Panchatantra

by Vishnu Sharma

Please come and sanctify it with your presence.'

the best line for invitation on auspicious occasion

Please come to an understanding with us.

"Suppress your enemies and diseases At the very beginning Or they will become strong And destroy you." '

"Where have you been hiding for so long?"

my heart is heavy with grief."

good-for-nothing.

cannot change a person's temperament by preaching,

'Refrain from entertaining a man Whose character is unknown. The bug was at fault But instead they killed the flea.'

'Glue, an idiot, a woman, a crab, A shark, indigo dye and a drunkard, Once they attach themselves to something, They will never let go.'

"A man of intelligence who seeks his welfare, Will never trust anyone Whose character, family and strength He does not know." '

'He who sacks his own confidants And engages outsiders in their place, Shall die like King Kukudruma.' "

When you see this, do what you think best." Then Damanaka came to Sanjivaka,

"The fool who thinks that a king loves him, Should be thought of as an ox without horns."

'Enter into marriage ties and friendship Only with those, who are socially and financially Your equals.'

'If a man is angry for some reason, He calms down, When the cause is removed. But who can appease a man Who decides upon enmity For no reason at all?'

In this way, we shall repay our debt to the master.'

'Even in bad times, A man should not lose hope, For by making an effort, He can certainly find a solution.'

'When a weak man meets a stronger opponent, The best thing he can do is run, Or else make for a hideout, There's no other way out.'

So the man with zeal is the man who is strong, The size is unimportant."

"A wise man who wants to succeed, Should never give advice To a man who has been repeatedly obstructed in his work Or to a gambler, who has just lost his money." '

'Advice given to fools, Instead of calming them, Only makes them more excited. Just as giving milk to snakes Only increases their poison.'

"A man who has not wandered in different lands And has not learned foreign languages, Nor studied various cultures, And made himself a fortune, Is born in vain on this earth." '

"A clever man does not show off his wealth to anyone, For even the mind of a sage May be shaken by the sight of money."

"A righteous man looks upon other men's women As his own mother, And other men's wealth As crow droppings And other human beings As his own self." '

"A wise man thinks not only of a solution to his problems, But also of its consequences.

'Let your speech be soft as butter But your heart as hard as stone, Advise your enemy in such a way

'A man who has formerly lived in great style But now lives in great misery, Is looked down upon by all.'

"One man is kind to another, Not only out of affection But out of fear, greed and other reasons. If, for no reason at all, One man is over-attentive to another,

"the king who wants to live a long life, should not engage stupid servants." And now,

harlot pretends to be shy, Salty water is always colder, A hypocrite always asserts his straightforwardness, And a crook is a charming talker.' "In this way, the Brahmin-thief won their

'A shrewd enemy is far preferable To a foolish benefactor; A foolish monkey killed the king But a shrewd thief saved the lives of the Brahmins.'

'He who betrays a trusting friend, Shall remain in Naraka* For as long as the sun and moon Continue to shine.' "

In

'When destiny so decides, However high the birds soar in the sky, They see the mutton, but not the trap, And however deep the fish swim in the water, They are caught in the fisherman's net. Yama stretches his hand in every direction

'When a king shows respect to his servants, They will never forsake him In times of distress.'

'When a master enjoys life While his devoted servants suffer, He will surely have to pay, Both here and in hell.' "

your followers first and, for this noble action, they will always continue to respect you as their king." Then Hiranyaka bit through all the meshes of the net and set the doves free. Then he said to Chitragreeva, "Now, should you ever get into a similar situation again, you can come to me." Chitragreeva thanked

"A wise man should develop friendship With the right kind of people, For, with their help, even difficult problems Can be tackled easily."

'Friendship is only possible Between people who are equals

In strength, wealth and status.' "

Tamrachuda*, used to live in this temple. Everyday he would

evening meals, he would put what was left over in a begging

ever since I married you, I have had no luck whatsoever.

'An insignificant person who gives, Is respected by all, But not so a rich man who is miserly. Sweet water from a small well quenches the thirst, But not the salty water of the great ocean.' "

"A wise man can weigh another's strength By a mere glance And estimate the weight of an object Simply by handling it." '

"A rich man Who loses his money, Suffers more than a poor man Who never had any." '

"A master from whom one derives no benefits, Should be avoided from a long distance." '

"The life of a man without riches, A marriage without children, Oblations to dead parents without a Brahmin's rituals And religious ceremonies without gifts to charity, All these are futile." ' "While I was thinking this,

former status. And even if I lose my life in the attempt, it

'A wise man should avoid doing anything Which may bring dishonour, humiliation Or exclusion from heaven." '