Prithviraj Chauhan, King of Delhi, 12th Century
Chapter - 5 of Chanakya's Treatise on Policies for Kings & Ministers
 

Translation:
Fire is the deity above Brahman (highest amongst the four castes amongst Hindus). Brahman is above and the teacher of remaining three castes. Husband is above and the teacher of his wife. Guest is above all.

Commentary:
[This quote is a reflection of Hindu society 2200 years back. The Brahmans were the repositories of ethics & knowledge. They were teachers for the remaining society. Husband was the teacher of his wife because education of women was not perhaps common. A guest was respected by everyone, without exception, in the household. Guest would mean one who has come unexpectedly to your house and has no self-interest in coming - like seeking a favor.]

Translation:
Just like gold is tested in four way by rubbing on touchstone, cutting, heating or melting in fire, and beating; so is a man tested by his renunciation, character, qualities, and actions.

Commentary:
[Man should be self-scarifying, having virtuous character, possessing good qualities like education, and performing good actions.]

Translation:
Be afraid of problems or dangers till it has not arrived. Once it has arrived, attack it without fear or second thought.

Commentary:
[Once a problem or danger has arrived, be courageous and take it head on.]

Translation:
The nature and character of two persons is not same even though they are born from the same womb and under the same astrological star, just as berry and thorn.

Commentary:
[Though berry and thorn are born from the same bush and at the same time, their nature and characteristic action differ. One is sweet to eat while the other hurts.]

Translation:
Person disinterested in worldly things is not under control, one who is not lustful does not like makeup, learned scholar does not speak agreeably, and person who speaks clearly in a straight forward manner is not a cheat.

Commentary:
[Do not give any work to the person who has no interest in world things which are the rewards because it will not get done. Only a lustful person likes & does makeup because the purpose is to attract others. Learned & scholarly person always speaks the truth and not what you like or what sounds sweet to you. An outspoken person does not cheat.]

Translation:
Fools have aversion to the learned, poor have aversion to the wealthy, prostitutes have aversion to brides, and widows have aversion to married women.

Translation:
Laziness destroys education, going into another person's hands destroys wealth, field is destroyed by less seed, and army is destroyed by absence of leader.

Translation:
Observing practice & effort we estimate education, from nature of the person his family, from qualities of the person his excellence, from eyes the anger.

Translation:
Money protects religion & virtue, yoga protects education, softness (or lack of harshness) protects the king, good wife protects the home.

Commentary:
[Yoga includes 10 rules of conduct called yama and niyama. These rules include studying etc., so following it is said to protect education.]

Translation:
Those who are against Vedas (books of Hindu religion), learned & scholarly people, books of knowledge, virtuous behavior, and peaceful people; are wasting their time.

Commentary:
[In the long run, such opposition will not win.]

Translation:
Donating destroys poverty, good nature destroys unhappiness, wisdom destroys lack of knowledge, and strong emotions destroy fear.

Commentary:
[Donating upto one's capacity destroys the feeling "I am poor." Good behavior destroys unhappiness. Wisdom gives recognition of what is right & wrong, thus removes lack of knowledge. Acting with strong emotions like courage destroys fear of every type.]

Translation:
There is no disease like lust, there is no enemy like attachment, there is no fire like anger, and there is no happiness like true knowledge.

Translation:
Human being is born alone, dies alone, takes right actions and wrong actions alone, goes to hell alone, and reaches enlightenment alone.

Commentary:
[Man may live in society but there is no partnership in the above actions or events.]

Translation:
One who has realized the ultimate universal truth sees heaven as a straw, brave person sees his life as a straw, person who has control over his sense organs sees women as a straw, disinterested person sees the world as a straw.

Translation:
During stay in foreign land education is your friend, in home wife is the friend, in disease medicine is the friend, and in death religion is the friend.

Commentary:
[After death the deeds done by you survive and give results in next life. If the deeds were according to religion, i.e. were good deeds, they will give positive results. Thus religion is a friend in death.]

Translation:
Rain in the sea is a waste, giving food to one whose hunger is satisfied is a waste, giving donation to the rich is a waste, and lamp in the day is a waste.

Commentary:
[Do a thing only after seeing the place, person & time. See utility of the action before doing it.]

Translation:
There is no water like the clouds, there is no strength like own strength, there is no light like the eyes; there is nothing dearer than food grains.

Commentary:
[Water from clouds is the most useful of all types of water, strength within oneself is the most useful of strengths, eye sight is the best amongst all lights, food grain or cereal is dearest compared to all other things to human beings.]

Translation:
Poor desire wealth, four-legged-animals desire power of speech, human beings desire heaven and devatas (spirits higher than human beings in Hindu mythology) desire liberation of soul.

Commentary:
[Everyone desires some thing or the other - this is what he or she still does not have.]

Translation:
Truth is the foundation of the earth. Due to truth sun gives heat, due to truth air moves, everything is stable and is where it is due to truth.

Commentary:
[Truth supports everything else. Truth is the highest value.]

Translation:
Wealth is mercurial and can go anytime. Life and body, the temple in which the soul resides, also go away. In world only dharma (virtuous deeds in life) is fixed & immobile - it is not destroyed. So collect dharma.

Translation:
In men the barber is cunning & deceitful, in birds the crow, in four-legged animals the jackal, and among women the gardener's wife.

Commentary:
[Why would these two professions be looked down upon? In those days, the barber interacted with every man - good or bad, high or low - to shave them. Similarly the gardener's wife went and met every woman - housewives & prostitutes - to sell flowers. In the above process, they perhaps learned cunningness thru these dealings & interactions.]

Prithviraj Chauhan, King of Delhi, 12th Century

References


[1] Chanakya Neeti, Ashwini Parashar, New Delhi, 1998.
[2] Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, R.S. McGregor (Edited), New Delhi, 1999.
[3] Bhargava's Concise Dictionary of the English Language (Anglo-Hindi Edition), R. C. Pathak (Edited), Varanasi, 1995