.The issue of territorial protection and conquest is the basis of Kautilya's most incisive political thought, and can be taken to be an early guide to the field of international relations. Here he deals with a wide variety of strategies, which can be used independently or in combination, to deal with different situations according to the relative strengths of the opposition. These strategies include conciliation (through flattery, bribery, or other inducements), sowing dissent amongst the opposition, forming coalitions with other rulers, consolidation, and the use of hostility and force. Different circumstances are described, along with the appropriate choice of strategy, the likely outcome, and the appropriate pay-offs for the actors involved. Kautilya has been compared to Machiavelli in the breadth of his statecraft, and also for his willingness to use deceit and intrigue, not just against opponents but also to bolster the king's reputation with his people. However, the Arthashastra exhibits a repeated commitment to the welfare of the people, and principles of order and justice. The duty of a conqueror, for instance, is to ‘substitute his virtues for the defeated enemy's vices, and where the enemy was good he shall be twice as good’.

2008-02-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

Home About KamaSutra
Great Kama Sutra
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Kama Sutra - Description of partners!
April 10th, 2007 by mrlupen
Kama Sutra - Description of partners!
Physical intimacy and sexual relation comprise the most delicate part of all the human relations. In the words of well-known author, love seems to be the fastest thing, but it is the slowest thing to grow. Nonetheless, millions of people unite every year with the opposite sex. Some of these partnerships last life long. This section describes the kinds of the partners and their agents who assist them in contacting with each other and establish physical relations.Read the rest of this entry »
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Introduction to Kama Sutra
April 10th, 2007 by mrlupen
Introduction to Kama Sutra
The supreme soul bestows his endless bounty on all the creatures alike without any discrimination. Still human beings enjoy a privileged position because the God has endowed human being the God has endowed human being with intelligence. With intelligence, a human being can think about his interests and is inclined to act accordingly. Supreme soul, the father of all the creatures, wishes well irrespective of the quality of the creature. Hence, time and again, he takes incarnations as animals, birds, aquatic animals and human being in order to do away with the crises that face humanity. At the same time, incarnation of God teaches valuable lessons through his qualities often, the sage and ascetics act as a means to carry out work for the benefit of all.
MAHARSHI VATSAYAN:EXPONENT OF KAMA SUTRA
Well before the exposition of Kama Sutra, certain sage Babhravpanchal had a compiled a treatise Kama Shastra. It is not available now. But it is very huge collection. And because of its hugeness later scholars divided it into different volumes. Maharshi Vatsayan had actually produced an abridged version of Kama Shastra. There are disputes regarding the time period of Vatsayan. But the experts fix the time of Vatsyayan when Patana was famous as Pataliputra.Evidently the commentator Vatsyayan of NyayaDarshan and exponent Vatsyayan of Kama Sutra, both are one and single person. Some servants even assert that Vastsayan was the third name of Vishnugupt - other two being Chanakya and Kautilya. Yashodhar, the commentator of Kama Sutra has identified Vatsayan as Mallanaga. Hence, his original name appeared to be Malanaga, with a tile of Vatsyayan.
OBJECTS OF HUMAN CREATIONLike every creature, humans have also received certain rights, and certain duties for a successful existence in the world. Objects of comforts have also been provided. For human being there are four objects for his existence. These are Dharma (religion), Arth (luxuries), Kama (carnal pleasures) and Moksha (salvation). Most of the people neither crave nor strive for all the four. First three - religion, luxuries and carnal pleasures are more important for them. Maharishi Vatsayana regards these three objects as the basic reason of existence. Everybody strives to achieve either of these objects with all his might. Shastras or disciplines help a person to achieve the object he deserves.
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Health & Relationship Benefits of Masturbation
February 25th, 2007 by info
Masturbation can be a very satisfying substitute for sexual intercourse which relieves tension, exercises the body, stimulates the imagination, and keeps the sexual capacities alive.Read the rest of this entry »
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The Art of Kissing
February 25th, 2007 by info
An array of kissing techniques are in the Kama Sutra described in richly details. Given that very little if none has changed as regards kissing since Vatsyayana compiled his treatises. Such variations may be held up-to-date and relevant up until today. From subtle contact to intimate tongue penetration, each kind of kiss specifically produces potently emotional response in both lovers.Read the rest of this entry »
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Different Types of Kisses
February 25th, 2007 by info
The Straight KissHowever frivolous might the straight kiss seem. It is by all means, a refined demonstration of affection, expressed in the Kama Sutra. There can be as important as all other variations and sometimes should it express burning passion even more passionately.Read the rest of this entry »
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The Kissing Game
February 25th, 2007 by info
Sex, love and catching up with differences, are held in the Kama Sutra in the highest regards without too harsh a connotation. As regards kissing, the sage Vatsyayana touted a lovers’ game in his treatises of entertainment.Read the rest of this entry »
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Kissing the Breasts
February 25th, 2007 by info
Being the breasts highly erogenous, some women will likely to heighten their degree of arousal by nipples stimulation alone. And yet, some women consider fondling bare essential for a wholesome and satisfactory sexual relation.Read the rest of this entry »
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Kissing and Licking
February 25th, 2007 by info
The Kama Sutra holds indispensable kissing and licking some body parts in the love-game. Its treatises teach us to postpone genital contact as long as possible. Focusing on enhancement of foreplay might result in ultimate orgasm.Read the rest of this entry »
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A Moment for Intimacy
February 25th, 2007 by info
Currently, making up the time to dedicate to the relationship and giving special attention to the sexual life is such hard task for most couples. Time sharing between work, studies and family gets rather complicated, but necessary for a healthy relationship upkeep. Sometimes, it demands putting things on hold. Disconnecting from work commitments whenever possible. Locking up the room-door from inside can curb invasion of toddlers and might prove worthwhile.Read the rest of this entry »
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Sowing the Seeds
February 25th, 2007 by info
The Kama Sutra teaches us to harbor new relationships, by bringing them into our social sphere up to the point of allowing us to live up all aspects of our lives, harmoniously. Therefore, without loosing our own identity at the same time. For all that, those so-called new relationships are likely to get started in a warm atmosphere which encloses the couple, so as to enable such interaction between lovers and ambiance.Read the rest of this entry »
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2008-02-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

The supreme soul bestows his endless bounty on all the creatures alike without any discrimination. Still human beings enjoy a privileged position because the God has endowed human being the God has endowed human being with intelligence. With intelligence, a human being can think about his interests and is inclined to act accordingly. Supreme soul, the father of all the creatures, wishes well irrespective of the quality of the creature. Hence, time and again, he takes incarnations as animals, birds, aquatic animals and human being in order to do away with the crises that face humanity. At the same time, incarnation of God teaches valuable lessons through his qualities often, the sage and ascetics act as a means to carry out work for the benefit of all.
MAHARSHI VATSAYAN:EXPONENT OF KAMA SUTRA
Well before the exposition of Kama Sutra, certain sage Babhravpanchal had a compiled a treatise Kama Shastra. It is not available now. But it is very huge collection. And because of its hugeness later scholars divided it into different volumes. Maharshi Vatsayan had actually produced an abridged version of Kama Shastra. There are disputes regarding the time period of Vatsayan. But the experts fix the time of Vatsyayan when Patana was famous as Pataliputra.
Evidently the commentator Vatsyayan of NyayaDarshan and exponent Vatsyayan of Kama Sutra, both are one and single person. Some servants even assert that Vastsayan was the third name of Vishnugupt - other two being Chanakya and Kautilya. Yashodhar, the commentator of Kama Sutra has identified Vatsayan as Mallanaga. Hence, his original name appeared to be Malanaga, with a tile of Vatsyayan.
OBJECTS OF HUMAN CREATION
Like every creature, humans have also received certain rights, and certain duties for a successful existence in the world. Objects of comforts have also been provided. For human being there are four objects for his existence. These are Dharma (religion), Arth (luxuries), Kama (carnal pleasures) and Moksha (salvation). Most of the people neither crave nor strive for all the four. First three - religion, luxuries and carnal pleasures are more important for them. Maharishi Vatsayana regards these three objects as the basic reason of existence. Everybody strives to achieve either of these objects with all his might. Shastras or disciplines help a person to achieve the object he deserves.
NECESSITY OF KAMA SHASTRA
Despite having enthusiasm determination, faith and capacity, often a human being fails to achieve his object for the want of a competent guide. Kama or carnal pleasure is one of the main objects of existence of a human being. But without a well-laid discourse and discipline, no one can achieve pleasure. Like other disciplines, Kama Shastra also contains certain norms and disciplined actions necessary to achieve one`s goal.
NECESSITY OF READING KAMASHASTRA
Like religion and earnings, Kama or Carnal pleasures are the third goal of human life. Without having a proper knowledge of Kama, one cannot experience all the other physical comforts. A married person is naturally inclined towards carnal pleasures. In other words, carnal pleasures constitute basic reason for marriage.
A man and a woman agree to tie a nuptial knot only to have carnal pleasures. Marriage simply reflects the social nod for their union. But if the people entering the marriage lack the basic knowledge about it, they will not be able to achieve the basic goal of marriage. It is here where Kama Shastra comes in the picture. Evidences show that Kama or Carnal union of male and female forces had never been taken for granted even in ancient time. Vedas, Puranas and other literature describe profusely about the authenticity, necessity and relevance of Kama Shastra.
Ancient sages composed Kama Shastra on the basis of Vedas. Maharshi Nandikeshwar was the first originator of Kama Shastra in to various chapters. Apart from these, great sages like Dattakacharya, Charayana, Suvarn-nama Ghotakmukh, Gonardiya, Gonikaputra and Kuchumar had also contributed their mite in the evolution and refinement of Kama Shastra. Sage Vatsayan gave the finishing touch to Kama Shastra.
NECESSITY OF KAMA SUTRA IN EDUCATION
Gurukula system of education was prevalent in ancient India. Abidance to celibacy was a must for the inmates of Gurukul. Kama Sutra was taught to the celibate disciples during their stay in Gurukul. The disciples could enter married life only when he had thorough knowledge of Kama Sutra. Of course, study of Kama Sutra used to be taken up after the education of Vedas, Vedangas and other scriptures had been finished. Thus, by the time, disciples left Gurukul, they were experts in Vedas and clever in social conduct. Their married life as result would be free from problems and conflicts.
KAMA SUTRA
20 things about the Kama Sutra
Introduction
Purpose of Kama Sutra
Description of partners
Arts of Kama Sutra
People to benefitfrom Kama Sutra
Marriage
Kama Sutra positions
Kama Sutra pictures
Kama Sutra book

2008-01-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

Chanakya (चानक्य)

An egoist can be won over by being respected, a crazy person can be won over by allowing him to behave in an insane manner and a wise person can be won over by truth.-- Chanakya
A human being should strive for four things in life - dharma, money, sex and salvation. A person who hasn't strived for even one of these things has wasted life.-- Chanakya
Aman is great by deeds, not by birth.-- ChanakyaA person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.-- ChanakyaAs soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it. -- ChanakyaBefore you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead.-- ChanakyaBooks are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person.-- ChanakyaEven if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.-- ChanakyaGod is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple.-- ChanakyaIf you get to learn something even from the worst of creatures, don't hesitate-- ChanakyaIn a state where the ruler lives like a common man, the citizens live like kings do. And in the state where the ruler lives like a king, the citizens live like beggars do.-- ChanakyaJealousy is another name for failure.-- ChanakyaNever make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.-- ChanakyaOnce you start working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.-- ChanakyaOne who is in search of knowledge should give up the search of pleasure and the one who is in search of pleasure should give up the search of knowledge.-- ChanakyaThe biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.-- ChanakyaThere is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.-- ChanakyaThe fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction. -- Chanakya