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Nitisaara 2

Nitisara 2 / Nitisara Continued

We have already listed 59 verses in the 1st article on Nitisara, Below are the remaining verses.

  1. Flees desire wounds, kings desire wealth, the wicked persons desire to quarrel and the wise men desire to have peace.
  2. The sun stone shines by the mere presence of the Sun. In the same manner, knowledge shines in a disciple by the mere presence of the teacher.
  3. One who does not do any charity is in fact a man of renunciation since he leaves behind all his wealth when he dies and goes to the other world empty-handed. I consider the person who does charity as a miser because when he dies he takes with him the fruits of his charity.
  4. He is a wise man who sees the wives of others as his mother, the wealth of others like clod of earth and all beings as his own self.
  5. Though the blue water lily, lotus, fish and white water lily are born in water, they have different odours.
  6. The wealth that is not used for the gods, wise men, relatives or for oneself is destroyed by water, enemy, king and thieves.
  7. One, who decides the course of action after intelligent contemplation when confronted with difficult situations, loss of wealth or life-threatening incidents, laughs at the lord of death.
  8. The fruit of giving cloth in charity is attainment of kingdom; that of footwear is attainment of vehicle; that of Tamboolam is enjoyment of pleasure. One gains all the above by giving food to the poor.
  9. The virtue of cuckoo is voice; the virtue of women is chastity; virtue of Brahmin is knowledge and that of ascetics is patience.
  10. The following three are the characteristics of a wicked person: lotus like face, speech as cool as sandal wood and a heart burning with fire (of evil thoughts).
  11. Just as a coconut tree bears the weight of coconuts on its head and gives nectarine water throughout its life in return for a little water that was given to it during the first year, a saintly person never forgets the help that he had received.
  12. Saints live to serve others just as a river flows, the trees bear fruits and the plants grow not for themselves but for others.
  13. One should receive knowledge from a Brahmin (wise man), food at the hands of mother, betal leaves (tamboolam) from one’s wife and bracelet (recognition) from the king.
  14. Moon is cool. Sandal wood is cooler than the moon. The words of virtuous persons are cooler than moon and sandalwood.
  15. Elephant shines by the rut, sky by rain clouds, woman by character, horse by speed, temple by regular festivals, speech by grammatical correctness, rivers by swan couples, an assembly by the presence of scholars, a family by virtuous son, earth by king and the three worlds by the Sun.
  16. One who is jealous, one who speaks untruth, one who is ungrateful and one who carries enmity for a long time – these four are karmachandalas

    Protect your fame by giving up life. Life is transitory while fame will exist as long as the moon and the stars exist.

  17. One who has received knowledge despises the teacher; one who is married, despises the mother; the woman who has given birth to a child, despises the husband; one who has recovered from disease despises the physician.
  18. One who wears fragrant flowers on head, keeps the feet always clean, associates with beautiful women, eats food in small quantities, does not sleep on bare ground and does not have union with women on new moon days regains the wealth that was lost previously.
  19. The wicked, if they are educated, start arguing unnecessarily; become arrogant if they are rich; if they become powerful, they start tormenting others. At the same time the virtuous persons utilize education, wealth and power for knowledge, charity and protection of others.
  20. The following four are the doors to destruction: doing improper actions, opposing groups of people, quarreling with powerful persons and believing in the words of women.
  21. One ought to ask the following questions repeatedly before beginning any new venture: What is the ideal time? Who are my friends? What is the ideal place? What are my income and expense? Who am I? What is my strength?
  22. One ought to learn one lesson each from lion and crane, four lessons from domestic fowl, five lessons from crow, six lessons from dog and three lessons from donkey.
  23. One ought to learn the following virtue from lion: Once a work is begun, one must put maximum effort to complete it whether that work is big or small.
  24. A wise man ought to perform his duties knowing the time, place and strength and also having controlled all the senses like a crane.
  25. One ought to learn from dog the virtues of getting up early in the morning, fighting, sharing food with near and dear ones and toiling for one’s livelihood.
  26. One ought to learn from a crow, five virtues of copulating secretly, valour, stocking food, etc. for bad times, impeccability and not believing in anyone.
  27. One ought to learn from a dog six virtues: To eat in large quantities when food is available, to be content with even small quantities of food, to have deep sleep, to awaken easily, devotion to master and valour.
  28. One ought to learn from a donkey the virtues of carrying load even when one is tired, not caring about heat and cold and always being content.
  29. That person who cultivates these twenty virtues, will attain success in all his ventures.
  30. Physicians, astrologers and sorcerers received with respect and offered food by everyone while those who have mastered other science do not get even a glass of water.
  31. Knowledge is lost by laziness; women are lost when they are in the custody of others; cultivation fails when the quantity of seeds sown is very less; an army without a commander is lost too.
  32. Though the Ketaki creeper is infested with snakes; does not bear fruits; is thorny, crooked (winding) and grows in muddy places and is thus not easily accessible, it is liked by all due to the fragrance of its flower. A single virtue nullifies all defects.
  33. Fire is the guru of twice-born (those who undertake Vedic studies); Brahmin is the guru of other castes; Husband is the guru of women; A guest is the guru for everyone.
  34. Of what use is nobility of family if a person is illiterate? A learned man is respected by Gods too though he does not belong to a noble family.
  35. One can acquire knowledge by serving the guru or by offering sufficient wealth in return for the knowledge or by exchanging one branch of knowledge for another. There is no means other than these three to acquire knowledge.
  36. Just as a pot is filled continuously falling water drops, knowledge, dharma (virtue) and wealth too increase gradually if one pursues them persistently.
  37. One ought to learn both the art of fighting with weapons and knowledge of various arts and sciences. The former is scorned in old age while the latter is always respected.
  38. Knowledge is like Kamadhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow. Knowledge protects one like a mother when one is in foreign lands. Therefore, knowledge is considered as ‘hidden wealth’.
  39. Knowledge without application is poison; Food undigested is poison; Assembly is poison for the poor; Young woman is poison for an old man.
  40. One’s friend during foreign journey is knowledge; wife is friend to one who is at home; medicine is the friend of those who are sick; fruit of good deeds is the friend of the departed soul.
  41. Knowledge is extolled by everyone; knowledge is considered great everywhere; one can attain everything with the help of knowledge; a wise man is respected everywhere.
  42. A king can never be considered equal to a wise man. King is respected only in his kingdom whereas the wise man is respected everywhere.
  43. The life of one who is ignorant is meaningless like the tail of a dog which is of no use in hiding the secret parts or in chasing away the flies that bite the dog.
  44. A student who serves the guru attains knowledge just as one who digs the earth gets water from the bottom of the earth.
  45. One ought to make each day fruitful by studying at a verse or a part of it; one must spend time in studies, meditation and in doing one’s duty.
  46. The wise men spend their time enjoying literary works, reading or listening to scriptures while the fools waste their time in grief, sleep or quarrel.
  47. An only son who is educated and virtuous brings joy to the whole family happy just as a single moon brings light at night.
  48. Ambrosia should be obtained even from poison; gold must be taken even if it lies in filth; knowledge has to be received even from a person of lower social status; a woman of beauty and character should be accepted even if she is from a fallen family.
  49. One ought to give one’s daughter in marriage into a noble family; One’s son must be given proper education; One’s enemy must be made to grieve and guide one’s dear ones on the path of righteousness.
  50. What is impossible for those who are competent? Does distance matter to those who are industrious? Which is foreign land for the learned persons? Who is a stranger for those who talk sweetly?
  51. One who is free from modesty attains success and happiness in following matters: In acquiring wealth, grains and knowledge, while eating food and doing business deals.
  52. The following are the qualities of a student: eyesight similar to that of a crow, concentration similar to that of a crane, light sleep similar to that of a dog, small quantity of food and simple cloths.
  53. The fruit of acquiring a kingdom is that everyone will obey one‟s commands; the fruit of austerity is Brahmacharya (celibacy and study of Vedas); the fruit of education is knowledge; the fruit of wealth is enjoyment and charity.
  54. Anger is like the lord of death; greed is like the river Vaitarani (which is very difficult to cross over); knowledge is like Kamadhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow; contentment is like the Nandana garden (which is in Heaven).
  55. Virtues adorn beauty; character adorns family; success in work adorns knowledge; enjoyment adorns wealth.
  56. Beauty is in vain if one has no virtues; family reputation is of no value for one who has no character; knowledge that doesn’t give success is in vain; wealth that is not used for enjoyment is also in vain.
  57. Wake from sleep the 7 persons mentioned below: student, servant, traveler, a hungry person, a person struck with fear, a porter and watchman.

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