Sayings 1 to 50

1. Acquire knowledge though you may die next year. Although in this life you may not become wise, in your future birth, if taken with you, it will become a precious thing.

2. If you are a talented man, everyone gathers around you without being called. A scented flower, though far distant, attracts a cloud of swarming bees.

3. A wise man, though possessed of immense perfections, will learn from others. By such continual practice, he will at last become omniscient.

4. If a wise man behaves prudently, how can he be overcome by his enemies? Even a single man, by right action, can overcome a host of foes.

5. A brave, wise, and fortunate man, though alone, overcomes all. The lion, the king of beasts, and the universal monarch need no assistant.

6. If you are wise, you may make a slave of the great, as the Garuda, though a strong and mighty bird, is made the vehicle of the god Vishnu.

7. The wise, when studying, suffer pains. Without exertion, it is impossible to become wise. He that is passionate for a small pleasure can never reach great peace.

8. If you are intelligent, though you be weak, what can a powerful enemy do to you? The king of the wild beasts, though strong, was killed by an intelligent hare.

9. The ocean is never too full of water. The king's treasury is never too full of money. One is never satisfied with enjoyment. Wise men overflow with elegant sayings.

10. Even from children, wise men receive fine sayings. For the sweet scent, the navel of a musk deer must be opened.

11. It is always by excellent men that good qualities are praised most. The scent of sandalwood is diffused by the wind Into the ten corners of the world.

12. If a virtuous man is chosen as master, everyone will find contentment. When a ceremony is properly performed, it will be a benefit to all.

13. When men are injured by a wicked ruler, then will they remember a virtuous one. They that suffer a malignant fever think only of cool water.

14. When a wicked prince does injury, a virtuous king is ready to defend him. He who is occupied by an evil spirit is cheerfully assisted by a magician.

15. Even in decline, a virtuous man increases the beauty of his behavior. A burning stick, though turned to the ground, has its flame drawn upwards.

16. A virtuous prince, though far away, favorably protects his own followers. When the clouds in the sky gather together, the corn of the field increases.

17. During life, renown is the cause of joy. In the world, happiness is a man's delight. Without these two, a wise man can have no pleasure in wealth alone.

18. Excellent qualities, though not displayed, spread and become visible everywhere. The blossoms of the nutmeg tree, though dried, diffuse their sweet scent in all directions.

19. A king is great only in his dominions, while a virtuous man is respected wherever he goes. A flower is beautiful for a day, a gem is everywhere esteemed.

20. A hen at rest lays many eggs. A peacock, when still, has a handsome tail. A gentle horse has a swift pace. Quietness is the sign of a sage.

21. Though equal benefits be conferred on the excellent and the vulgar, the return is not equal. Though there is no difference in the seed sown in different fields, yet there is immense variety in the crop.

22. Preserve your noble descent by your conduct. When your practice is bad, your birth is of no value. The sandalwood has a fine scent, but when reduced to ashes, who will buy it?

23. The great, though sometimes distressed, have no reason to be grieved. The moon, though eclipsed for a while, soon appears again.

24. If a great man treats kindly an enemy, that very enemy comes under his sway. The universal monarch, since he protected all, was elevated to dignity by everyone.

25. The holy man, though he be distressed, does not eat food mixed with wickedness. The lion, though hungry, will not eat what is unclean.

26. The holy man, though it may cost him his life, will not desist from what is good. The color of fine gold will not change, though it be burnt and broken.

27. Though low-minded men may be angry with a holy man, how could that holy man become wrathful in return? Though the jackal may utter a nonsense language, the king of the forest mercifully protects him.

28. People seek to find fault with the excellent and not with the low. All look with awe on costly belongings, but who would notice a fire-brand?

29. Not to be cheered by praise, not to be grieved by blame: To know well one's own perfections is the characteristic sign of an excellent man.

30. Riches are not in vain that are gained through knowledge, strength, and skill. The dog and the cat, though they stand erect, are living examples of ignorance.

31. It adds to the master's greatness if his disciples are well satisfied. The embellishments of a horse, are they the master's own ornaments?

32. As the master takes care of and kindly protects his disciples, so do the disciples manage the master's affairs.

33. At the place where the great Lord Buddha is present, who would acknowledge another man? Though there be many bright stars in the heaven, when the sun has arisen none of them can be seen.

34. A wicked man, though he obtains wealth, grows worse in his conduct. A stream, though turned back, endeavors to flow downwards.

35. Though a wicked man appears good in his conduct, it is but hypocrisy. Though a crystal be made to have the color of a gem, when put in water it shows its own color.

36. A great man's wise arrangements are destroyed in a moment by wicked men. A farmer cultivates a corn-field for years and months; a hail storm suddenly destroys all effort.

37. A man with bad qualities infects others. A crow, after eating something unclean, earnestly rubs its bill on the ground.

38. If one entrusts his business to a fool, both the fool and the business will collapse. If a fox were elected king, both the fox and the king would be destroyed.

39. The foolish man, in wishing for happiness, works only toward his own distress. Someone under an evil influence, in wishing to be freed from pain, deprives himself of life.

40. The action of a man who cares nothing for the welfare of others is like that of a beast. Though he may attend the dinner party, he makes no effort to prepare the food.

41. He that makes no reflection on what is useful and what is not, and does not improve his understanding and experience, is a swine without hair that seeks only to fill his belly.

42. One may boast of his wisdom among the fools, but before the wise he is silent. Though one has no hump or fur coat, he that has fangs is a beast.

43. One who hastens to where there is food, but runs away at the first sign of work, though he resembles a man by speaking and laughing, is more like an old dog without a tail.

44. It is easy to fill a beast's footstep with water. A small treasury may easily be piled full of gold. To sow a small field with corn requires little labor. To satisfy the curious, a little knowledge will do.

45. One who makes many promises because of his pride, though he be great, will be defeated. By promising small plots of ground, even the gods will eventually be defeated.

46. Ignorant people believe a monkey-catcher to be greater than a wise man. When great delicacies are served along with bread and meat, they come back uneaten.

47. Illiterate men are sometimes more inimical to learned men than to others. It is said that if a cornstalk sprouts through the snow, it is an unlucky omen.

48. Some who have little knowledge Will find fault with those who understand. It is counted a defect on some islands not to have a goiter.

49. They that know only imperfectly the religious rites condemn those that perform them well. In some ancient countries, he who walks on two feet is not counted as a man.

50. Those who act wrongly but criticize those who do right are like homely men who contemptuously say that he who is handsome is merely effeminate.

 

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