Canakya Pandit was a great moralist, strategist and Brahmana Vaisnava. He left behind him some wonderful sayings that we can readily apply to our daily lives and more so, Srila Prabhupada used to quote him frequently.
So here are just 21, of many, which I am sure most of those who take the time to read them will gain valuable insight in human nature and be able to apply these to our daily association with Vaisnavas, and others..
Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das
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1. Separation from chaste wife, insult by ones own kinsmen, an enemy who is saved in battle, the service of a wicked king, poverty, and the assembly of egotistical people, burn the body without fire.
2. The duty of a gentleman is that he should give his daughter in marriage to one who is born in a high family and engage his son in learning higher knowledge, and inspire his friends for religious and pious activities.
3.The beauty of a cuckoo bird is her sweet voice. likewise the beauty of a woman is her chastity, along with her love for her husband. And the beauty of an ugly person is his knowledge and the beauty of an ascetic is his power of forgiveness.
4.If by abandoning one person the whole family can be saved, then one must abandon him gladly. If by abandoning a family the whole village can be saved, then the family has to be sacrificed. If the district is in danger and by abandoning one village the district can be saved, then the village must be sacrificed without hesitation. And for the welfare of ones self, the entire world should be abandoned cheerfully.
5.Queen Sita was stolen away due to her extreme beauty. Ravana was banished due to his extreme vanity. Bali maharaj was tied with a rope due to his being the extreme donor. Therefore a gentleman should not be an extremist.
6.Just as one single tree with one single blossum perfumes the entire forest , in the same way one single
devotee born in a family enlightens the entire history the race. And everyone enjoys the fragrance of his love enlightenment.
7.Nothing can be a burden for a powerful man. No country is far away for a man of efforts. No country is foreign for an educated person and no one is a stranger who has developed the habit of speaking sweet words always.
8.In the country where the foolish people are never respected, where the grain is stored in full capacity, where the husband and wife do not quarrel, there take it for granted, the Goddess of Fortune resides.
9.Most son’s friends and kinsmen are against the devotees of the Lord, but there are a chosen few who understand and associate with them. Only through this way of living does the human become sanctified.
10.As long as the body is health and death is far away, one should fulfill the purpose of life by culturing and developing Krsna Consciousness (God Consciousness), for what can be done at the time of death?
11.Residing in the village of wicked persons, serving the low born master, quarrelsome wife, foolish son and a widow daughter, all these five fry the body without fire.
12.One must abandon that religion in which mercifulness is not instructed and the spiritual master who is not knowledgeable and the wife who remains angry all the time and the kinsmen who have lost natural affection.
13.The rascals are envious of the wise, the poor are envious of the prosperous, the prostitutes are envious of the chaste ladies, and the ugly are envious of the beautiful , anywhere and always.
14.Knowledge is maintained by practice, the family is maintained by humility, a man is recognized by his qualities, and anger is recognized by looking at the eyes.
15.Offering donations destroys ones poverty, humility destroys ones degraded state, discretion destroys ignorance, thoughtfulness destroys fear.
16.Wealth is moving, turbulent, soul is also moving. This life and residence is also turbulent. What more to say the whole brahmanda/world is turbulent and moving. Only religion is non moving and it is immovable and eternally permanent.
17.The king suffers the results of sins done by the state. The kings sin is suffered by his family priest, and a husband suffers the sins of his wife, and the guru suffers the sins of his disciples.
18. A father in debt, a corrupt mother, a beautiful wife who is turbulent and a rascal son are the great enemies of human society.
19.One should subdue the greedy by giving him some money, and the egoist by flattering him with folded hands and the foolish by satisfying his desire and the genius by speaking our facts.
20.It is better to have no administration than to have a bad administration. It is better to remain without friends rather than to have friends of low character. It is better to be uninitiated than to be initiated and be a bad disciple. It is better to remain without a wife rather than to marry someone of low character.
21.One ought to be satisfied with these three- With ones own wife, food, and wealth. One should never be satisfied with these three-study, chanting and offering charity.