Selected Quotes From Vidhura Neeti
1.13: Rajan! They alone stay sleepless who antagonize a mightier person or a weak, helpless, and destitute individual who has lost whatever little they had. The lechers, as well as the thieves, also stay awake at night.
1.16: The king, Yudhishthira, possesses all the attributes to be a king of the universe. He has always respected your wishes. You, however, exiled him.
1.19: You've entrusted the kingdom to incompetent persons like Duryodhana, Shakuni, Karna, and Dushasana. How then do you expect to enhance your glory as a ruler?
1.20: He alone is entitled to be named a Pandita who knows his worth, is industrious, has the capacity to endure suffering, and does not deviate from his duty under any circumstances.
1.23: We call him a Pandita whose activities remain unknown to others until they succeed or are deemed advisable.
1.24: A Pandita’s actions are not interrupted by summer or winter, by heat or cold, nor by fear of consequences or lust. He is not swayed from his path, neither by riches nor poverty.
1.27: The foremost attribute of a Pandita is that he listens attentively, grasps the essence of a subject quickly, and acts firmly based on his discretion, not out of emotion. He never utters irrelevant words or offers opinions about others unless requested.
1.28: The wise do not aspire for the unattainable. They do not grieve for what is lost. Misfortune does not rattle them.
1.31: He alone deserves to be called a Pandita who does not feel over-elated when praised or depressed when condemned. His mind is like a large whirlpool in the Ganges, always ebullient.
1.32: A Pandita is aware of the realities of life. He is dexterous in all activities and can unravel any knot among human beings.
1.33: We know him as a Pandita who is fluent in speech, whose choice of words is unique, who argues well, and is intellectually brilliant. A Pandita can elucidate the essence of a literary work with felicity.
1.39: He is foolish who unnecessarily expands the scope of his activity, doubts everyone's intentions, and delays completing tasks that could be finished quickly.
1.42: He is truly an idiot who, while being at fault himself, accuses others of being so. He flies into unnecessary rage, although he can do nothing about the situation.
1.46: Who can be crueler than the one who enjoys a sumptuous meal and wears fancy clothes without sharing them with those who deserve his care and depend on him?
1.48: A warrior's arrow might or might not kill, but a wise man's counsel can destroy a king and his entire kingdom.
1.49: The six virtues of a king are: Sandhi, Vigraha, Yaana, Aasana, Dvaidhibhava, and Samaashrayarupa.
To avoid faults, abstain from: womanizing, gambling, hunting, consuming liquor, using foul language, inflicting cruel punishment, and earning wealth through unfair means.
1.54: A forgiving temperament is not a sign of weakness. Forgiveness is a sign of strength; it is a virtue of the weak and an ornament of the strong.
1.55: In this world, forgiveness can conquer all. It is a charm. Every obstacle can be overcome with patience and forbearance. No evil person can harm one who carries peace as his weapon.
1.56: A conflagration dies on its own when there is no dry grass to burn. A person lacking the virtue of forgiveness makes himself and others associated with him equally guilty.
1.58: Serpents swallow creatures like frogs hiding in their burrows. Likewise, this earth swallows kings who fail to confront their enemies or Brahmins who do not travel away from home (in search of or to spread knowledge).
1.59: A person who is always polite and avoids honoring or befriending evil persons deserves special consideration in this world.
1.65: The affluent who do not give in charity and the poor who cannot patiently bear their circumstances deserve to be drowned in water with a heavy stone tied to their necks.
1.68: Likewise, human beings can be subdivided into three categories: the most capable, the mediocre, and the good-for-nothing. They ought to be assigned duties according to their capabilities.
1.79: A man must diligently serve the following five preeminent entities: the mother, the father, Agni Dev, the soul, and the Guru.
1.82: Out of our five senses of perception, even if one goes astray, our discretion flows out like water from a leaking pot.
1.89-90: A thief steals from a careless person. A vaidya is dependent on the sick for his livelihood. Women of loose character earn from lustful visitors. A purohit depends on the yajmaan. A king lives on the income of litigants. An educated person survives on the ignorance of others.
1.92-93: Certain time-servers ignore their benefactors once their purpose is served. A pupil, once educated, grows indifferent to his teacher. Married sons disregard the happiness of their parents. A man turns away from a mistress once his lust is satisfied. Helpers are ignored once their job is done. After crossing a river, the traveler discards the boat. An ailing person has no use for the doctor after being cured.
2.7: It is not wise to be disheartened if you do not succeed, even after putting in careful and honest effort.
2.13: A greedy fish swallows the steel bait covered with tempting food. It does not think of the consequences for even a moment.
2.14: Anyone who plucks an unripe fruit neither enjoys its taste nor preserves the seed for future growth.
2.17: Like the black bee that sucks the nectar of a flower while protecting it, a king should gather taxes painlessly from his subjects.
2.18: A gardener plucks flowers but does not uproot the plant. Similarly, a king gathers taxes to provide protection to the public. He does not exploit them like someone making charcoal by burning trees.
2.22: A wise man does not delay performing a task where significant results can be achieved with little effort. He does not allow any obstacle to stand in the way of such an activity.
2.23: A king who looks kindly upon his subjects, with such concentration as if he would drink them through his eyes into his heart, is loved by his prajaa even if he is not very talkative.
2.24: A king should not be easily accessible. He ought to be like a flower-laden tree that bears no fruit or like a fruit-laden tree that is difficult to climb. Even if weak, he must exude confidence and strength. Such a king cannot be uprooted.
2.30: Save the effort that would be needed to destroy another kingdom and instead utilize it for the upliftment of your own.
2.32: Like extracting gold from rocks, one must learn something of value even from a babbling child or an insane person speaking aimlessly.
2.36: A malleable piece of metal does not require a furnace. A bent wooden stick needs no further effort to bend it.
2.41: In my view, birth in a noble family is no armor for a characterless man. A man, though born low, is superior if he has sound moral character.
2.47: A well-dressed person wins others over in an assembly. Anyone possessing a cow can successfully cater to sweet buds. If you possess a carriage, you can comfortably travel long distances. Likewise, a man of noble character easily wins over others.
2.50: Paupers always relish their meals because hunger allows them to enjoy whatever is available. This kind of pleasure is not available to the rich.
2.51: Rajan! The rich in this world cannot even digest a proper meal because the tension in their lives upsets their digestion. A poor man can digest even wood pieces.
2.53: While liquor certainly intoxicates and is therefore undesirable, the desire to live a luxurious life intoxicates even more. It is so frightening because a person enamored with indulgence does not return to his senses before his downfall.
2.81: When the gods desire to vanquish a person, they deprive him of his wisdom. In sheer perversity, he confines himself to undesirable deeds alone.
3.76: Rajan! How do you expect to prosper by handing over administration to Duryodhana, Shakuni, the idiot Dushasana, and Karna?
4.41: An evil man's temperament is fickle, like a cloud. He gets angry without reason and is pleased without justification.
4.61: Those who try to exhibit their strength over cows, Brahmins, women, and members of their own family fall to the ground like ripe fruit cracked at the stem.
5.20: I had warned you. However, you did not like my advice, just as a sick person does not relish taking medicine or following a suitable diet.
5.21: Narendra! You have all along been trying to get the Pandavas, handsome like peacocks with multicolored feathers, defeated by your sons, who are as ugly as crows. In due course, you will repent that you, deserting the lions, tried to save the jackals.
5.45: Rajan! Your sons are like a forest, and the Pandavas are like the lions living there. Do not destroy the forest along with the lions, nor should you drive the lions away.
5.58: A person whose intellect has been defeated cannot be revived by a vaidya, any medicine, havana, auspicious rituals, the recitation of Vedic mantras, or even tried-and-proven herbs.
5.60: Agni is fiercely luminous and penetrating, yet it lies hidden in wood. It does not burn the wood until someone ignites it.
7.46: Whether born low or high, a man who does not violate the principles of dharma, stays within the limits of morality, and is mild-tempered and restrained, is superior to hundreds of the high-born.
7.67: A fearless man is not afraid of a dense forest, a difficult path, terrible misfortune, turmoil, or even the sight of a weapon raised to attack him.
7.80: Silver is used to adulterate gold, tin is used to adulterate silver, tin is mixed with lead, and lead is mixed with any available impurity.
8.7: Hope kills contentment. Yamaraj takes a toll on prosperity. Animals die for want of care.
8.9: Try to stock the following in a home: goats, utensils made of copper and zinc alloy, silver, honey, pets, birds, etc.
Acknowledgments
We hereby acknowledge that all the quotes included in this compilation are derived from the English translation of Vidura Niti, published by Geetapress Gorakhpur. We express our gratitude to Geetapress for their meticulous efforts in preserving and disseminating this timeless wisdom.
Counsels of Vidhura: The Path to Righteousness