English_Thirukkural.txt

A is the first of the alphabet  God is the primary force of the world.
What is the use of all your learning  if you can t surrender yourself at the feet of God.
Those who surrender themselves at feet of the one  who resides in the flower-like hearts of all  will live long and well.
Those who surrender at the feet of the one  who doesn t have wants or hates  will never have any hassles anywhere.
Fate  which impacts those in the darkness of ignorance  will not impede those who hail the true glory of God.
Those who follow the true moral path of the one  who has doused the desires of the five senses  will last long.
Except for those who surrender at the feet of the one  for whom  there is no simile  it is tough to cure the mental rues.
Except those who surrender at the feet of God  the ocean of morality  others will struggle to cross the ocean of desire.
The head that doesn t bow to God  is similar to the organs that don t have the right senses.
Those who surrender at the feet of God  will cross the great ocean of life  others won t.
The world survives because of the rains and therefore rain is known to be the nectar of immortality.
Oh rain! You not only create everything we eat  you are the indispensable food yourself.
If the skies fail to rain  the world  though surrounded by sea  will yet suffer of hunger.
If the monsoons fail  farmers won t till their lands to produce food.
It is the tormentor  it is the saviour of the tormented: the rain is everything for us.
Unless drops of precious rain fall down  not even grass will sprout its head.
Even the vast ocean will start shrinking  if the clouds that took the water away from it  don t pour it back.
Special offerings and daily rituals to gods will stop  if the skies dry up.
Charity and penance will both cease to exist in this world  if the clouds are not charitable.
World can t survive without water and morality can t exist without rains.
All books willingly conclude as the most excellent  the greatness of those with the right conduct who have given up attachment.
Trying to quantify the greatness of those who have overcome desire is like counting those who have died till now.
The greatness of those who have known the nature of both worlds  And have eschewed desire to live a righteous life  is most admirable in this world.
Using the ankus called resoluteness  one who controls the elephant named five senses  is sowing for future glory.
God  the king of heavens  is an example of what the ability to conquer one s five senses can result in.
What separates the great from the ordinary is their ability to do the seemingly impossible.
One who has analysed and conquered the urges of taste  sight  touch  sound and smell  will control this world.
The words of those glorious people  who control their minds completely  become the gospel.
Those who have scaled the mountain of morality will not allow their anger to last for a moment.
All  and only  those righteous people  who shower love on all living beings  can be classified as Anthanar.
Righteousness yields good reputation and wealth  is there anything more precious?
Rectitude is the most precious possession  there is nothing more pernicious than straying from it.
Keep doing the morally right things  in every possible manner  wherever you go.
True moral integrity lies in being flawless in your thoughts  everything else is loud and blatant posturing.
Righteousness is all about removing the four flaws   envy  desire  anger and harmful words.
Do the righteous deeds now without waiting for senility to set in  they will remain your permanent companions then.
One man lifting another on a palanquin  can t be justified as the fruit of any prior moral deeds.
Never let a day pass without a good deed  it makes this life fulfilling and the next unnecessary.
True joy blossoms only due to righteous deeds  all else cause unhappiness and disrepute.
A righteous deed deserves to be done  an evil deed ought to be avoided to protect oneself from infamy.
A good family person is one who supports all three relationships  parents  wife  children  in a balanced and righteous manner.
A good family person also extends support to saints  poor and needy.
Teachers  God  guests  relatives and oneself   it is important to nurture all these five in addition to the family.
One who earns well but avoids the blame of hoarding wealth  by philanthropy  will lead a complete life with no complaints.
If love and virtue pervade the family life  they become the characteristic and fruit of the family life.
The only way to live is to live righteously  if you set aside virtues  what more is there to gain?
One who leads a normal and intimate family life  is far ahead of those who seek other priorities.
If one lives by the right virtues and assists others to do the same  such a family life is better than the penance of saints.
True virtue is to lead a harmonious family life  it is even better if it is beyond others  blame.
One who lives worldly life the way it ought to be lived will be treated on par with the Gods inhabiting the heavens.
A spouse who possesses virtues required for the family and spends within the means is the ideal life partner.
If your spouse doesnt possess the virtues needed for married life  whatever else you possess in life is irrelevant.
If your spouse has the qualities suited for family life  what is it that you dont have? If not  what is it that you have?
If your spouse is strongly virtuous  can there be anything worthier that your spouse?
A person who respects the spouse more than God is like rain that pours instantly on demand.
A woman not only protects herself  but tirelessly takes care of her husband and preserves the family reputation.
Is it of any use to possess women by imposing physical barriers? A woman will remain virtuous only on her own volition.
If a woman gets a spouse with great character  she will enjoy the glory of heaven on earth.
Those who dont have respectable family lives  will not be able to stride with a lion-like pride before their opponents.
A great harmonious married life is a boon  having good offsprings adds luster to it.
Other than having children who are wise enough to know what needs to be known  there is no other treasure that I value more.
No harm will befell one for even seven births  if one gives birth to children who have irreproachable character.
One s children are defined as one s wealth  the wealth that the children make will be through their own deeds.
The porridge stirred playfully with the tiny hands of one s children is sweeter than nectar.
The tender skin of one s children is joyous to touch  their sweet voices rapturous to hear.
Only those who don t listen to their baby s sweet babble will claim that a flute or yaazh sounds melodious.
The duty of a father towards his children is to give them a headstart in knowledge over the best of scholars.
All living creatures on this earth feel prouder when their children are smarter than themselves.
A mother feels more ecstatic to hear her son being praised as a noble scholar than when the son was born.
The duty of a son towards his father is to make others wonder what great deeds did the father do to deserve such a son.
Can there be a latch to lock in and hide love? It will reveal itself through tears when a loved one is in trouble.
Loveless people hold everything to themselves. Those who are filled with love bear even their bones for others.
Precious life is associated with the body Since love is associated with the way of life  they say.
Love yields affection for all  which leads to invaluable friendships.
The honour for those who found joy in this world Is the result of leading a life of love  it s said.
The ignorant think that love is needed only for righteous deeds  they know not that love is an ally for bravery too.
A life without love will be stung by the righteous conscience like a body without bones that is burnt by the sun.
A life without love in the heart is as futile as a dried-up tree blossoming in a desert.
What useful things can external body parts do  if the heart is devoid of love.
Only a person who follows the path of love  is in a state of living  else it is just a skeleton dressed with skin.
The purpose of nurturing wealth and leading a family life  is to be able to be hospitable to guests.
Even if you have nectar that will assure immortality  it is not appreciable to dine alone  leaving the guests out.
One who is hospitable to guests everyday never suffers because of that.
The Goddess of wealth will reside happily with someone who attends to his guests with a smile on the face.
Does one even need to sow his field  if he always eats only what remains after feeding his guests?
One who is hospitable to his guests  and when they leave  awaits his next guests  will be a welcome-guest in the heavens.
We can t quantify the benefits of hospitality  it is limited only by the quality of the guests.
Those who dont take up hospitality as a spiritual ritual  will later repent that they have lost the wealth they loved.
There are fools who choose to be poor despite possessing wealth  by not being hospitable to guests.
The flower  anicham  shrivels when it is smelt. A guest will wilt if the host s face betrays the slightest twitch.
The words uttered by enlightened scholars will only be kind words carrying love and no malice.
To be someone who speaks sweet words with a smile is even better than being philanthropic with a happy heart.
To look at someone with kindness  to smile at them and to say pleasant words  is a nice virtue.
Painful poverty will not afflict someone who speaks only pleasant words to everyone.
Humility and pleasant words are the true jewels for anyone and not anything else.
If one seeks and speaks pleasant words that cause good all around  righteousness resides and harm recedes.
Speech that is inseparable from sweetness will yield just-consequences and will reflect right virtues.
A sweet word  said without the slightest spite  will provide delight in this life and the next.
Having seen the sweet benefits of pleasant words  why should one utter harsh words?
To say harsh words when you have nice words  is like plucking an unripe fruit when there are ripe ones.
A favour done  not as return for another  is more valuable than heaven and earth put together.
A timely favour  however trivial its material value is  is invaluable.
If we delve into the real impact of a favour  done without calculating the returns  it is vaster than the ocean.
Those who know the true value of a favour  will see for even the smallest favours  a tree  where they were offered a grain.
A favour returned  is not to be based on quantum of favour done  but on the magnanimity of the person who did the favour.
Never forget your ties with a flawless person  never forego the friendship of those who stood by you during a distress.
One would remember the friendship of those who helped overcome a distress  forever  even if there are seven births.
It is not right to forget the help rendered by someone  it is virtuous to forget any harm  the moment it is done.
Even if a person commits murderous injury  it will be overlooked if he has done one good deed earlier.
There is salvation for faltering on any virtue but not for ingratitude.
Position of power is good to occupy  when one practices impartiality  unfailingly  towards all sections.
The wealth of one who has a balanced view  will remain intact and will last for the next generations.
Even if some good comes out of the gains generated by being unfair  desist from making that gain.
Whether a person has been just or unjust in life  will be ascertained by the nature of offsprings left behind.
Ups and downs in life are inevitable  noble scholars are embellished by not letting their hearts vacillate in either case.
When the heart falters to think unfairly  be alerted that you are on course for ruination.
The world will not think ill of one who has stumbled into poverty because of being fair and righteous.
Like a weighing scale that is balanced and sways correctly  the grace of noble scholars lies in dispassionate assessment.
It is righteous to speak words that are not deviant  such words are a result of unbiased thoughts that are not deviant.
Responsible business is when a business-person  caringly  deploys other people s money as one s own.
Restraint will result in a place among the divine  lack of it will lead to utter darkness.
Preserve your restraint as you would preserve your wealth  for humans  there is no treasure more precious.
The greatness of one  who is wise and follows the right path by being restrained  will be recognized and appreciated.
The stature of one  who doesn t diverge from the right path and remains restrained  will belittle a mountain.
Humility is a good quality in everyone  in particular  for the wealthy  it is like their wealth.
If one can restrain his five senses  like a tortoise that retreats into its single shell  it will be a protection through seven births.
You can afford to lose control over anything except your tongue  else the words that you spit will return to bite you.
Even if there is one harm caused by harsh words  all the good caused by other virtuous deeds will also be seen as evil.
A wound caused by fire will heal inside  a scar caused by the tongue never heals.
Virtue will wait for the moment to adorn one  who controls anger  learns all there is to learn and exercises restraint.
Propriety confers prominence  hence  propriety is cherished more than existence.
Take painstaking effort to preserve propriety  after researching all there is to  one can conclude  it is the best ally.
Class is determined by propriety of conduct  impropriety will lead to being considered part of an ignoble class.
One can relearn if he forgets the scriptures  but  a brahmin ceases to be one  when he strays from his decorum.
A person who has envy has no wealth  a person who has no decorum has no growth.
The strong-willed don t shrivel their propriety  knowing the suffering inflicted by impropriety.
One attains eminence through decorum  one attains unprecedented infamy due to indecorum.
Good conduct becomes the seed for goodwill and impropriety always yields agony.
Those who practice propriety find it impossible to utter harmful words even forgetfully.
Those who don t learn to abide by the decorous norms of the society  even if well-read  are unwise.
The indiscretion of desiring another s wife will not be found in those who are enlightened about virtue and possession.
Of all those who have been beyond the boundaries of morality  there are no greater imbeciles than those who go after another s wife.
A person is not any better than the dead  when he indulges in adultery with the wife of another who trusts him.
What worth is one s reputation  however big it is when  without considering the least bit  he has an affair with another s wife.
One who indulges in adultery with another s wife  even when it is easy to do so  will beget a blame that will stay forever.
Animosity  sin  fear and vengeance   these four will never leave one with a liaison with another s wife.
One  who leads a righteous family life  will not crave the feminine grace of another s wife.
The magnanimous machismo of not coveting another s wife is  for noble scholars  an exalted virtue and decent decorum.
Whosoever deserves all the good in this world  surrounded by the fearsome ocean  will never surrender on the shoulders of a woman who belongs to another.
Even if one is unrighteous and does many a misdeed  he should  atleast  not fall for the feminine charm of another s wife.
Like the earth that bears even those who till it  supreme virtue is to be patient with one s deriders.
One should always tolerate a transgression  it is even better to forget it.
Turning away a guest is the most abject poverty  enduring the excesses of a moron is the mightiest might.
If you want to lead an unabated fulfilling life  you have to preserve and practice forbearance.
One who retaliates is not held in high regard  one who is patient is precious as gold.
Those who retaliate rarely rejoice for a day  the repute of the patient remains till the end of the world.
Even if an untoward evil is done unto you  it is better not to resent and do an unrighteous deed.
Defeat a person who has  out of arrogance  done you harm  by your forbearance.
One who  patiently  bears the harsh words of a transgressor  is purer than a puritan.
Great ascetics who conquer hunger  by fasting  are inferior to those who patiently endure the harsh words of others.
One should make it a righteous way of life  to hold no envy in his heart.
Not being envious of anybody is a rich reward  there is nothing that can match it.
One who  in his envy  doesn t appreciate the wealth of others  is known not to value virtue and his own wealth.
Those who know of the ills inflicted by envy  will not do anything evil out of envy.
One who feels envious of the wealth given away as charity  will have even his kin suffer without anything to wear and eat.
For destruction to be caused  there is no need for enemies  if one has envy  it will suffice.
Sridevi  goddess of wealth  will despise a jealous person and direct him to her sister  Moodevi  goddess of poverty.
Envy is a damned ill that will destroy one s wealth and consign him to a fiery inferno.
The wealth in the hands of a person with envy at heart  and the destitution of a person  devoid of it  are aberrations that need to be analysed.
An envious person doesn t ever attain glory  of those who have no envy  there is none who has fallen from glory.
If  without fairness  you desire to usurp the well-earned wealth of others  it will destroy your family  trigger more crimes and result in guilt.
Those  who desist being unfair  will not sin  coveting the material benefits of other s possessions.
Craving for the cheap thrills that other s money can give  one  who seeks TRUE happiness  will not do an unrighteous act.
One who is flawless and wise and has mastered all senses  will never feel ‘I m poor  and yearn for other s wealth.
What is the use of deep wisdom and broad knowledge  if one acts indiscreetly with anyone  coveting his wealth.
One who seeks to be compassionate and manifests it in virtuous ways  will succumb to destructive thoughts and acts  if he falters and covets others  possession.
Do not covet others  wealth  on fruition  the consequences are always contemptible.
How will one s wealth never shrink? By  not desiring to usurp the wealth of others.
Wealth will find means to bestow itself on those who  knowing the virtue of not coveting others  property  wisely desist from it.
Coveting others  wealth injudiciously will result in dire consequences  one who takes pride in not so desiring will meet success.
One  who does good deeds much beyond what books on virtue prescribe  will benefit more from never backbiting anyone.
To wear a deceitful smile in one s presence but to slander him in his absence slaughtering his reputation  is more harmful than refuting all that is virtuous and doing unrighteous deeds.
It is better to die than to live by backbiting and then being hypocritical  so dying  may yield the benefits spoken of by moral scriptures.
It is passable to speak impolitely to someone face to face  but never utter an imprudent word behind the back.
One  who extols righteousness but is insincere at heart  is exposed when he is devious enough to backbite.
One who smears another behind his back  opens himself up to similar smear when he falters.
Through slander behind the back  one who gets estranged from friends  is incapable of indulging in pleasant talk and gaining friends.
If one is known to habitually sully his friends for their faults  what damage would he do unto others?
Out of its commitment to its virtue of patience  the earth tolerates the presence of a slanderer on it.
If one looks at his faults in the same light as others  faults  will any harm befell the lingering human lives?
Those who make vain discourses  detested by many wise  will be disparaged by all.
It is more harmful to speak vain words in front of many  than to do contemptible deeds to your friends.
One s gracelessness is exposed by his elaborate hollow speeches.
Vain words spoken without dignity to a group  are ungainly  unrighteous and yield no gains.
Reputation and respect will be lost  when an affable person speaks worthless words.
Call him not a man  one who speaks vain words  he is a scum.
A noble scholar may speak ungraciously  if he has to  but he must refrain from speaking vain words.
The wise  who seek to understand deeper significance of things  will not utter words with no substantial worth.
Those who are flawlessly wise  and have overcome all delusion  will desist from speaking worthless words  even unconsciously.
Speak  such that what you speak is worthy  speak not if what you speak is not worthy.
Sinners do not dread  while great men dread the delusion of evil deeds.
Vile deeds yield vile results  and hence  vile deeds are more fearsome than fire.
The foremost among all wise deeds  is to refrain from doing harmful deeds even to those who detest you.
Desire not the destruction of another  even sub-consciously  else  virtue will determine the destruction of the one who desires so.
Don t commit anything evil in the name of poverty  the poorer  it will render you.
If one wishes not to be tormented by painful reactions  do not harm others.
There is scope for surviving any sort of enmity  but there can be no respite from the repercussions of an evil deed.
The shadow stays rooted to the foot  the evil that men do will remain to torment them.
If one loves himself  he shouldn t do an evil act  howsoever small it is.
Know a man to be free of torment  if he doesn t take a shortcut to do an evil deed.
Doing one s duty without desiring any favours  is like rain  what can the world do in return for the rains.
The purpose of one s hard-earned money is to be deployed to help the deserving.
In this world and the other  it is tough to attain anything better than beneficence.
One who is aligned to the right ways of the world  lives amongst the alive  the others are placed amongst the dead.
The wealth of the wise one who loves  and is loved by  the world  is like a public pond brimming with water.
Riches falling upon the benevolent  resemble a ripe tree laden with fruits  in the middle of a village.
Riches falling upon a person of great qualities  resemble an unfailing herbal tree that is a source of medicines.
Even in times of distress  those who dont shy away from beneficence  have clear vision of their moral responsibilities.
A benevolent person turns poor when he laments his inability to do the good deeds he is used to doing.
What harm can come out of beneficence? Such harm deserves to be bought even by selling oneself.
Giving to the poor is charity  all else have the quality of anticipating a return.
To receive is a vice  even if it is accepted as a good virtue  to give  is good  even if the heaven is denied.
Charity  without mention of the distress of poverty  is present only in those from a good family.
To be asked to give is bitter too  until one sees the smiling face of the recipient.
The strength of the strongest is to endure hunger  it trails the ability to eradicate that hunger.
To douse the destructive hunger of the destitute  is the safe to store the riches of the rich.
Hunger  the deadly disease  never touches one who is accustomed to share his food with others.
Do they not know to enjoy the joy of giving  those loveless people  who keep their wealth only to lose it.
Eating alone to increase one s accumulated wealth  is more distressing than begging.
There is nothing more harrowing than death  that too seems sweet  if one is unable to give a thing to the needy.
Give  and live with fame  there is no other gain for lives.
All that chroniclers chronicle  is the renown that rests on those who give to the needy.
Nothing other than incomparable fame  lasts forever in this world.
The world of devas  will cease to praise pure scholars  if one  through his deeds across this world  earns everlasting fame.
Growth  of fame  amidst adverstiy and survival  of name  after death  are possible only for the smartest.
Appear with fame  if you must appear  if not  it is better not to appear than appear.
Why do those  who live with no fame  instead of blaming themselves  blame those who revile them.
Reproach will remain for those who  with no fame  have no legacy to leave behind.
The unblemished  fertile yield will diminish for the land that bears a body with no repute.
Those who lead a life free of blame  are alive  those who live devoid of fame  are not alive.
The gains of compassion are most precious  material wealth is possessed even by the despicable.
Pursue the virtuous path and have compassion  all spiritual quests lead to this companion.
Those with their hearts filled with compassion will never enter a woeful world of darkness.
The compassionate  who care for all other lives  do not fear for their own lives.
The fertile world which endows us with breathing air illustrates that there is no sorrow for the compassionate.
Those who do evil  abandoning compassion  must have forsaken and forgotten the meaning of life.
The poor do not possess this world  likewise  the uncompassionate do not inhabit the other world.
Those who lack wealth may  one day  bloom  those who lack compassion are incorrigible  and are forever  doomed.
The uncompassionate doing a righteous deed is like the unwise finding true enlightenment.
When you confront those meeker than you  think of yourself in front of a stronger person.
How can someone possess kindness  if one eats meat from another body to grow one s own body?
One  who doesn t value money can t be wealthy  one  who eats meat  can t be compassionate.
The heart of one who has eaten and relished flesh  is like the heart of one leading an army: it cannot be compassionate.
What is compassion  and the lack of it : not killing and killing  it is not virtuous to eat meat obtained by killing.
Survival of species  depends on not being eaten  those who eat them  hell will not split its mouth to spit them out.
There wont be anyone selling meat for the sake of earning  if the world stops killing for the sake of eating.
Meat is the wound of some body  if one gets this realization  stop eating it.
Those who have wisdom  free of flaws  would not eat a body  freed of its life.
To desist from killing a life and eating it  is better than doing a thousand rituals  offering oblation.
To one who doesnt kill and refuses meat  all lives will fold their arms and pay obeisance.
To endure any ordeal and to cause none to other lives  embodies penance.
Penance makes sense only for those who have been virtuous  for others  it is useless.
Is it to assist the ascetics that the others have forgotten penance?
Those who do penance  if they so choose  can crush those who harm them and elevate those who delight them.
Since it gives the power to attain whatever one wishes to  penance needs to be attempted at the earliest.
Those who do penance do their duty  others  engage in futile tasks  ensnared in desire.
Like flame that makes gold glitter more  pangs of pain can only enlighten those who do penance.
One who has taken control of his life  will be hailed by all.
Those  who have mastered penance  will find it possible to even defer death.
The poor are abundant  since those who observe abstinence are few  and those who dont are more.
The deceitful conduct of a treacherous mind  will be sneered at by the five elements within.
Is a sky-high prominence of any use  when one s heart knowingly harbors a vice.
A person with a frail heart assuming an imposing appearance is like a cow grazing wearing a tiger s skin.
Doing misdeeds in the guise of an ascetic is like a hunter capturing birds from behind the bushes.
If those who claim to have given up material desires  indulge in deceitful conduct  it will cause suffering aplenty leading to self-pity.
There is nobody more evil than those who pretend to be ascetics when their hearts haven t renounced desire.
There are people  even if they  externally  resemble the lustrous exterior of a ‘kunri  pea  have hearts like the dark nose of the pea.
There are many  who  like holy men  take a dip in the river  but hide the impurities of their heart.
Judge a person by his deeds: the straight arrow is destructive and yazh  the bent musical bow  is sweet.
Tonsuring or growing long tresses is unnecessary  if one refrains from doing what the world disdains.
If one wishes not to be ridiculed  let him protect his heart from thoughts of swindling.
Even to think such thoughts is evil : thoughts of swindling others  property.
Swindled wealth  will seem to swell  but will breach its limits and bust.
The love for swindling  when it yields  yields indestructible distress.
Love  inspired by compassion  doesnt occur to those who await others  lapses to grab their wealth.
The excessive love for swindling renders a person unable to abide by the limits of reason.
The clouded intelligence for defrauding is not for those who understand the limits of reason and morality.
Guile lies in the heart of the fraudulent like righteousness residing in the hearts of those who operate within boundaries.
Those  who have mastered nothing but swindling  will exceed all limits and fall instantly.
The fraudulent will lose their living state  those who desist from defrauding will not be denied the world of Devas.
Truth is defined as speaking words that cause no harm.
Even a lie will be placed on par with the truth  if it yields unblemished benefits.
Do not lie consciously  once you lie so  your own conscience will sear you.
One who  guided by his heart  lives without lies  will forever live in the hearts of all.
One who tells the truth  with all his heart  is ahead of those who do  penance and charity.
No other fame equals not lying  without any physical strain it yields all virtues.
Not lying  if practiced unfailingly  makes it worthwhile to refrain from not doing the righteous deeds.
External cleanliness is brought about by water  inner purity is evident in truthfulness.
All light is not light  for noble scholars  truthfulness is the true light of enlightenment.
Of all the known truths  there is nothing more significant than truthfulness.
Restrain anger where anger will be effective  where it won t be  does it matter whether one restrains it or not?
Where it can t have an impact  anger is harmful  where it can  there is still nothing more harmful.
Erase your anger against anyone  only harm springs forth from it.
Is there a foe other than anger  which anhilates smile and joy.
If you seek to protect yourself  curb your anger  lest anger destroys you.
Anger  the fire known to destroy those who harbor it  will also burn down the lifeboat  namely  one s clan.
One  who possesses anger as a trait  will perish with the unfailing precision of a hand that slams the ground.
Even if taunted with a harmful deed  tantamount to toasting in a multi-tongued fire  better try not to be angered.
If the heart doesn t harbour anger  one would attain instantly all that it aspires to.
Those who yield to anger are as good as dead  those who ve shed anger are in effect saints.
Even if it yields glory and riches galore  refraining from harming others is the principled path of the impeccable.
Not to hurt those who have caused harm before  out of wrath  is the principled path of the impeccable.
To harm even those who antagonize us unprovoked  will bring boundless suffering.
The way to punish those who harmed us is to shame them by doing them good.
What use is it to be wise  if one cant treat others  woes as one s own.
Shy away from doing to others what you perceive would have harmed you.
Never do a harmful deed  however small  to anyone  in any circumstance  consciously or otherwise.
Why does one hurt other lives  doing what he knows can hurt oneself?
If you harm others in the forenoon  harm will visit you  by itself  in the afternoon.
Harm descends on those who harm others  hence  those who wish not to be harmed  do no harm.
What is a righteous deed? Not killing. Killing leads to all other evil deeds.
Sharing food and taking care of all lives  is the foremost amongst all virtues compiled in all scriptures.
Not killing is the foremost virtue  it is followed by not lying.
What is a perfect path? It is the pursuit of the principle of not slaying any being.
Of all those who  despising material existence  have embraced renunciation  the foremost are those who fear and shun killing.
Death dares not trample on the life of one who abides by the principle of not killing any life.
Even if one were to sacrifice one s own life  do not commit the act of taking another life.
Even if great wealth leads to great benefits  great men loathe wealth obtained by sacrifice of lives.
For those who can see the folly of it  the savage imbeciles in any profession involving killing are doing a despicable job.
Those with a rotting sickly body and a rotten life mired in poverty  must have killed other beings before.
To believe that transient things will last forever is deplorable stupidity.
Great wealth accumulates  like a crowd assembled at a theatre  when it goes  it vanishes like the crowd at the end of the play.
Wealth is transient  when it comes about  use it to do a lasting righteous deed.
The wise get this : Time  that manifests itself as days  is a sword that slices off life.
Before your tongue goes numb and you let out your last breath  make haste to do a good deed.
Who was there yesterday  is gone today: the world is thus.
Though they know not if they will live the next moment  they hold over a billion thoughts in their minds.
A bird breaks away from the egg  leaving the shells alone  so is life related to body.
Death is like going off to sleep  birth is like waking up from it.
Doesn t life have a permanent dwelling? Nay  it has merely taken shelter in this body.
Whatever one renounces  cannot cause pain.
The pleasures of this world after renouncing are immense  if you wish those  renounce when you can.
To renounce all that one desires  the five senses should be overcome.
Not to have a thing is the essense of penance  any possession lures one away from it.
For those ascetics seeking relief from rebirth  their own flesh is an excess. What purpose do other affinities serve?
If you can let go of the egoistic ‘I  and the materialistic ‘Mine   you will reach someplace better than paradise.
Miseries will not  near those who desist from desire.
Those who renounce completely  surge ahead  others get enticed and end up entangled in a web.
Only when all attachments are severed  the cycle of life and death is broken  anything short of it is transient.
Be attached to the One  who is attached to none. Be so attached to be free of any attachments.
To be deluded into accepting anything untrue as gospel truth leads to a wasted life.
Darkness will give way to joy  when delusion is replaced with a flawless vision.
For those with conviction  who have dispelled all doubts  the skies are nearer than the earth.
Whatever known through the five senses make no sense  when there is no comprehension of truth.
It doesn t matter what anything seems to be  wisdom lies in seeking to grasp its true nature.
Those who have learnt and grasped the true essence here  will find a path that will not bring them back here.
The mind that  after careful consideration  ascertains the truth conclusively  would not contemplate rebirth.
For the vanity of birth to vanish  fathom those ultimate truths of true significance.
To understand what to desire  and to give up other desires  decimates the distress caused by those desires.
When even words cease to exist for desire  anger and ignorance  resultant maladies will be vanquished.
Desire is the seed which  for all lives  unfailingly  leads to an endless cycle of birth.
If you desire  desire for freedom from birth  desiring not to desire  too  leads to that freedom.
There is no wealth here better than lack of desire  nowhere else is there anything that equals it.
Purity is absence of desire  which  is obtained through the quest for truth.
Only those who ve renounced desire have renounced  the rest  who ve renounced all else  have not truly renounced.
Desire is a deceptive trap  fearing it  is a virtue.
One can do flawless deeds the way one wants to do  when desire is destroyed completely.
Those who are devoid of desire are free from misery  for others  it keeps piling up.
When desire  the misery of miseries  is decimated  unending joy abounds.
Eternal bliss ensues  when insatiable desire ends.
Constructive fate causes tireless endeavor leading to prosperity  destructive fate causes indolence.
Malign fate blunts one s intelligence  in its turn  benign fate sharpens it.
Even if knowledge comes through profound books  one s innate wisdom remains dominant.
The world is stratified based on two factors: wealth and wisdom  and  they are not correlated.
While seeking wealth  positive aspects can turn harmful  and negative aspects beneficial.
Strive hard  we may  but what we don t deserve doesn t stay  and what we deserve  we can t dispose.
One may amass wealth worth millions  but can consume only as ordained by the Ordainer.
Even those who possess nothing to enjoy will ‘renounce   if only one can escape the misery that is to be suffered.
Why bemoan the misery caused by fate  when one enjoys the good without complaint.
Is there anything mightier than fate? It remains dominant despite all plans devised to counter it.
The military  citizenry  resources  advisers  friends and fortresses : who owns these six is a lion amongst kings.
Fearlessness  generosity  wisdom and vitality: these four are persistent characteristics expected of a king.
Vigilance  erudition and boldness: these three never abandon a competent ruler.
Not swerving from righteousness and justice  and deterring any violations  assuming greatness and pride through benevolent courage : a ruler should do.
Strategizing  earning revenues  preserving  and allocating resources : a government should be capable of.
The world will eulogize a ruler   who is easily accessible and refrains from rude rebukes.
For those who  with sweet words  are capable of giving generously and protecting their people  the world is how they wish it to be.
A righteous king who renders justice  and nurtures his people  will be hailed as an almighty leader.
The leader who heeds to counsel that stings the ear  will have the world rest under his sceptre.
Charity  love  justice and safeguarding the people: who has these four is the guiding light for all leaders.
Learn  what is to be learnt  with no flaws  once learnt  stand by what you learned.
Numbers and letters  they are known as eyes to humans  they are.
The learned have eyes  the ignorant have on their faces  two gashes.
Delight when they are met  and nostalgia when they have left  are the effects of the learned s deeds.
The learned learn by lovingly humbling themselves before others  like the poor before rich  those who thus don t learn are lowly.
The deeper a well is dug  the more the water that springs  the more one learns  the more the wisdom it brings.
For the learned  every nation is their nation  and every place their place  why then  does one shun learning till death.
Learning acquired once will stand in good stead for seven generations.
Seeing that the world gets excited by what excites them  the learned fall more in love with learning.
Learning is the indestructubile  and significant  wealth  other riches are not true wealth.
Speaking before an audience  without reading relevant books  is like rolling the dice without drawing the squares.
An illiterate wishing to make a speech is like a breastless androgyne wishing to become a woman.
Even the ignorant will be considered good if they shut themselves up before the learned.
Though the illiterate may display streaks of intelligence  they would still not be acknowledged by the learned.
The vanity of the ignorant vanishes  when they start speaking in a gathering.
The illiterate are seen as existing to fill space  they are like barren waste lands.
A person who has no in-depth learning and intellectual acumen  is as impressive as a doll made of mud.
Not even the penury of the good is as pernicious as the wealth that has fallen on the ignorant.
The uneducated maybe of higher birth  but they are not respected as much as the learned men born in low classes.
Animal amongst men are those uneducated amongst the educated.
The wealth of listening is the wealth amongst all wealth  the foremost wealth.
When food there is none for the ear  spare a little for the belly.
Those who can feed aurally through listening  are equal  in this world  to the noble beings devouring divine food.
Even if you can t learn by reading  listen  it is the crutch in times of crisis.
A steadying staff on a skiddy surface  are the words of those who possess utmost propriety.
Listen to the good  doesn t matter  how much  whatever be the quantum  immense greatness  it will bring.
Misconstrue they may  but  ludicrous words  they will not utter: those who ve always listened  analysed  and learnt.
Hear  they can  but deaf they are: the ears that are not pierced by aural learning.
Unless one is an intense  attentive aural learner  it is unlikely that one will be have a humble tongue.
Those beings who know the taste  only of the tongue and not of the ear : does it matter whether die or live?
Wisdom is the shield against suffering  and the fortress  impregnable and indestructible for the foes.
Without letting the mind to wander on its own will  wisdom steers it away from harm  and towards good.
Whatever whoever may say  listen to it  and wisdom is to comprehend the true meaning of it.
Wisdom lies in keeping it simple for your audience  and grasping all intricacies when others speak.
Wisdom  it is to embrace the world  and not to be overtly delighted or dismayed.
What the world conforms to  wisdom lies in conforming to those.
The wise anticipate the outcomes  unwise are those who can t.
It is foolish  not to fear  what ought to be feared  the wise fear those that must be feared.
The wise  who are perceptive  and are prepared  will not be staggered by any harm.
The wise have everything  the unwise have nothing  irrespective of whatever they may possess.
Those who lack arrogance  wrath and pettiness: wealth  in their hands  assumes dignity.
Avarice  ignominious pride  and repulsive gloating  are fatal flaws in a leader.
For those who fear disgrace   their faults  though grain-sized  woud seem gigantic.
Fend off your own flaws  those flaws are your fatal foes.
Having no safeguards before the onset of trouble  will make our lives  dry straws before a raging fire.
What flaw could fall upon a leader who rectifies his faults before observing and assailing others  faults.
The wealth of one who  out of pettiness  doesn t do what ought to done  will vanish without growth.
Clinging to wealth  out of avarice  is worse than the any other flaw.
Never give in to egotism  never indulge in vain acts that benefit none.
Those who enjoys what they enjoy  unknown to foes  are difficult to defeat.
Assess  know the potential  and secure the company of virtuous  veteran  wise men.
Nurture the relationship of those who relieve  and ward off your miseries.
It is most precious to nurture  and possess the company of great men.
The mightiest of all strengths is to patronize  and pay heed to those who are better than us.
A ruler rules best with wise counsellors as eyes  select them after watchful scrutiny.
When a capable leader feels at ease with capable associates  there is nothing his foes can do to harm him.
One who leads companions who can admonish him : who is capable of harming him?
A ruler unprotected by companions who can admonish him  will face ruin without any foes ruining him.
There is no return without investment  for leaders  there is no stability without the prop of their supporters.
Tenfold worse it is  to lose the company of the good  than to earn the hostility of many foes.
The great  fear petty company  the petty  perceive  and accept  them as their own.
Water assumes the quality of the land  wisdom depends on the company one keeps.
Senses are governed by the brain  reputation is determined by one s company.
Wisdom seems to stem from the mind but is shaped by people around us.
Purity of mind  and deeds  depends on the quality of one s associations.
Those who are pure at heart  will leave behind good children and legacy  those who have clean company will find no good task impossible.
The goodness of heart is a treasure for humans  goodness of company leads to glory.
Even for noble scholars  who are good at heart  good company offers strong protection.
Goodness of heart leads to joy even after death  good company protects it from straying.
There is no better ally than good company  no woe can be worse than bad company.
What gets consumed  what gets created  and the returns the creation yields : consider all before starting a task.
Nothing is impossible for those who start a task with aptly chosen associates  and after thorough assessment.
Losing the capital in pursuit of profit is not a task the wise will undertake.
Without assessing and getting clarity  will they not start  they who fear for their reputation.
Leaping before you look is like planting foes  and nurturing them.
To do what ought not to be done is disastrous  not to do what ought to be done is equally so.
Think before you start  to think that you can think after starting spells doom.
Hard work  the wrong way  will be futile even if the world applauds.
Well-intended actions could go awry  if they are not customized to suit the nature of all those involved.
The world doesn t accept what it can t approve  assess and act such that you are not ridiculed.
Assess before an action  the strengths of the task  self  opponents and companions.
Know what is achievable  gain requisite knowledge  and stay focused : nothing is impossible.
Many have boken down midway  having started with fervour without assessing their capabilities.
He is uncollaborative  he knows not his capabilities  he is narcissistic to boot  he is set for a swift fall.
A cart  though laden with only peacock feathers  may yet have its axle broken  when overloaded.
Having climbed to the tip of a branch  striving to go further  will be fatal.
Do charity  but within your means  that is the way to utilize  and protect  wealth.
Though revenues are limited  no harm   if you don t let expenses exceed them.
A life lived beyond one s means  will look glitzy but will lose its sheen and give way to gloom.
Generosity beyond the limits of one s resources  is bound to cease soon  after exhausting the resources.
A crow will defeat an owl during the day  a king needs to pick the right time to defeat his foes.
Doing the right things at the right time  is the rope which binds the wealth  making it boundless.
Does an impossible task exist  when the right resources and strategy are deployed at the right time?
Desire the world  you may  and it will be yours  if  for your actions  you choose the right time and place.
They will await the opportune moment   they  who determinedly desire the world.
The ardent and the mighty too can stay subdued like a rampant ram that withdraws before it pounces.
The wise will not break into an external rage instantly  they will keep their anger suppressed  biding their time.
Bear with your foes  when the time is ripe  turn things around.
When the rarest of moments comes about  grab it to accomplish the toughest of tasks.
Like a heron  be still when the time is not ripe  and spear the prey when it is near.
Start not a task  thinking it is easy  until you choose the right place to accomplish it.
Even for the mighty  seeking to conquer  a fortress offers benefits galore.
Even the meek will battle and win  when they tenaciously take on their foes at the right place.
Their dismissive opponents will lose the plot  when those who undertake a task  do it right at the right place.
In deep waters  the crocodile wins  When it gets out  it is vanquished.
Neither will the strongest chariots sail the seas  nor will the seafaring ships ride the land.
If  after considering all angles  one chooses to do a task at an apt place  he needs no company other than fearlessness.
If a king with a measly army battles from a strategic location  the confidence of the mighty foe gets shattered.
Even if the foes are devoid of fortresses and exceptional valour  it is tough to beat them on their turf.
An uncontrollable tusker that has gored many a spearman  when stuck in a deep quagmire  is easy prey for a fox.
Assess the attitude of a person on these four aspects before choosing him: righteousness  money  lust and fear for life.
Accept only a person who is of good birth  is clear of flaws  has fear for infamy and shame.
Even a person who is known to be learned and faultless  if assessed well  will rarely be free of flaws and ignorance.
Weigh the virtues and vices  discern which is more  and thus decide.
The touchstone for greatness or unworthiness is one s own deeds.
Choose not those who are unrighteous : with nothing to bind them  they won t dread disgrace.
Out of affection  choosing without properly assessing  will result in folly.
One who accepts without assessing  will invite harm that will last for generations.
Choose not anyone without assessment  once chosen  trust the person to deliver on the assigned tasks.
Selecting without assessing  and doubting after selecting  will ensure enduring distress.
A person  who assesses pros and cons  and has done well  will be entrusted with key responsibilities.
Let him do that task   he  who has multiplied the sources of income  generated revenues  and analysed and overcome hurdles.
Love  wisdom  fearless analytical mind and lack of misdirected desire: go for a person who scores high on these.
In whatever way we may have assessed and chosen people  they stand out based on quality of execution.
Assign the task to those who know it  can plan  execute and get it done  and not to the most prominent  or likeable  person.	
Assign a task after assessing the person  the task and the most suited time.
This task   he can do  using these resources : once you reason it out thus  leave the task to him.
Assess and determine that he can do this task  using these resources  and empower him to do the task.
Wealth will desert the leader who doubts the intimacy of the expert doing  a task on account of the task.
The ruler should review progress regularly   as long as his officials don t falter  his state won t falter.
Even when all wealth is lost  it is the kin who will maintain their ties.
If one gets kin who never lose their love  wealth never ceases sprouting in different ways.
The life of one with no intimate relationship  is like water flowing into a pond with no bounds.
To live surrounded by the kin  is the benefit gained by gaining wealth.
One who practices generosity and kind words  will be encircled by an extended family.	
He gives generously and is free of anger   none on this earth can have better kin than him.
The crow never conceals food but cries out for company  wealth and progress too stays only with those of such quality.
A king who avoids an undifferentiated approach but tailors it to suit differing capabilities  will retain many who will appreciate it.	
Well-wishers who had broken with you before  will return if the cause for resentment is rectified.	
When defectors return for any reason  the ruler should be open to accept them  after due assessment.
Getting slack and smug when relishing a joyous moment is more harmful than excessive anger.
Complacence  sloth and contempt slaughter one s reputation just as begging and gorging will kill one s wisdom.
There is no fame for those who are smug  lax or derisive : scholars of all walks and beliefs concur on this.
No fortress is good enough for those who ve fear  no good can occur to those who are smug  slack or derisive.
One who is complacent and derisive  and doesn t anticipate the repercussions  will resent his lapses later.
Never be complacent about any task or deride anyone : nothing is better than following this unswervingly.
The impossible doesn t exist when you do the task diligently  with an alert  incomplacent mind.
Do  diligently  deeds that have been extolled  not in seven births will they benefit   those who derisively avoid those deeds.
Think of those who were doomed due to derision and negligence  when you bask smugly in the glory of your might.
Easy it is  to get what you seek  if you re focused on that you seek.
Investigating intensely  leading fairly without unduly favoring anyone  analysing and acting  constitute justice.
The world survives  looking up to the skies for rain  the people live  looking up to their ruler s sceptre for justice.
The scriptures that scholars write and the virtues they extol  have their roots in the sceptre of the ruler.
The world will embrace the feet of the ruler  who embraces his people and renders justice.
In the state of the king who rules justly  as befits a king  even monsoons and harvests will happen unfailingly.
It is not the spear that gives victory  it is the king s sceptre  the one that never tilts unjustly.
A king protects all the world  he is protected by the justice that he dispenses resolutely.
A king who isn t readily accessible and doesn t rule justly  will be ruined by his own lowly deeds.
To punish a crime  in order to protect and nurture one s subjects  is not a blot on the king but his duty.
The king punishing  severely  those brutal murderers  is akin to clearing weeds from the crop.
He is worse than assassins  the ruler who harries his citizens  and indulges in unjust acts.
The extortion and graft done wielding the sceptre is no different from robbery done pointing a spear.
The ruler who doesn t assess and administer justly  day after day  will let his state rot day by day.
The king who lets his sceptre tilt towards tyranny will lose all his wealth  people and state.
The tears shed by citizens subjected to intolerable grief are the weapons that erode the rulers  wealth.
Just rule yields lasting fame to a ruler  no justice  no fame.
Just as lack of rain is to the world  so is to mankind   rulers  lack of benevolence.
Being wealthy is worse than being poor  under an unjust ruler.
If the king lets his sceptre of justice waver  the skies won t yield and monsoons will fail.
The cows  milk will dry up  the brahmans will forget the scriptures  when the king stops being their saviour.
Investigating neutrally  and punishing appropriately  so as to deter the repeat of a crime  is the duty of the king.
Raise the sceptre swift and stern  but land it softly  those who wish never to lose what they possess.
A king will be isolated and will face rapid ruin  if he becomes a tyrant indulging in terrifying deeds.
“My king   he is a tyrant” : such a denouncement is certain to hasten a king s downfall.
Inaccessible and has a harsh countenance   his huge wealth resembles a treasure protected by demons.
If he is of harsh words  and has no compassion  his extensive wealth will become extinct soon.
Harsh words and excessive punishments form the saw that files away the king s military might.
When the king doesn t take counsel of his advisers  and tends to explode with rage  his wealth starts imploding.
When the foes strike  a king who has not built his defences  will fall swiftly  trembling with fear.
A tyrant will assemble an ensemble of the unlearned  but for them  there is no burden for the earth.
There exists this stupendous beauty called compassion  and therefore  the world exists.
It is compassion that keeps the world functioning as it should  there are those who lack it  and they burden the earth.
Of what use is a tune that can t suit any song? Of what use are eyes  which have no compassion?
An eye that is not abound with compassion  what purpose is it serving on the face  feigning existence?
Eyes are adorned by compassion  but for it  they would be considered wounds.
Trees rooted to the land they resemble  those though born with eyes  don t use them to be compassionate.
Those who lack compassion have no eyes  who truly have eyes can t lack compassion.
The world belongs to those who do their duty unfalteringly  while being compassionate.
Being compassionate and patient  even with those who hurt us  is a quality  most admirable.
Even after seeing poison being poured  they will consume it and converse cordially  they who seek to be captivatingly civilized and compassionate.
Intelligence operations and highly regarded books   a king should consider them his eyes.
Knowing everything that happens to everyone   to always gain such intelligence at great speed is the duty of a king.
There is no better way to victory for a king than deploying spies on surveillance and gathering credible intelligence.
Having everyone   officials  kin and foes  under surveillance is the job of a spy.
A spy should be capable of inconspicuous appearance  fearlessly looking into others  eyes and never disclosing critical facts.
A spy should be able to go incognito  as an ascetic and others  infiltrate all places  and tirelessly gather intelligence by any means.
A spy should be capable of extracting top secrets nonchalantly  and verifying their veracity beyond doubt.
Ascertain even the intelligence gathered by a spy by deploying another spy.
Lead the sleuths such that they don t know each other  when three of them concur on an input  you know it is reliable.
When you honour a spy  do it not in public  else  you would broadcast your own secret.
The haves are haves if they have zeal  if they have it not  they are have-nots  whatever else they may have.
Possessing passion is the true possession  all other wealth is transient and will vanish.
They will not bemoan the loss of wealth  they who have enduring zeal.
Wealth  on its own  will find the way to reach those with unflagging fervor.
The depth of water determines how tall an aquatic plant grows  zeal in the heart dictates how far man goes.
Fervently aspire for the best  even if you fail  it is still as good as succeeding.
The zealous won t flinch in the face of trouble  the elephant  even if buried under a barrage of arrows  never relents.
Those without zeal  will never attain the pride of being hailed as generous.
It is huge  it has sharp tusks  yet  the tusker is frightened when the tiger attacks.
Abundant zeal is one s strength and wisdom  those without it are trees  their human form being the only difference.
The inextinguishable flame of distinguished ancestry will be put out  if the filth of sloth starts blocking it.
Kill laziness  if you wish your clan to become a reputed clan.
The imbecile who lives clutching the fatal indolence  will see his family s demise before his own.
A ruler who falls into the lap of laziness and doesn t strive hard  will witness the destruction of his subjects and an upsurge in crime.
Procrastination  neglect  sloth and slumber : these four are the ship that is boarded lovingly by habitual losers.
It is unlikely that the lazy will prosper  even if they inherit the riches of an emperor.
Well-meaning rebukes will be followed by ridicule  if one is indolent and refrains from striving hard.
If laziness rests on a state and its rulers  it will be enslaved by its foes.
The ills that befell his state and leadership  will vanish if one gives up his indolence.
The ruler who has no sloth will attain all that was attained by the one who measured the world with his feet.
Shun not a task because it is tough  perseverance brings respect.
The world deserts those who desert an essential task  while executing  don t wilt and let the task fail.	 
The greatness of benevolence rests on those who have the quality of perseverance. 
Benevolence of the person without persistence  will turn futile like a sword in the hands of a coward. 
Forsaking gratification  he who perseveres  is a pillar for one s kin   wiping and bearing their woes.
Effort creates wealth  lack of it induces poverty.
Thus they speak : the angel of poverty resides with the sluggard  the lotus-residing angel of wealth rests on the efforts of the unsluggish.
Lack of good fortune brings not disgrace  not gaining requisite knowledge  and not persisting  is disgraceful.
Even if God has given up  perseverance will pay the wages for one s efforts.
They will triumph over fate   they who persevere resolutely without respite.
Smile in times of trouble  it is without equal  in repeatedly trouncing trouble.
Floods of tribulation will be wiped away  when the wise set their minds on overcoming it.
They will torment the torment  those who don t get tormented by torment.
Whenever stuck in a mire  if one chugs along like a bull  trouble will be distressed.
Even under an onslaught of adversities  if one is unfazed  his torments will be tormented.
Will they be distressed by poverty   those who  in times of wealth  don t stingily cling to their wealth?
Knowing that the human body is ever a target for afflictions  the wise will not be distressed by distress.
He who yearns not for pleasures  dismisses adversities as inevitable  will never be distressed.
He who yearns not for pleasure in joyous times  will not be distressed in times of sorrow.
If one accepts adversities as pleasures  his adversaries too will acclaim him.
A minister is one who can envisage rare deeds  the resources and time entailed  and the means to execute.
Resolve  protecting the citizens  learning and perseverance   a minister is one who is capable in these too.
A minister is adept at these : splitting the foes  binding the allies  and uniting the estranged.
A minister should be proficient in assessing  executing and articulating unequivocally. 
A minister knows righteousness  he can enunciate knowledgablely  he is always skillful at execution : he is an apt counsellor.
For one who has an impressive intellect  and is well-read  is there any task that can be extremely challenging?
Even if you know well how to do a task  do it knowing the nature of your world. 
Even when the king stubs out the wise counsel  and knows not by himself  it is the duty of the minister to advise firmly.
It is better to face 700 million foes than have a scheming minister.
They plan meticulously but yet can t take it to completion  those who are poor at execution.
The benefits of a gifted tongue  outclass the benefits of anything else.	 
It creates and destructs  hence ensure there is never a blemish in your speech.
Speak with such quality that it binds those who queried  and casts a spell on even those who didn t.
Speak words that befit your capabilities and those of the listener  there is no greater virtue and wealth than that.
Say a word such that no other word can surpass that word.
Speaking alluring words  and seeking to learn when others speak  is the way of those with impeccable qualities.
If he speaks capably  flawlessly  and fearlessly  it is impossible to confront and defeat him.
The world will instantly pay heed to those who can speak coherently and pleasingly.
Those who know not how to converse clearly and flawlessly in a few words  love to speak profusely.
Those who cannot convey  and make others comprehend  what they have learnt  are like a bunch of bloomed flowers that have no fragrance.
Good companions lead to valuable gains  and good deeds lead to everything needed.
They should be desisted from forever: deeds not leading to the good and yielding fame.	 
They who seek greater heights should shun deeds that dent their reputation.	 
Even in distress  they won t do deplorable deeds  those with unfaltering clarity and vision.
‘What have I done?    do not do deeds leading to such regret  even if you do  do not ever repeat them.
Even when you see your mother starving  don t do deeds deplored by those  noble and respected.
Far better than ill-gotten wealth is the extreme poverty fallen on the noble and exemplary.
Though successful  they yield nothing but pain  when deplorable deeds are done rather than being shunned.
What is acquired with others  tears  goes away with your tears  good deeds  even if begun with losses  will yield fruits later on.
Being content with ill-gotten wealth  is like storing water in a fresh unbaked mud pot.
Execution focus lies in the resolve of the mind  all else is secondary.
Doing flawlessly  and resolute in the event of a flaw  are the paths shown by the learned.
Virility lies in taking a task to completion  giving up midway causes endless misery.
Easy it is  to say  rare it is  the ability to do what one says.
Those who have gained great acclaim for their execution resolve  bring good to their rulers  and are hence thought of highly.
What they seek  they will achieve as they seek  if those who seek are made of firm resolve.
Deride not a person seeing their appearance  there are those who are like a small lynchpin that make a large chariot roll.	667
Do the task that you conceived with clarity of thought  unwaveringly and without procrastination.
Even if it causes distress while doing  daringly do the task that brings joy.
Whatever ability they may have acquired  the world desires them not  when they desire not the resoluteness to execute.
The end of strategizing is gaining the confidence to execute  it is wasteful to cede that confidence in delays.	 
Delay those tasks that better be delayed  delay not  those tasks that cannot be delayed.
Execute as planned whenever possible  when not possible  do whatever is needed to resume action.
The remnants of a task and an enmity   left unfinished   when we think of it  can harm as much as the remains of a fire. 
Resources  tools  time  place and the task   analyze these beyond doubt  and then act.
The means to the end  the obstacles and the fruits of the deed   anticipate all these  and then act.
One who is excellent at execution  executes after grasping the subtleties of all tasks from the experts.
Using one task to accomplish another task  is like tethering a musth elephant using another.
More pressing than doing favors to friends  is befriending foes.
The smaller state  fearing internal panic  will submit to a superior power  if their concerns are addressed.
Love  birth in a suitable family  affable nature attractive to any king are qualities of an emissary.
Love  wisdom and sagacious speech are three qualities essential for an envoy.
An emissary on a mission  seeking a diplomatic win over other rulers  should be learned enough to excel amongst the learned.
Wisdom  physical presence and thorough learning   he who has these three in abundance  let him be the one to go on a diplomatic mission.
Being coherent  avoiding objectionable words  and evoking smiles are the ways of an envoy to get desired results.
A good envoy is well learned  can look anyone in the eye  has compelling speech and comes up with timely strategies.
Foremost among envoys is one who knows the task  weighs the time and place  and speaks with sagacity.
Principled  endearing and courageous   these three are qualities of an envoy conveying a message truthfully.
An emissary conveying his ruler s message to another  should be firm enough never to denigrate him even by slip of tongue.
Even if it means meeting his own end  an emissary ought to further his leader s ends.
Not too far  not too near   while being with an irritable ruler  resemble those warming before a fire.
Desiring not the objects of desire for the king  gives lasting riches through the king.
If you deem it imperative  maintain impeccable decorum  it maybe tough to placate anyone  once they turn bitter.
Whisper not in others  ears nor giggle with them in the presence of dignified elders.
Don t eavesdrop on or badger about any confidential matter  hear it only when it is revealed.
Gauge the mood  await the ripe time  avoid what he abhors  and speak what is essential  such that it charms him.
Tell him what will enthrall him  but indulge not in useless small talk  even if he desires so.
Scorn him not because he is younger or is related  respect him for his position and reputation.
Those with a clarity of purpose will refrain from acting repulsively thinking they command respect.
Taking advantage of proximity to the top and acting out of character brings ruin.
He who reads minds by observing  with no words spoken  is ever an adornment for the world with unchanging oceans. 
Rate him amongst gods  he who can read minds with indubitable certainty.
Those who can read minds based on gestures or expressions   if need be  give any of your organs to have them with you.
Who can sense thoughts without being told  they are distinct  resembling others only in their human forms.
If one can t observe and interpret body language  what purpose do eyes serve amongst the organs?
The face  like a crystal that shows the hues of objects around  betrays the mood of the mind.	 
What can be smarter than the face? It is quick to sense and show if the heart is pleased or peeved.
When those who can look into your heart and know your intentions  be with you  tasks will be accomplished if you just face them.
The eyes will convey the animosity or affinity to those who can decipher the subtleties of the eyes.	 
The scale used by the astute to gauge the emotions  if you think of it  is nothing but the eyes.
Those who are well versed with the various ways of speech  know and assess the audience before speaking.
Before speaking anticipate the reaction of the audience and master the subject  if you are conversant with the modes of expression.
Those who know not their audience and yet endeavor to speak  know not the styles of speech and their reach  nor can they be competent.
Be brilliant before the bright  and amidst the ignorant turn blank as a wall plastered white.
It is the best among all the good deeds to have the restraint to not speak out of turn  in a forum of learned elders.
It will tantamount to swerving from the righteous path  being disgraced before an audience  widely-read but highly-receptive.
The expertise of the erudite gets enhanced by addressing an audience capable of flawlessly grasping those words.
To speak before an audience who possess clear understanding is like watering a sapling  growing by itself in a nursery.
Those who can speak lucidly in a learned forum should refrain from even forgetfully speaking the same in an unworthy forum.
Speaking before an audience who are no match for you  is like throwing away the elixir of life into the drains.
Those who are well versed with the various ways of speech  will choose the right style for a forum  and won t blunder out of fear.
They are known the most learned amongst the learned  those who can express their learnings persuasively before a learned audience.
Simple people  ready to die at the warfront  abound  those who fearlessly address an audience are a rare breed.
Speak persuasively before the learned  what you have learnt  and absorb more from those who are more learned than you.
Choose the right works and learn  knowing the limitations  so that you can debate fearlessly with any audience.
What use is the sword to cowards? Of what use are books to those who fear a learned audience?
A sharp sword in the hands of a coward before foes  is the scholarship of him who fears a forum.
They may be of great learning but can serve no purpose if they shy away from speaking compellingly to a good audience.
Though well learned  they re considered worse than the ignorant  those who fear an assembly of good people.
Out of stage-fright  those who can t articulate their learnings well  maybe alive but are as good as lifeless.
Unfailing crops  exemplary people  and the wealthy with untarnished and undiminishing wealth  constitute a country.
Desirable due to its huge wealth  devoid of detriments for high yields: such should a country be.
In an ideal country  its citizens bear any new burdens which  all at once afflict them  and continue to willingly pay taxes.
Acute hunger  debilitating diseases and warring foes are absent in a good state.
Multiple factions  destructive dissent  and murderous criminals who torment the rulers are not found in a good state.
It faces no calamities  even if it does  its resources are undiminished: such a nation is the foremost amongst nations.
Lakes above and wells below  mountains well-located  rivers and streams flowing from them  and strong fortresses constitute a country.
Health  wealth  high yields  happiness and strong defence   these five adorn a state.
A good state is one which yields without toil  it is not one  if one has to toil hard to produce yields.
A state might have everything  but they are of no use  if it doesn t have the right ruler.
A fortress is critical for those on the offensive  so is it  for those on the defensive to protect themselves.
Pearl-like perennial water  sand  mountains and shaded woods   a strong fortress contains all these.
Tall  vast  impregnable and unapproachable   experts prescribe these four measures for forts.
Boundaries  vulnerable and needing protection  are minimal but area enclosed is vast   such a fortress destroys the confidence of advancing foes.
A good fortress is unassailable  contains sufficient food and makes life easy for the residents.
A strong fortress contains all required resources and valiant warriors who will support during a siege.
Neither siege  nor an all-out attack  nor sowing dissent will befell a strong fortress.
A strong fortress aids those devoted to stay and defend it  to defeat the formidable foes who have besieged it.
A fortress attains glory through the glory attained by its residents  who through their daring deeds  swiftly subdue the foes on the warfront.
However formidable it maybe  a fortress is futile for those not formidable in their deeds.
Wealth makes them  who were deemed worthless  worthy  if not  it is not wealth.
The poor are ridiculed by all  and the rich esteemed by all.
The unfailing lamp called wealth will dislodge darkness by throwing light anywhere it wants to.
It yields righteousness and joy  the wealth acquired capably without causing any harm.
Consider it unworthy of acquiring   wealth that is not generated with compassion and love.
Funds generated in the normal course  internal taxes and acquisitions from enemies are sources of wealth for the king.
The infant called compassion  birthed by love  is nurtured by the rich custodian called wealth.
Doing a deed with some wealth on hand is like climbing a hilltop and watching tuskers tussle.
Make money   there is no weapon sharper than it to sever the pride of your foes.
For those who have made abundant wealth through fair means  the remaining two  righteousness and love  are easy to achieve.
A well-structured  indomitable military  never daunted by dire prospects  is primary amongst all possessions of the king.
The undaunted valour in dire situations  with no fear of consequences  is rarely seen outside of a seasoned army.
What if a rival army of rats comes roaring like an ocean  they will dissipate when the snake hisses.
A real army is one that displays the innate valour of never getting vanquished by any disaster.
An army is one which has the courage to battle united  even if the Lord of Death descends on them.
Courage  pride  striding the honorable course  clarity   these four best fortify an army.
The army that can discern the tactics of its advancing foes  will stride over the dust the foes bite.
An army though bereft of the skills and resources to wage a war  will still gain renown for its discipline and preparation.
Pettiness  unabated fury and hatred  and poverty   an army not having these will win.
An army may have brave warriors in abundance  but will meet its end if there are no great leaders.
Oh foes  stand not facing my leader! Many have done so  and now stand as  memorial  stones.
Better to bear the spear that missed the elephant than the arrow that got the rabbit.
Great manliness lies in bellicose valor  grace towards ailing foes  adds steel to it.
He spent his spear slaying an elephant  but breaks into a smile  plucking out the spear that pierces him.
Doesn t it equal defeat  blinking the eyes when a spear is thrown at him  the eyes that are staring the foe down.
Count those as wasted days  the days when you didn t earn a wound in a battle.
The anklets of courage become ornate when they adorn those who spurn their lives seeking lasting fame.
When a battle begins  the warriors who war without fear for life  do not let their vigour reduce even when the king restrains them.
When he is ready to embrace death to fulfill his vow  who can taunt him for failure.
If one overwhelms his patron with tears while dying for him  death deserves to be beseeched.
What is better than making friends? What better protection can there be for accomplishing a task?
Amongst the wise  camaraderie waxes like the crescent  and amongst fools  wanes like the full moon.
The nuances of a book are enjoyed more  the deeper one reads it  the more you nurture a friendship  the more the joy.
A friendship is not merely to have fun  it is also to admonish when a friend errs.
Friendship is forged on shared feelings  physical proximity or long association is inconsequential.
A smile on the face does not make a friendship  a smile in the depths of the heart does.
Rescuing from ruin  steering along the right path  and when in distress  sharing it  is friendship.
Like the hand that moves reflexively to grab a garment that slips  a friend reacts swiftly to remove a woe.
Crowning glory for friendship is when a friend supports unflinchingly in all ways.
“He is so dear to me  I mean so much to him”   to even utter this  takes the lustre off friendship.
Nothing can be more pernicious than accepting a friend without assessing  after accepting  there is no letting go of them.
Assess and assess before taking a friend  else the ensuing anguish will be fatal.
Know one s traits  roots  faults and flawless kinship  and then forge a friendship.
Of high birth  and fears disgrace   give whatever and gain the friendship.
When you err  they may chide you till you cry  and show you the right way   assess and accept their friendship.
There is a gain in grief: it is a tool to stretch and gauge a friend.
It is a gain to lose the friendship of a fool.
Think not of trifles that stifle your fervor  take not the friendship of those who desert in distress.
A friend who abandons in times of adversity  will torment the heart even at death s door.
Seek friendship with the impeccable  give anything to sever ties with unbefitting allies.
When a friend takes the liberty to do anything  and you never hinder it  that is called rapport.
Taking the liberty is a part of friendship  to oblige and salt it is the duty of the noble.
What purpose does intimate friendship serve  when one can t indulge a friend who uses his rights to do something unsolicited.
Without asking  when a friend acts  presuming assent  one accepts it as if they desired it.
Discern it not merely as ignorance  but as a sign of intimacy  when a friend does an undesired act that hurts.
A friend who has stood by you at all times  even when he causes harm   those who know the expanse of friendship will never let go.
In friendships built on love  no love is lessened even when one does a destructive deed.
For one who brooks no charges against an intimate friend  the day is made when the friend errs.
Friends with resolute rapport  will never let it rupture even if the world wills it.
One who by nature never breaks with intimate friends Shall be loved even by those who loathe them.
Their gaze may seem to guzzle you lovingly  but let the ties with characterless friends wane than flourish.
Ill-suited mates who are intimate if they benefit and distant if they don t   does it matter if we gain them or lose them?
Friends who only gauge what they gain  whores who embrace only what they are paid  and thieves are all the same.
Better be lonely than have the company of those  who are like untrained horses that can t bear you on the battlefield.
Regardless of what you do  petty people who can t protect you   it is better not to gain their vain friendship.
Million times worthwhile it is to be foes with the wise than be bosom friends with the foolish.
Billion times rewarding it is to have adversaries than friends who engage only in ridicule.
If a friend keeps shirking from doing what they are capable of  make no fuss and let the ties wither away.
Bonds with those whose words and deeds differ  alas  causes mayhem even in dreams.
Cosy in private and derisive in public   allow not a hint of a link with such a person.
Fair-weather friendship based on opportunism than feelings is like an anvil to take the blow when the tool has to strike.
Friendship with those who profess amity but lack it will oscillate like the heart of a woman.
They may have learnt from many a good book but the ungracious shall never turn good-natured.
The schemers with a sweet smile on the face but devious at heart ought to be feared.
When the hearts don t converge  never conclude based on their words to embark on any task.
Though  like friends  they speak of what is right  words of foes will be exposed right away.
The bow bends not to greet but to hurt. Likewise  the greeting of your enemy signifies no bonhomie.
Hands folded in reverence may conceal a weapon  so do the tears of your foes.
Exuding affection externally but harboring derision inside   humour such people but let their friendship fade away.
If there comes a time for camaraderie with your adversaries  sport it on the face but keep it out of your heart.
Naivete can be defined as embracing all that is detrimental and relinquishing all that is rewarding.
The height of naivete is to fall in love with what can never be one s own.
Lack of remorse  having no mission  being devoid of compassion  inability to cherish anything are traits of the witless.
There is no greater dolt than one who has learnt the essential texts  grasped their essence and expounds them to others but does not abide by them.
The deeds of a dimwit in one life is enough to doom him in hell for seven lifetimes.
If an injudicious idiot takes up a task  it is not only destined to fail but will also land him up in fetters.
When great wealth falls on a fool  strangers shall feast  while the kith and kin starve.
When an idiot ends up possessing something  it resembles someone already in a groggy state getting drunk.
Friendship with dimwits is terribly sweet  there is no grief when they part.
A fool mingling with the learned and noble is like placing unwashed dirty feet on a clean bed.
Lack of wisdom is the worst that one can lack  whatever else they lack  the world cares not.
If ever the unwise give wholeheartedly  it is nothing but the result of the receiver s penance.
The injury that the unintelligent can inflict on themselves   not even their enemies can fare better.
What is simplemindedness but the vain presumption of one s own intelligence.
Brazenly acting out what one has not learnt arouses doubts over that they ve flawlessly mastered.
It is simpleminded to cover one s private parts when there is no way to mask their flaws.
When a precious teaching is imparted to a simpleton  by not grasping it  they self-inflict immense harm.
He neither obeys others nor reasons out himself   he is an ailment till he is alive.
He who shows him who can t see  himself can t see  he who can t see sees only what he sees.
What the  wise of the  world says exists  he denies  he shall be deemed a ghost in this world.
The concomitant ills of the uncultured trait of being at divergence with all beings is termed as discord.
On account of differences  if one offends us  it is important to disregard the discord and do no harm.
If the distressing disease of discord is discarded  it yields flawless fame that never fades.
Discord is the misery of all miseries  when it goes the joy of all joys ensues.
Those who can act against their discords   who has the capacity to consider overcoming them?
The life of one who relishes a spate of discords has in its proximity suffering and demise.
They shall never see the transcendent truth  those devious minds teeming with discord.
Siding against one s own discord is valuable  allowing it to accumulate invites injury.
When there is benefit  the discord goes unnoticed. When it is detrimental  it seems stark.
All woes emanate from discord. The great wealth   good deeds and joy for all  stems from friendly smiles.
Avoid hostility with the strong  unleash your enmity on the weak failing to do so.
Loveless  lacks right companions  and on his own has no strengths   how shall the might of his foes fail?
Timid  ignorant  unsettled and ungenerous   he is easy prey to his foes.
Never ceases to be angry  ever insatiate   anytime  anywhere  he is easy prey for anyone.
Doesn t look up the right means  seizes not his opportunities  fears no ignominy  and lacks character   his foes relish him.
Has unheard of and unseeing anger  and is prodigiously lustful   enmity with him will be seized with glee.
He is adept at harming his own endeavours   give anything to gain his enmity.
Shorn of good qualities  filled with flaws  free of allies   he is the best safeguard for his foes.
Rapturous joy never ends for aggressors who gain as foes  the foolish and fearful .
Ignorant  irritable and disinclined to earn a trifle   fame never favours him.
Enmity is an oddity that is best left undesired even in jest.
You may gain the enmity of the ploughman wielding a bow as plough but not that of the one wielding the word.
One who  alone  antagonizes many  has a dimmer wit than a loony.
The one with the virtue of turning a foe into a friend   the world shall rest under the sway of his virtuosity.
If one has no allies but two foes  better befriend one of them.
Whether you ve qualified someone as a foe or not  in troubled times  it is better not to get cozy nor split.
Express not your pain to those who can t empathize  expose not your frailties to your foes.
Knowing oneself and one s foes  and preparing oneself is the self defence that surely shall quell the vanity of the enemy.
Weed out a thorn tree when it is still slender  once fully grown  it ll slash the hands of the weeder.
One who can t crush the conceit of the enemy  will be vanquished the moment they hiss.
Even shade and water  when noxious  can be baneful  kith and kin  when malicious  can be harmful.
Fear not foes  overt like swords  but those faking as friends   fear the ties with them.
Fear internal strife and protect yourself  during trouble  like a tool that cuts wet clay  it will hurt without fail.
When internal strife that disconcerts minds appears  it gives rise to flaws that unsettle the kith.
If internal conflicts surface amongst the kin  many a destructive flaw is aroused.
If disharmony crops up among those who are at one with each other  infallibility is impossible to achieve.
Though it appears well joint like a copper vessel  a house ridden with internal strifes shall never jell.
Like a metal abraded by a file  the might of a clan is eroded by enemies within.
It maybe tiny as a split sesame  but disaster resides in internal strife.
Life with those whose hearts are not in harmony is like staying in a hut with a snake for company.
For those keen on self-preservation  the prominent concern is not to belittle the capabilities of the capable.
If we rankle those worthy of veneration  they can cause unceasing tribulation.
If you are keen on self destruction  act with disregard and denigrate those who can destroy at will.
The incapable venturing to harm the capable  is like waving a welcome to the deity of death.
Wherever one flees  and forever  there can be no respite  after enraging a ruler with fiery might.
One may survive being fried in a fire but not after offending the venerable.
Of what use are a life good in all aspects  and immense wealth  if one infuriates men of outstanding greatness and prowess.
They  who seem tenacious  with their clans shall perish from this world  if august men  great as a mountain  are slighted.
An emperor  one may be  but he shall be derailed and his reign wrecked  if persons with lofty ideals are incensed.
One may have the best of allies but cannot survive the wrath of those with the best of qualities.
One who forever acts out of fervor for his wife never attains anything worthy  this is the trait that those who focus on execution shun.
Without preserving the good  driven by the desire for the woman- the wealth made thus is a greatly disconcerting disgrace.
Stooping to go against the grain by submitting to the wife s will  always embarrasses good men.
There is no salvation for one who fears his wife  never can he achieve fame nor mastery over execution.
One who fears his wife will forever fear doing good to the good folk.
One may live amongst the celestial beings but has no standing  if he fears the drooping of the shapely shoulders of his wife.
The demure woman deserves more acclaim than the manliness that dances to the woman s tune.
One who caters to the whims of her  with elegant brows  shall never do any good nor resolve any of his friends  woes.
Virtuous deeds  valuable possession and various pursuits are beyond those who do what the wife bids.
Cultured hearts with precious thoughts allow not the folly of appeasing their consorts.
Bedecked with bracelets  she seeks him not for love but money   her saccharine words are charged with disgrace.
Discern and spurn pretentious women who schemingly gloat.
The fake cuddling of women coveting money is like hugging an unknown corpse in a dark room.
The wise who seek the way of compassion are not swayed by trivial pleasures of covetous women.
Wise men renowned for their sagacity shun the trite frolics of women who profess love for all.
Those who care for themselves care not for the shoulders of those who offer exaggerated banal joys.
Those with discontented hearts embrace the shoulders of those who make love with devious thoughts in their hearts.
Those who cannot reason wisely see a divine enchantress in a dubious woman s embrace.
Soft shoulders of loose women  decked with jewels  is the hell where imprudent louts dwell.
Deceitful women  drink and dice are friends of those carelessly dumping their wealth.
They shall not be respected nor feared  and they shall lose their glory   they who are in love with alcohol.
Consume not alcohol  consume if you will  those who care not to be held highly by the noble.
Drunken revelry is horrid in front of your mother  how would it seem in front of the esteemed?
The good lady  Sense of Shame  will turn her back on those despicably guilty of being drunk.
They have no sense of consequences  those who pay to lose their senses.
One who is asleep is no different from the dead  one who consumes alcohol forever consumes poison.
Those who are in a perpetual drunken stupor shall be sneered at by the knowing locals.
Drop the pretense of never feeling merry while drinking  all that s hidden in your heart will tumble out.
Making an intoxicated person see reason is like pursuing with a flame  someone under water .
While sober  will he not think of his crapulence when he sees others sloshed under the influence?
Love not gambling even when you win. To win is akin to a fish biting the metallic hook on a fishing line.
Can there ever be a rewarding course of life for a gambler who wins one to lose a hundred.
If one keeps calling as the dice roll  their wealth shall roll away to others.
Nothing else can cause as much poverty as the degrading and demeaning gambling.
The dice  the casino and the playing hand   those who lovingly embrace these lose everything.
When one is enclasped by Gambling  the Imp of Misfortune  they shall starve and suffer.
When one enters the gambling den at dawn  their character and inheritance decline.
It erodes wealth and imposes falsehood   gambling that causes torment and erases tenderness.
Food  dress  learning  wealth and fame   these five elude one who takes to the dice.
Like the spirit that yet loves the body in torment  the gambler loves to wager despite the losses.
Food and deed  both in excess and deficit  cause disease  induced by the three  humors  listed by the learned  starting with wind.
The body needs no medicine  if one eats after ensuring the earlier intake is digested.
After digestion  eat in right measure. This is the way for the possessor of the body to prolong its being.
After ascertaining digestion  when you feel quite hungry  eat  in right measure  food that suits your constitution.
If one eats after refusing incompatible food there is no harm for their existence.
Joy resides with one who knows what not and how much to eat. Likewise  disease rests with the glutton.
One who cannot judge his extent of hunger and gobbles up greedily will be afflicted with boundless malady.
Diagnose the disease  detect its root cause  discern its cure and then act aptly.
The learned medic should consider the state of the ailing  the extent of ailment and the timing  and then treat.
The ailing  the medic  the medicine and the caregiver   the treatment encompasses all these four.
Those of good birth stand apart through their sense of justice and sense of shame that come naturally for them.
Propriety  truth and modesty: those of good birth do not lapse on these three.
Those born in a family that treasures truth internalize these four: smile  generosity  sweet words and not belittling anyone.
Even if they are bound to gain millions  those of good lineage shall never stoop to do things beneath themselves.
Their ability to give may dwindle  but those of ancient lineage do not depart from their character.
Those who seek to live in harmony with their families  of flawless descent  do not do unworthy deeds spurred by vengeance and deceit.
Any fault in a person of good descent stands out like the wart on the moon of the sky.
If lack of compassion is seen while considering the welfare of others  aspersions are cast on their ancestry.
The sprouting shoots betray the seed hidden in the soil  words spoken portray the nature of their families.
If one cares for his wellbeing  he needs a sense of shame  if one cares for his family  he needs to be humble before anyone.
It maybe essential and important  yet  let it go  if it is beneath your dignity.
Fame and riches may beckon but they d not do ignoble deeds  those who seek high-mindedness besides honour.
In times of prosperity  humility is needed  but during poverty  don your pride.
When people slip beneath their dignified state  they are lowly as hair fallen from the head.
A base act  as minor as a rosary pea  will make those  as towering as a mountain  to shrivel.
It leads not to earthly fame  nor to a divine land  why then must one scamper behind those who revile them.
Better to be known that he died without stooping low  than live by depending on those who humiliate him.
Living on to preserve your body  when the greatness of your character is gone   is that an elixir of life?
The kavarimaa will cease living if a shred of hair is lost  likewise  there are those who ll shed their lives  if disgraced.
The world shall revere their fame  those who are proud enough to face death than ignominy.
Reputation rests on possession of passion  It s a disgrace to strive to live if ‘tis foregone.
All beings are born equal. Distinction Comes with difference in deeds.	
Eminent in stature  but not eminent in deed  is no eminence Lowly in stature  but not lowly in deed  is no lowliness.
Like women of virtue  greatness exists Due to steadfast adherence to its virtues.
Those who are bestowed with greatness Do deeds that aren t commonplace.
The petty do not have it in them  the foresight To embrace and emulate the great.
The undeserving  if eminence graces  Pompous  lowly conduct ensues.
Greatness has forever humility Pettiness wallows in vanity.
Greatness is devoid of pride Pettiness is perfused with bombast.
Greatness masks others  failings Pettiness keeps wailing.
For those who dutifully strive to be noble  To do all that s good is seen as natural.
Being good within  is nobility  All else is no quality.
Love  compunction  beneficence  compassion and truthfulness: On these five columns rests nobleness.
The virtue of the ascetic is to not kill any being  The virtue of the noble is to never resort to blaming.
Humility is the vital capability of the capable: To convert foes  the weapon of the noble.
The mark of nobility  if you ask  Is to concede with grace  defeat by the underdog.
Of what use is being noble If one can t do good unto those who did evil.
Poverty is no disgrace if you possess The strength of nobleness.
Those known to be the ocean of nobility aren t perturbed Even when there is the proverbial Flood.
If the nobility of the noble does erode  The vast earth cannot bear its load.
Affability with all will help achieve with ease The quality of being courteous.
A kind heart and good heredity are considered To make the quality of being well-mannered.
Physical resemblance makes not people similar Similar qualities make them similar.
Being likeable and righteous  they serve all- Their good character the world shall extol.
One who discerns others  nature and sees merit in foes  Won t deride others for a laugh that causes many woes.
The world exists because of courteous people Else it ll perish by sinking in its own soil.
But for humanity  they are but a tree  Though sharp as a rasp they may be.
Even with those  hostile  and callously act  Behaving ungraciously is a blot.
For those with no faculty to have fun Darkness swamps the large earth despite the sun.
Good milk spoiled by the vessel that is stained Is wealth in the hands of the uncultured.
Wealth allover the house stashed but is not used Makes one impotent as if he is deceased.
Wealth is all  thinking thus  clinging and being ungenerous  Is a delusion leading to a birth most inglorious.
They seek to gain wealth but not fame  being mean: The presence of such men is earth s burden.
What d he think is the legacy he ll leave  He who has nobody s love?
Many billions one may make  but it means nothing If one is neither spending nor giving.
Wealth is a malady  when oneself it doesn t serve And to the deserving  one isn t disposed to give.
A maiden of bounteous merit  being single  if greyed: Such is wealth that is not used to aid the deprived.
Wealth of a person  who is loved by none  Is a toxic fruit tree in the middle of a town.
Devoid of love and denying oneself  Wealth gained with no scruples  others shall seize.
When the famed wealthy go through poverty They resemble clouds that lost their bounty.
Compunction is having scruples about one s action Distinct from demureness of pretty-browed fine women.
Need for food and feeling of fear are common for all beings Compunction is the distinctive feature of mankind.
Food is the basis for all lives  the goodness Of compunction is the basis for nobleness.
For the noble  having compunction is an adornment  Without it  ain t their proud stride an ailment?
If blame for others and self  moves one to the same sense of shame The world shall call them the home for compunction.
Great men desire not the vast world under their reign Without the protective fence of compunction.
Their lives they may shed but never their scruples to save their lives They who by their scruples ever abide.
If what shames others doesn t raise in him a qualm Virtue ll flee him feeling that shame.
The family is hurt if one breaches convention All good is spoilt if there is lack of compunction.
The actions of those who  deep within  have no compunction Is akin to a stringed puppet seeming alive  an illusion.
To proclaim  “I shall never take my hands off” to do one s duty No acclaim can match that dignity.
Tasks one takes on with persistence and profound wisdom   The people shall prosper through them.
“I ll serve my people ” for the one who so said God shall gird up his robes and rush to his aid.
When for his kindred  one perseveres without respite: With no contriving  on its own  it ll turn out right.
Doing no wrong  the one who serves his kin   The world shall embrace as its own.
One will be known for his imposing command when He takes command of the house where he was born.
Like the bravehearts do on a battlefield The ablest takes charge of the household.
To serve one s people look not for the ripe hour Being lethargic and ego-centric makes all suffer.
Is his body the bin for all stress Who shields his kin from distress?
The people who have not a good man to lean on Shall fall with their base shorn by some affliction.
The world tails the plough despite other pursuit Even if one toils  farming remains foremost.
Farmers are the linchpin of the world All others not farming  it does hold.
Only they live  who eat from what they plough Others follow  and to eat  they kowtow.
Who bring their land under their crops  shade Many states under their king s reign shall bade.
They never beg  nor deny others  givin  what they seek Whose nature is to eat what they till and make.
If tillers fold their hands still  sages who say “I ve given up desire ” as such cannot stay.
If one measure of soil  is turned fine and dried to a quarter  Good yield needs not a handful of manure.
Worthier than ploughing is to manure the field  Weeding done  worthier than watering is to secure the yield.
If from the land  her master stays off Like a wife  she ll sulk and start a tiff.
Mother Earth laughs at the sight of those who remain idle pleading poverty.
If you ask  what torments more than poverty: Only poverty can torment more than poverty.
Poverty is a wretch  This life and the next does it snatch.
Ancestral legacy and parlance crumble in totality Due to hankering caused by poverty.
From the high-born too  vile words may be born When deprivation makes them so cast down.
From the one misery named penury Emanates many a worry.
After deep reflection they may say words of deep essence Yet what the poor say may be seen to have no sense.
Poverty aligned to no virtue makes even one s mother Who bore him  to see him as a misfit.
Did not my poverty kill me yesterday? Does it have to be back again today?
One may snatch a nap amidst raging fire But can not sleep a wink in poverty dire.
When want does not make one give up desire It spells doom for salt and sour gruel next door.
Seeks alms if you find those worthy of benefaction  If they refuse  blame is theirs and not yours.
Seeking alms causes us great delight If what is sought is got without any plight.
With ungrudging hearts  they view charity as a duty To stand before them and beg   there s a beauty!
They know not withholding even in their dreams Same as giving it seems  asking them for alms.
That the world has them who give and nothing conceal Is why others appear before them and for alms appeal.
When we see those without the folly of concealing Gone are all the ills of having nothing.
Seeing givers who do not mock and deride The heart delights and rejoices deep inside.
If there be no mendicants  this vast moist world Will resemble wooden puppets that come and go.
Ah  what is there to brag about those who give If there be none to seek and gladly receive.
The denied mendicant should never feel indignant The pain of poverty is proof enough of its worth.
Not concealing  they give with joy  and are as dear as eyes  Yet  to resist asking even from them is worth millions.
Having to beg for survival  if anyone is destined  The Maker of this world be damned.
Nothing can be more brazen than Banking on charity to end deprivation.
No place is adequate to hold their nobility When  in direst straits  they seek no charity.
Mere gruel made of clear water tastes sweetest When it is earned through earnest effort.
Nothing but begging shames the tongue more Even if what is sought is water for the cow.
I beg of all beggars: beg if you must  But beg not from those who conceal.
The fragile boat of begging will be wrecked When it knocks against the rock of refusal.
When I think of those who beg  my heart melts  When I think of those who refuse  it wilts.
When one asks but is denied  his life departs  Where will he hide  the one who denies.
By all appearances  the vile look so human  Such resemblance  I ve nowhere seen.
More gifted than those who know the right course Are the vile: their hearts have no remorse.
Those who are base are like Devas They are free to do as they please.
When they meet brutish people unfettered by scruples The lowest of the low take pride in surpassing them.
The conformity of the vile is forced by fear And perhaps  a wee bit by desire.
Like the broadcasting drum are the vile  Revealing everything confidential.
The vile will not even wiggle their smeared dining fingers Unless their cheeks are cracked by a clenched fist.
A word is enough to move the noble to help  Crushed like a sugarcane  the vile maybe of some use.
When they see others well fed and well dressed The vile are adept at getting their flaws exposed.
When in trouble  themselves  the vile swiftly sell. What else do they have as a skill?
She with sturdy studs Is she an angel? A peafowl special? Or just a damsel? My heart is dazzled.
The girl who I gazed at  With the gaze she returned She seemed to resemble A bellicose angel Coming with an army.
What is known as Death I knew not before. Now I do. She comes With feminine graces And immense warring eyes.
The eyes of this naive girl With feminine graces Are warring with looks that devour the lives of those who see her.
Is that Death? Or eyes? Or doe? The gaze of the young lass  has all these three.
If only her cruel brows Were not bent  as a bow  Her eyes would not shoot So much misery That makes me quiver.
As a robe over a rutting elephant That covers its eyes Lies a veil over Her shapely bosom.
My valour which forced even foes Who never faced me in battle To fear me Lies shattered before Her glowing brow.
Adorned with the innocent Gaze of a gazelle  And modesty to boot  Of what use to her are jewels Made of extrinsic materials.
Brewed spirits intoxicate Only when they are consumed. They cannot  like love  Enthrall even those Who merely behold.
Her gorging eyes Have two gazes. One gaze inflicts the malady. The other gaze is remedy For that malady.
Her furtive eyes Steal a fleeting look. Half the love Lies in it  nay much more.
She looked at me. Looking  she turned coy. That was how She watered The crop of our love.
When I look at her She stares at the ground. When I turn my gaze She looks at me And smiles gently.
Her look lets out Not a single cue. Coyly she smiles As if she meant Something else.
She speaks as if She is hostile. She feigns anger. I do sense soon What she does mean.
Harsh words with no real anger  And a put-on angry stare: These are the cues  She seems hostile but loves me true.
A certain beauty lies In this pliant girl: Oh  the way she smiles  Gently  her heart melting  When I look at her!
We give each other Such distant looks Like we re strangers. Only lovers Can do that.
When my eyes Meet her eyes  And concur  Spoken words Have no use.
The five senses of Sight  aural  taste  smell and touch Come alive Only with this girl Of gleaming bangles.
For any disease The cure lies elsewhere. My girl decked with jewels Is herself the cure for The ailment she induced.
When we find on the one we love A soft shoulder to sleep on  Can it be sweeter   The divine world of the lotus-eyed god?
It sears when I go far It chills when I get near Such a fire Wherefrom did She acquire?
The moment I desire anything That very thing they seem to be: The shoulders of her Whose tresses flow down adorned with flowers.
Whenever she embraces me Her touch  o her touch Is so good  my life sprouts afresh! This artless maiden s arms Are for sure made of nectar.
Cuddling this woman  Her complexion that of mango  Wow! it is much the same as Feeding others and sharing with them Hard earned wealth from our house.
We both desire each other And delightful it is Our tight hug Which lets nothing betwixt Not even air.
Pouting after a tiff  Patching up and making out  These are the perks Gained by those United in love.
The more we learn  the more we learn There is much unknown. Same it is with love  The more I lie with the bejewelled girl The more I learn there are joys untold.
Bless you Anicham flower  You re soft  no doubt! More delicate Than you  is she Who I covet.
How you re seduced  my heart  When you see a flower. Flowers seen by all  You are mistaken  Are not her eyes.
She of supple arms  Tender-sprouts her body  Pearly is her smile  Heady is her smell  Spear-like her smeared eyes.
Feeling it s no match  Lily would wilt down And stare at the ground If it sees the eyes of her Who wears graceful jewels.
She has worn anicham flower Without pinching out its stalk. Her slender waist May no more hear Auspicious drums.
The stars have become confused in their places Unable to discern between the moon  And my maiden s face
The glistening moon That wanes and waxes Is marred by vacant spaces. Is there a single taint On my maiden s face?
Long live moon! I shall love you too If only You can be radiant As my girl s face.
She has eyes like a broad flower. Moon  If you can resemble her face You need not appear For everyone to see.
Anicham flower And a swan s  feather: Under milady s feet  They are nothing but Nerunji thorn fruit.
He said: Milk mixed with honey it is Saliva springing From her mouth With shiny teeth And sweet words.
What is the soul to the body? Such is the bond Between me And my lady.
Pupil of my eye  Go away! There ain t room enough For the girl I love She with a fine brow.
The girl decked with splendid jewels Is my very life When she is with me  And brings on death When she leaves me.
I shall remember The nature of her With bright warring eyes If I ever forget her  But I know not forgetting.
She said: He never leaves my eyes. When I blink  he remains And yet stays unhurt. He   my love  Is exceptional.
My beloved resides Within my eyes. I never paint them Lest he vanishes For that brief time.
My beloved resides Within my heart. I fear eating food That is steaming hot Lest he gets burnt.
If I shut my eyes He would be veiled  Knowing this I sleep not. Hence the townsfolk Call him uncaring.
He lives with delight Always in my heart. But the townsfolk Call him loveless As he dwells apart.
For those pining due to Unrequited love   How else can they draw strength Than ride the mock ‘palm-horse  To proclaim love and get relief.
The body and the soul Able to bear no more Have shed their reserve That inhibits riding The  palm-horse   declaring love.
Shyness and chivalry I possessed once before. All I am left with now Is the mock palm-horse The love-struck men mount.
The gusting stream Of love and lust Will sweep away My raft of modesty And manly gallantry.
She of small bangles Beaded with garlands Has left me withThe mock palm-horse And blues of the dusk.
My eyes refuse sleep ‘Cos of this naive girl. Even at midnight I think of mounting The horse of palm fronds.
She said: Pining is aroused By a sea of love. Yet  we don t mount the palm-horse. What can indeed be better Than to be born a woman?
Love spared me not For my reserve that is rare Nor thought I deserve pity. It has breached my covertness And come out in the open.
No one knows  thinking so The love I conceal Has revealed itself On the streets via Whispers and gossip.
Ignorant folks Sneer at me When they see me. Ah  they haven t been through What I have undergone.
My precious life is saved by the raise of rumour  and this  to my good luck no others are aware of.
Not knowing the value of her whose eyes are like flowers this town has got up a rumour about me.
The rumour spread within the town  is it not gain to me? It is as though that were obtained that may not be.
The rumour rising makes my love to rise  My love would lose its power and languish otherwise.
The more man drinks  the more he ever drunk would be  The more my love s revealed  the sweeter  tis to me! .
It was but a single day that I looked on  my lover    but the rumour thereof has spread like the seizure of the moon by the serpent.
My anguish grows apace: the town s report Manures it  my mother s word waters it.
To say that one could extinguish passion by rumour is like extinguishing fire with ghee.
When the departure of him who said  fear not  has put me to shame before others  why need I be ashamed of scandal.
If we desire  who loves will grant what we require  This town sends forth the rumour we desire!.
If it is not departure  tell me  but if it is your speedy return  tell it to those who would be alive then.
It once was perfect joy to look upon his face  But now the fear of parting saddens each embrace.
To trust henceforth is hard  if ever he depart  Even he  who knows his promise and my breaking heart.
If he depart  who fondly said   Fear not   what blame s incurred By those who trusted to his reassuring word?.
If you would save my life  restrain him from going  he who fills my life! If he depart  hardly we meet again.
To cherish longing hope that he should ever gracious be  Is hard  when he could stand  and of departure speak to me.
The bracelet slipping from my wrist announced before Departure of the Prince that rules the ocean shore.
Painful is it to live in a friendless town  but far more painful is it to part from one s lover.
Fire burns when touched  but  the sickness of love even burns when removed.
As if there were many indeed that can consent to the impossible  kill their pain  endure separation and yet continue to live afterwards.
I would conceal my pain  but see! it surging and swells  As streams to those that draw from ever-springing wells.
I cannot hide this pain of mine  yet shame restrains When I would tell it out to him who caused my pains.
My soul  like porter s pole  within my wearied frame  Sustains a two-fold burthen poised  of love and shame.
A sea of love   tis true  I see stretched out before  But not the trusty raft that crosses safely to shore.
Who work us woe in friendship s trustful hour  What will they prove when angry tempests lower?
The pleasure of lust is  as great as  the sea  but the pain of lust is far greater.
I have swam across the terrible flood of lust  but have not seen its shore  even at midnight I am alone  still I live.
All living souls in slumber soft she steeps  But me alone kind night for her companing keeps!
The long lone nights of these days are far more cruel than the heartless one who is torturing me.
When eye of mine would as my soul go forth to him  It knows not how through floods of its own tears to swim.
They showed me him  and then my endless pain I saw: why then should weeping eyes complain?
How glancing eyes  that rash unweeting looked that day  With sorrow measureless are wasting now away!
They themselves looked eagerly  on him  and now they weep. Is not this to be laughed at?
Those eyes have wept till all the fount of tears is dry  That brought upon me pain that knows no remedy.
The eye that wrought me more than sea could hold of woes  Is suffering pangs that banish all repose.
The eyes that have given me this disease have themselves been seized with this  suffering . Oh! I am much delighted.
Aching  aching  let those exhaust their stream  That melting  melting  that day gazed on him.
He is indeed here who loved me with his lips but not with his heart but my eyes suffer from not seeing him.
When he is away they do not sleep  when he is present they do not sleep  In either case  mine eyes endure unbearable agony.
It is not difficult for the people of this place to understand the secret of those whose eyes  like mine  are as it were beaten drums.
I willed my lover absent should remain  Of pining s sickly hue to whom shall I complain?
 He gave : this sickly hue thus proudly speaks  Then climbs  and all my frame its chariot makes.
He has taken  away  my beauty and modesty  and given me instead disease and sallowness.
I think  of him   and what I speak about is but his excellence  still is there sallowness  and this is deceitful.
My lover there went forth to roam  This pallor of my frame usurps his place at home.
As darkness waits till lamp expires  to fill the place  This pallor waits till I enjoy no more my lord s embrace.
I lay in his embrace  I turned unwittingly  Forthwith this hue  as you might grasp it  came on me.
Besides those who say  she has turned sallow  there are none who say  he has forsaken her .
If he is clear of guilt who has conciliated me  to his departure  let my body suffer its due and turn sallow.
 Tis well  though men deride me for my sickly hue of pain  If they from calling him unkind  who won my love  refrain.
The women who are beloved by those whom they love  have they have not got the stone-less fruit of sexual delight ?
The bestowal of love by the beloved on those who love them is like the rain raining  at the proper season  on those who live by it.
Who love and are beloved to them alone Belongs the boast   We ve made life s very joys our own. 
Those well-beloved will luckless prove  Unless beloved by those they love.
He who is beloved by me  what will he do to me  if I am not beloved by him ?
Love on one side is bad  like balanced load By porter borne  love on both sides is good.
Would not cupid who abides and contends in one party  only  witness the pain and sorrow  in that party ?
There is no one in the world so hard-hearted as those who can live without receiving  even  a kind word from their beloved.
Though he my heart desires no grace accords to me  Yet every accent of his voice is melody.
Tell him thy pain that loves not thee? Farewell  my soul  fill up the sea!
From thought of her unfailing gladness springs  Sweeter than palm-rice wine the joy love brings.
How great is love! Behold its sweetness past belief! Think on the lover  and the spirit knows no grief.
A fit of sneezing threatened  but it passed away  He seemed to think of me  but do his fancies stray?
He continues to abide in my soul  do I likewise abide in his?
He who has imprisoned me in his soul  is he ashamed to enter incessantly into mine.
I live by remembering my  former  intercourse with him  if it were not so  how could I live?
I have never forgotten  the pleasure   even to think of it burns my soul  could I live  if I should ever forget it?
He will not be angry however much I may think of him  is it not so much the delight my beloved affords me ?
My precious life is wasting away by thinking too much on the cruelty of him who said we were not different.
May you live  O Moon! Do not set  that I mine see him who has departed without quitting my soul.
It came and brought to me  that nightly vision rare  A message from my love - what feast shall I prepare?
If my dark  carp-like eye will close in sleep  as I implore  The tale of my long-suffering life I ll tell my loved one.
My life lasts because in my dream I behold him who does not favour me in my waking hours.
There is pleasure in my dream  because in it I seek and obtain him who does not visit me in my wakefulness.
I saw him in my waking hours  and then it was pleasant  I see him just now in my dream  and it is  equally  pleasant.
Were there no such thing as wakefulness  my beloved  who visited me  in my dream would not depart from me.
The cruel one who would not favour me in my wakefulness  what right has he to torture me in my dreams?
When I am asleep he rests on my shoulders   but  when I awake he hastens into my soul.
They who have no dear ones to behold in their dreams blame him who visits me not in my waking hours.
The women of this place say he has forsaken me in my wakefulness. I think they have not seen him visit me in my dreams.
Live  O you evening are you  the former  evening? No  you are the season that slays  married  women
A long life to you  O dark evening! You are sightless. Is your help-mate  also  as hard-hearted as mine.
The evening that  once  came in with trembling and dimness  now  brings me an aversion for life and increasing sorrow.
In the absence of my lover  evening comes in like slayers on the field of slaughter.
What good have I done to morning  and  what evil to evening?
The pangs that evening brings I never knew  Till he  my wedded spouse  from me withdrew.
This malady buds forth in the morning  expands all day long and blossoms in the evening.
The shepherd s flute now sounds as a fiery forerunner of night  and is become a weapon that slays  me .
When night comes on confusing  everyone s  mind  the  whole  town will lose its sense and be plunged in sorrow.
My  hitherto  unextinguished life is now lost in this bewildering night at the thought of him who has the nature of wealth.
While we endure the unbearable sorrow  your eyes weep for him who is gone afar  and shun  the sight of  fragrant flowers.
The discoloured eyes that shed tears profusely seem to betray the unkindness of our beloved.
The shoulders that swelled on the day of our union  now  seem to announce our separation clearly  to the public .
In the absence of your consort  your shoulders having lost their former beauty and fulness  your bracelets of pure gold have become loose.
The  loosened  bracelets  and the shoulders from which the old beauty has faded  relate the cruelty of the pitiless one.
I am greatly pained to hear you call him a cruel man  just because your shoulders are reduced and your bracelets loosened.
Can you O my soul! gain glory by relating to the  so-called  cruel one the clamour of my fading shoulders?.
When I once loosened the arms that were in embrace  the forehead of the gold-braceleted women turned sallow.
When but a breath of breeze penetrated our embrace  her large cool eyes became sallow.
Was it at the sight of what the bright forehead had done that the sallowness of her eyes became sad?
O my soul  will you not think and tell me some medicine be it what it may  that can cure this incurable malady?.
May you live  O my soul! While he is without love  for you to suffer is  simple  folly.
O my soul! why remain  here  and suffer thinking  of him ? There are no lewd thoughts  of you  in him who has caused you this disease of sorrow.
O my soul! take my eyes also with you   if not   these would eat me up  in their desire  to see him.
O my soul! can he who loves not though he is beloved  be forsaken saying he hates me  now ?
O my soul! when you see the dear one who remove dislike by intercourse  you are displeased and continue to be so. Nay  your displeasure is  simply  false.
O my good soul  give up either lust or honour  as for me I can endure neither.
You are a fool  O my soul! to go after my departed one  while you mourn that he is not kind enough to favour you.
O my soul! to whom would you repair  while the dear one is within yourself?.
If I retain in my heart him who has left me without befriending me  I shall lose even the  inward  beauty that remains.
My precious life is saved by the raise of rumour  and this  to my good luck no others are aware of.
Even at midnight is my mind worried by lust  and this one thing  alas! is without mercy.
I would conceal my lust  but alas  it yields not to my will but breaks out like a sneeze.
I say I would be firm  but alas  my malady breaks out from its concealment and appears in public.
The dignity that would not go after an absent lover is not known to those who are sticken by love.
The sorrow I have endured by desiring to go after my absent lover  in what way is it excellent?.
I know nothing like shame when my beloved does from love  just  what is desired  by me .
Are not the enticing words of my trick-abounding roguish lover the weapon that breaks away my feminine firmness?.
I said I would feign dislike and so went  away    but  I embraced him the moment I say my mind began to unite with him!
Is it possible for those whose hearts melt like fat in the fire to say they can feign a strong dislike and remain so?
My finger has worn away by marking  on the wall  the days he has been absent while my eyes have lost their lustre and begin to fail.
O you bright-jewelled maid  if I forget  him  today  my shoulders will lose their beauty even in the other life and make my bracelets loose.
Still live by longing for the arrival of him who has gone out of love for victory and with valour as his guide.
My heart is rid of its sorrow and swells with rapture to think of my absent lover returning with his love.
May I look on my lover till I am satisfied and thereafter will vanish the sallowness of my slender shoulders.
May my husband return some day  and then will I enjoy  him  so as to destroy all this agonizing sorrow.
This malady  of lust  is manured by the talk of women and watered by the  harsh  words of my mother.
Let the king fight and gain  victories    but  let me be united to my wife and feast the evening.
To those who suffer waiting for the day of return of their distant lovers one day is as long as seven days.
After  my wife  has died of a broken heart  what good will there be if she is to receive me  has received me  or has even embraced me?
Though you would conceal  your feelings   your painted eyes would not  for  transgressing  their bounds   they tell  me  something.
Unusually great is the female simplicity of your maid whose beauty fills my eyes and whose shoulders resemble the bamboo.
There is something that is implied in the beauty of this woman  like the thread that is visible in a garland of gems.
There is something in the unmatured smile of this maid like the fragrance that is contained in an unblossomed bud.
The well-meant departure of her whose bangles are tight-fitting contains a remedy that can cure my great sorrow.
The embrace that fills me with comfort and gladness is capable of enduring  my former  sorrow and meditating on his want of love.
My bracelets have understood before me the  mental  separation of him who rules the cool seashore.
It was but yesterday my lover departed  from me   and it is seven days since my complexion turned sallow.
She looked at her bracelets  her tender shoulders  and her feet  this was what she did there  significantly .
To express their love-sickness by their eyes and resort to begging bespeaks more than ordinary female excellence.
To please by thought and cheer by sight is peculiar  not to liquor but lust.
If women have a lust that exceeds even the measure of the palmyra fruit  they will not desire  to feign  dislike even as much as the millet.
Though my eyes disregard me and do what is pleasing to my husband  still will they not be satisfied unless they see him.
O my friend! I was prepared to feign displeasure but my mind forgetting it was ready to embrace him.
Like the eyes which see not the pencil that paints it  I cannot see my husband s fault  just  when I meet him.
When I see my husband  I do not see any faults  but when I do not see him  I do not see anything but faults.
Like those who leap into a stream which they know will carry them off  why should a wife feign dislike which she knows cannot hold out long?
O you rogue! Your breast is to me what liquor is to those who rejoice in it  though it only gives them an unpleasant disgrace.
Love is tender as an opening flower. In season due to gain its perfect bliss is rapture known to few.
She once feigned dislike in her eyes  but the warmth of her embrace exceeded my own.
You see his heart is his alone O heart  why not be all my own?
O My soul! Although you have known him who does not love me  still do you go to him  saying  he will not be displeased. 
O My soul! Do you follow him at pleasure under the belief that the ruined have no friends?
O My soul! You would not first seem sulky and then enjoy  him   Who then would in future consult you about such things?
My soul fears when it is without him  it also fears when it is with him  it is subject to incessant sorrow.
My mind has been  here  in order to eat me up  as it were  whenever I think of him in my solitude.
I have even forgotten my modesty  having been caught in my foolish mind which is not dignified enough to forget him.
My soul which clings to life thinks only of his  own  gain in the belief that it would be disgraceful for it to despise him.
And who will aid me in my hour of grief  If my own heart comes not to my relief?
It is hardly possible for strangers to behave like relations  when one s own soul acts like a stranger.
Let us witness awhile his keen suffering  just feign dislike and embrace him not.
A little dislike is like salt in proportion  to prolong it a little is like salt a little too much.
For men not to embrace those who have feigned dislike is like torturing those already in agony.
Not to reconcile those who have feigned dislike is like cutting a faded creeper at its root.
An increased shyness in those whose eyes are like flowers is beautiful even to good and virtuous husbands.
Love without hatred is ripened fruit  Without some lesser strife  fruit immature.
A lovers  quarrel brings its pain  when mind afraid Asks doubtful   Will reunion sweet be long delayed? .
What avails sorrow when I am without a wife who can understand the cause of my sorrow?
Like water in the shade  dislike is delicious only in those who love.
It is nothing but strong desire that makes her mind unite with me who can leave her to her own dislike.
From thy regard all womankind Enjoys an equal grace  O thou of wandering fickle mind  I shrink from thine embrace.
One day we silent sulked  he sneezed: The reason well I knew  He thought that I  to speak well pleased  Would say   Long life to you! .
Even if I were adorned with a garland of branch-flowers  she would say I did so to show it to another woman.
When I said I loved her more than any other woman  she said  more than others  yes  more than others   and remained sulky.
 While here I live  I leave you not   I said to calm her fears. She cried   There  then  I read your thought   And straight dissolved in tears.
When I said I had remembered her  she said I had forgotten her and relaxing her embrace  began to feign dislike.
When I sneezed she blessed me  but at once changed  her mind  and wept  asking   At the thought of which woman did you sneeze? .
When I suppressed my sneezing  she wept saying   I suppose you  did so  to hide from me your own people s remembrance of you .
Even when I try to calm her jealous mind by soothing and coaxing  she is displeased and says   This is the way you behave towards  other women . 
Even when I look on her contemplating  her beauty   she is displeased and says   With whose thought have you  thus  looked on my person? 
Although my husband is free from defects  the way in which he embraces me is such as to make me feign dislike.
His love will increase though it may  at first seem to  fade through the short-lived distress caused by  my  dislike.
Is there a celestial land that can please like the feigned dislike of those whose union resembles that of earth and water?
In prolonged dislike after an embrace there is a weapon that can break my heart.
Though free from defects  men feel pleased when they cannot embrace the delicate shoulders of those whom they love.
To digest what has been eaten is more delightful than to eat more  likewise love is more delightful in dislike than intercourse.
Those are conquerors whose dislike has been defeated and that is proved by the love  which follows .
Will I enjoy once more through her dislike  the pleasure of that love that makes her forehead perspire?.
May the bright-jewelled one feign dislike  and may the night be prolonged for me to implore her!.
Dislike adds delight to love  and a hearty embrace  thereafter  will add delight to dislike.