Durgawati, Queen of Gondwana (MP), 16th Century
Chapter - 8 of Chanakya's Treatise on Policies for Kings & Ministers
 

Translation:
The lowest amongst human beings desire wealth, medium desire wealth and reputation, highest desire only reputation and for them reputation is their wealth.

Commentary:
[Reminds of the sensitivity of Japanese people who are known to even commit suicide on loosing their reputation.]

Translation:
One can bath and donate even after eating or drinking sugarcane, water, milk, betel, fruits, and medicine.

Commentary:
[It is appropriate to donate whenever one wants to. This quote is probably trying to counter some strong superstitious beliefs or behaviors in ancient times like one should not donate after taking medicine or have bath after eating food. ]

Translation:
As one eats daily, one produces children like that. Like the oil lamp eats darkness and produces lampblack, a black material used as a cosmetic & medicine.

Commentary:
[By eating healthy food, healthy as defined in yoga, we produce capable & wise offspring while eating unhealthy one bears foolish children. This of course is not scientifically established. However, modern belief is increasingly coming closer to "As we eat, So we become."]

Translation:
According to knowledgeable men, a single Greek is equal to a thousand outcastes. There is no one lower than a Greek.

Commentary:
[Why such strong antipathy towards Greeks? Alexander the Great of Greece went on world conquest. The farthest he reached was the river plains Punjab (India). From there he had to march back to Greece. His conquest created anarchy in parts of India. Alexander was ruthless in war as well as in treating prisoners & public after winning the wars. The story is that he allowed the defeated army of King Porus to eat & drink. Then he had them killed when asleep. Indians that time naturally hated the Greek. Chanakya, author of this book lived in period immediately after Alexander's departure from India. He was the key adviser of Chandragupta Maurya and enabled the latter to build a vast empire in India.]

Translation:
Wise man should give money - either denotation or lending - only to people with good qualities but not to others. Cloud takes water from the sea and rains sweet-water due to which mobile & non-mobile living beings on the earth survive. Then this water multiplies many times goes back to the sea.

Commentary:
[By giving money to people with good qualities, they benefit many others and finally the money returns to the giver. This single verse can be the credo of any financial institution. In fact it is the aim of every enlightened financial institution.]

Translation:
After applying oil on body, being exposed to smoke of funeral pyre, sexual intercourse, hair cut, a man remains an untouchable till he has a bath.

Translation:
In indigestion water is medicine, drinking water after digestion of food gives strength. Water is nectar when taken during eating but when taken at end of eating it is like a poison.

Commentary:
[This is one of yogic principles of food. Water should not be taken for at least half an hour after eating food. One can drink a little quantity while having food.]

Translation:
The knowledge which is not used is destroyed. Lack of knowledge kills man, army without a leader is destroyed, and woman without a husband is destroyed.

Commentary:
[Acquire knowledge and apply it, put it to use.]

Translation:
Death of wife in old age, going of wealth into the hands of brothers, dependence on others for food; these are distresses of a man.

Translation:
Study of Vedas (Hindu scriptures) continues to exist because of agnihotra (a type of ritual worship in which the Hindu scriptures are recited). The above activity happens because of donations. Donations given with feelings alone result in success of the activity and in absence of feelings it will not succeed. So feelings are the cause of study of Vedas.

Translation:
By serving with feelings and reverence to statues made of wood or stone or metal (as is practice amongst most Hindus), one obtains complete knowledge by grace of God Vishnu.

Commentary:
[Hindus serve the statue by bathing, dressing, putting it to sleep in night. They pray to it also. Statue is not the God, but when the above activities are done with true feelings and reverence in the heart, God is pleased & success is achieved. Service with feelings & reverence is the important thing.]

Translation:
God does not exist in wood or stone or sand. God exists only in feeling, so feeling is the cause.

Translation:
There is no ascetic practice greater than calmness which is keeping our sense organs calm and under control, there is no happiness greater than contentment, there is no disease bigger than desire for more, there is no duty greater than compassion & pity.

Translation:
Anger is Yamaraj, desire for more is river Vaitarni, education is Kamadhenu, contentment is Nandan-Van.

Commentary:
[To understand the meaning one must know a little Hindu mythology. Anger is the biggest enemy of human beings so it is equated with Yamaraja. Yamaraja is the king of the world where all dead people go - and he is our enemy because he causes the death. It is very difficult to leave our desires and come out of them so they are equated with river Vaitarni. Vaitarni is a river dividing earth and Yamaraja's kingdom and obviously if one goes in it, one cannot come out. Education give a person all that he wants so it is equated to Kamadhenu. Kamadhenu is a cow who gives to the owner whatever he asks from her. Contentment is the greatest source of happiness so it is equated with Nandanan. Nandanvan is a garden in paradise which has divine beauty.]

Translation:
Good qualities enhance the grace of good looks, good behavior enhances the grace of a family, achievement enhances the grace of education, and enjoyment of wealth enhances the grace of wealth.

Translation:
Lack of good qualities destroys good looks, bad behavior destroys family, non-achievement destroys education, and non-enjoyment of wealth destroys the wealth.

Translation:
Water under the ground is pure, woman faithful to her husband is pure, king who looks after the welfare of the people in his kingdom is pure, and priest who is contented is pure.

Translation:
Discontented priest and contented king are destroyed. Modest prostitute and immodest wife of a family are destroyed.

Commentary:
[A quality can be good or bad depending on your profession and work.]

Translation:
What is the use of a person belonging to a high family if he is without education? A highly educated person, even if he belongs to a low family, is respected by the gods also.

Translation:
Highly educated person is praised in the world and such a person is honored everywhere. By education everything is obtained and education is respected everywhere.

Translation:
Eating flesh, drinking liquor, and being a foolish are prohibited by scriptures. People who have these qualities are animals in the guise of human beings and the earth is sinking due to their weight.

Commentary:
[Many Indians as well as westerners eat meat or other flesh and they may not like this advocacy of vegetarianism. Facts tend to show that human beings were designed to be vegetarians and that vegetarian food is healthier for human beings besides being more environment friendly.]

Translation:
Lack of food stock destroys the nation. When there is no food stock then yagya (a type of Hindu worship) is done. The priest doing the worship must know the chants to be recited in worship or else yagya will not be fruitful. The yajmaan (the person getting the yagya done) should give donation during the worship or else it will not be fruitful. Hence a priest not knowing the chants and yajmaan not giving the donations are enemies of the nation.

Bidar Fort, Karnataka

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