The verses of Nitisara
For your convenience, we have presented the verses from Nitisara in an attractive and easy-to-navigate format. You can also read the full verses after the image gallery if you prefer that way of reading.

Note: The remaining verses are covered in continuation on this page, check the 2nd Article on Nitisara here for rest of the verses.

1. I shall expound Nitisara (essence of maxims on proper conduct) compiled from all scriptures, bowing down to Vishnu, the lord of the universe.
2. Listen to the complete essence of dharma (right action) and contemplate on it. “Do not do unto others what one would not like others to do unto oneself”.
3. Do not act without examining the situation carefully; one ought to act only after scrutinizing the situation carefully. Otherwise, one will have to grieve like the Brahmani (Brahman woman) who killed the mongoose.
4. Man is bound to experience the fruits of his good and bad actions. The karma does not diminish even after billions of days of Brahma unless one experiences fruits of karma.
5. One cannot earn or retain wealth without undergoing suffering. There is suffering in earning wealth as well as in spending it. Is not wealth the home of suffering?
6. Only a learned person can understand the hardship borne by another learned person to earn knowledge just as a barren woman cannot understand the severe pain endured by a pregnant woman.
7. The parents who do not educate a child are his enemies since he is humiliated in an assembly of learned men like a crane among swans.
8. Onion does not lose its smell even if it is planted in a basin of Camphor tended using musk and watered using the dew from rose petals.
9. A student acquires quarter of knowledge from the teacher, a quarter from self study, a quarter from classmates and the final quarter in course of time.
10. When a girl is getting married the father of the girl looks for education in the bride groom; the mother for wealth,the kith and kin for family reputation and the girl for beauty.
11. A scorpion has poison in its tail. A bee has poison in its head. Takshaka has poison in its teeth. An evil person has poison in all his limbs.
12. Sky is the strength of birds, water the strength of fish; king the strength of the weak and wailing the strength of babies.
13. Renounce that wife who is quarrelsome, steals money, faithless and speaks ill of her husband, eats before feeding her husband or children and visits others houses, even if she is the mother of ten sons.
14. An ideal wife will have these six virtues – she will be like a counselor in dealing with various situations, like a maid servant in serving her husband, like Goddess Lakshmi in beauty, like the earth in patience, like a mother in giving love and be like a Courtesan in bedroom.
15. Keep aloof from a horse that is drenched in water, mad elephant, bull that is maddened with lust and an uncultured man who is educated.
16. Helping an evil person will cause harm to one even as feeding milk to a snake will only increase its poison.
17. The fruit of giving charity to a knower of Truth (Brahma Jnani) multiplies like an arrow, shot by Arjuna that turns into ten arrows when he takes aim, hundred when he shoots them, thousand on the way and a shower of arrows when they hit the target.
18. Even God does not know about the leaps of a horse, roaring of clouds, minds of women, destiny of man, lack of rain or excess of rain. Then how can a man know these?
19. Attainment of wealth by an incompetent person, knowledge by a man of ignoble descent, a woman by an undeserving person, etc. are in vain like the rainfall on a mountain.
20. Win the whole world by truth, sorrow by charity, elders by service and the enemies by archery.
21. Jati (jasmine) among flowers, Vishnu among men, Rambha among women, Kanchi among cities, Ganges among rivers, Rama among kings, Magha among poetic compositions and Kalidasa among poets excel the others.
22. He who gives birth, takes one to the Guru, imparts knowledge, gives food and protects one from fear – these five are equal to father.
23. The wives of teacher, king and elder brother, the mother-in-law and the mother who gave birth – these five are mothers.
24. Keep a distance of 5 hastas (cubits) from a vehicle, ten cubits from a horse and 1000 cubits from an elephant. Keep as much away as possible from an evil person.
25. In childhood, a woman is protected by her father, by her husband in her youth and by her sons in her old age. A woman should never be left alone to fend for herself.
26. The snake and the wicked person are both dangerous. The poison of a snake can be neutralized by mantra or medicine while there is no mantra or medicine that can remove the poison of a wicked person.
27. Longevity, deeds, prosperity, knowledge and death of a person are decided even while he is in the mother’s womb.
28. Ordinary poison is insignificant when compared to the poison of the sin of usurping the property of a Brahmin (one who is virtuous). Poison kills only one person while the sin of usurping the property of a Brahmin destroys three generations (oneself, one’s children and grandchildren).
29. Having two wives in spite of being poor, building a house on a road, doing cultivation in two different places, becoming a witness or bail in a lawsuit are the five self-sought misfortunes.
30. Seeing the elephants, snakes and birds in bondage, the eclipse of the sun and the moon and the poverty of the wise men I conclude that destiny is inevitable.
31. Those who are uneducated do not shine even if they are endowed with beauty and youth and are born in renowned families just like kimsuka flowers which are beautiful but odourless.
32. Those who have one wife, three sons, and two ploughs, six cows and a house in the centre of a country are immensely fortunate.
33. Clothing is the prime requisite for decorations, ghee is the foremost requisite for food, virtue is the foremost requisite for women and knowledge is the chief requisite of scholars.
34. Ant-hill, honey in a honey-comb, moon in the bright half of the month, wealth of the king and food received by begging, grow gradually.
35. Truth is my mother, knowledge is my father, righteousness is my brother, compassion is my friend, peace is my wife and patience is my son. These six are my kith and kin.
36. The Sun sets daily, taking away a part of one’s longevity. Knowing this, one should reflect daily what righteous action one has performed.
37. Speaking sweet words to the wicked is like offering a garland of exquisite flowers into the hands of a monkey.
38. Morning Sun, smoke from funeral pyre, coitus with old woman, muddy water and eating curd-rice at night increase ill health day by day.
39. Setting Sun, smoke from Homa (sacrificial pyre), coitus with young woman, pure water and eating milk rice at night increase longevity day by day.
40. One’s wealth and properties remain at one’s home, sons and relatives take leave at cremation ground. It is one’s good and evil actions that accompany oneself after death.
41. Righteousness prevails and not unrighteousness. Truth prevails and not untruth. Patience prevails and not anger. Gods prevail and not demons.
42. Stocking grains, taking care of calves, doing cultivation oneself, serving one’s elders – these five habits foster one’s family.
43. Treat the child like a prince till the age of 5, like a servant till the age of 15. When the son reaches the age of 16, treat him like a friend.
44. Even a wise man perishes by teaching a fool, contact with evil woman and by resorting to the company of the wicked.
45. Save wealth for difficult times; how can the wealthy have difficulties? If one squanders wealth, one will eventually lose all the accumulated wealth.
46. One’s physical body, wealth and other resources are transitory. Death is always at hand. Knowing this, a wise man should strive to do righteous actions.
47. One who plants a holy fig tree, a neem tree, an Indian fig tree, ten tamarind trees; three trees each of pomegranate, wood-apple and Emblic Myrobalan and five trees each of mango and coconut will not suffer Hell.
48. Will Neem ever acquire sweetness even if it is grown on top of a mountain of molasses and watered thousands of times with milk?
49. One who is beneficial is a kinsman though he is a stranger. One who is harmful is an enemy though he is a kinsman. When one is seriously sick, herbs from distant forest are used as medicine.
50. The knowledge confined to books, wealth that is in the custody of others and a son who has gone to foreign countries are useful in name only.
51. Company of wife is as good as the treatment given by ten physicians. Sun is ten times beneficial than the care given by wife. Mother is ten times beneficial compared to the Sun. Yellow Myrobalan is ten times beneficial than the mother.
52. Even a virtuous person perishes due to association with the wicked just as the swans that gave refuge to the crows perished because of the evil deeds committed by the crows.
53. The characteristics of the wicked persons and phlegm are surprisingly similar. Both of these are agitated by sweetness and are pacified by bitterness. (Phlegm is agitated by sweet food and is pacified by bitter food while the wicked person is agitated by sweet words and is pacified by bitter words).
54. Enmity comes to an end by death. Youth ends with pregnancy. Anger comes to an end by bowing down. Pride comes to an end by begging before others.
55. He, who renovates or helps to regain the glory of fallen family, abandoned well or lake, dethroned king, refugee, cows, temples and wise men, attains fourfold merit.
56. Profession of an artist or writer is the highest. That of cultivation and trade is mediocre, that of a servant is the lowest and that of a porter is lower than the lowest.
57. A bee pursues fragrance. Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth pursues a tactful person, water pursues depth. Fate follows intelligence.
58. The following give better results when they are beaten: the wicked, gold, drum, stubborn horse, unchaste woman, sugar-cane, sesamum and uncultured person.
59. I bow down before these six persons – one who gives pure food, one who performs agnihotra (daily fire ritual) everyday, a knower of Vedanta, one who has seen one thousands full moons, one who fasts every month and a chaste woman.

The remaining verses are covered in continuation on this page, check the 2nd Article on Nitisara here for rest of the verses.