Good Speech - A Hint from the Panchatantra

/ // Some people speak words of wisdom, simply repeating the same like parrots; some others are inherently wise, but do not express themselves; there are a few whose speech sparkles, the wise words flowing eloquently from their hearts. [Note: This quotation is from Vishnu Sharma's 'Panchatantra', an ancient Indian classic on the art of winning friends and influencing people.]
EkESHAm vAchi shukavadh anyESHAm hrdhi mUkavath / hrdhivAchi thaTHAnyESHAm valgu valganthi sUkthayaha //

A King vs A Scholar
Scholarship and kingship can never become equal. A king is respected in his kingdom; a scholar is revered everywhere. [From Vishnu Sharma's Panchatantra 'Mitrasampraptikam' verse 57] / // vidhvaththvam cha nrpathvam cha naiva thulyam kadhAchana / svadhEshE pUjyathE rAjA vidhvAn sarvathra pUjyathE //

Whatever Will Be, Will Be

That which is protected by fate survives though it is defenceless whereas that which enjoys protection, perishes if so destined. Abandoned in the forest, one may survive, yet die sheltered within a home. [A verse from Vishnu Sharma's 'Panchatantra'] arakSHitham thiSHTathi dhaivarakSHitham surakSHitham vinashyathi / jIvathyanATHOpi vane visarhithaha krthapratathnOpi grhE na jIvathi // / //

The Unsurpassing Love for Ones Mother and Motherland

O Lakshmana, though Lanka is decked in gold, I do not feel any great liking for it. The pull of ones mother and motherland are so great that even heaven cannot compete with it.

[Rama, prince of Ayodhya, tells these words to his brother, Lakshmana, when he sets out to battle with Ravana, the king of Lanka] api svarNamayI lankA na mE lakSHmaNa rOchate / jananI janmabhUmishcha svargAdhapi garIyasI // / //

Advice to Parents
Indulge a child for the first five years of his life, for the next ten years deal firmly with the child. Once the child is sixteen, treat him as a friend. [lAlayEth pancha varSHANi dasha varSHANi thAdayEth / prApthE thu SHOdashE varSHE puthram mithravadh AcharEth // / //]

Good People and Bad People

There is just one difference between people who are good and those who are not. The thoughts, words and deeds of the bad do not match one another. The thoughts, words and deeds of the good people are all identical. [manasyEkam vachasyEkam karmaNyEkam dhurAthmanAm / manasyEkam vachasyEkam karmaNyEkam mahAthmanAm // / //]

On Collecting Taxes
From Chanakyas nIthi shAsthram Just as a bee collects honey from flowers, drop by drop, over a period of time (without harming them), so too should a king collect taxes from his subjects for future use (without hurting them). (yaTHA kramENa grhNanthi puSHpEbhyO maDHu SHatpadhAha / thaTHA viththamupAdhAya rAjA kurvItha sanchayam

/ //)

A Friend in Need?

Says one friend to another: Hey, chataka, my dear friend, listen to me for a moment. There are many clouds in the sky, but all of them are not the same. Some wet the earth with rain, others just thunder purposelessly. So, do not go around begging every cloud you see for water. (PS: Sanskrit literature often refers to the chataka, a bird which is believed to survive only on fresh rain drops, catching them in its beak as they drop from the sky) (rE rE chAthakA sAvaDHAnamanasaA mithrakshaNam shrUyathAm / ambODHA bahavO santhi gaganE sarvEpi naithAdhrshI / kEchith vrSHtibhirAdhriyanthi DHaraNIm garjanthi kEchith vrTHA / yam yam pashyasi thasya thasya purathO mA brUhi dhInam vachaha

/ //)
The following are from Niiti-shatakam.

aGYaH sukhamaaraadhyaH, sukhataramaaraadhyate visheshhaGYaH. GYaanalavadurvidagdhaM, brahmaa.api naraM na ra.njayati.. An ignorent man is easily pleased, learned man even easier, but a man distorted by little knowledge, even Brahma can not please. yeshhaaM na vidyaa na tapo na daanaM, GYaanaM na shiilaM na guNo na dharmaH. te mR^Ityuloke bhuvi bhaarabhuutaa, manushhyaruupeNa mR^Igaashcharanti..

Those without learning, tapa or charity knowledge, shila, qualities or dharma they burden the mortal world animals wandering disguised as men. jayanti te sukR^Itino rasasiddhaaH kaviishvaraaH. naasti yeshhaaM yashaH kaaye jaraamaraNajaM bhayam.h .. Victorius are the masters, the rasa-siddha poets Whose body of fame has no fear of age or death. Let us now take a look at the shR^IngAra-shatakam, the 100 verses on passion. shR^IngAra is one of the major themes in Sanskrit poetry. I include 3 of the verses here.
tAvad-eva kR^ItinAm-api sphuratI eshha nirmala-viveka-dIpakaH yAvad-eva na kuranga-chakshhushhAm tADyate chaTula-lochan-anchalaiH For only so long shines the learneds' this light of clean conscience, Until not hit by doe-eyed one's wandering corners of the eye.