Chanakya in Daily Life

by Radhakrishnan Pillai

‘You are not a human being on a spiritual journey. You are a spiritual being on a human journey.’

‘Come any problem, in life—I am ready. Because, I know that no problem is a problem for a person who thinks with clarity and purpose.’

requires a little bit of practice because you have to keep instructing your mind until it listens.

‘The best make-up on your face is a smile.’ This will help make sure that your ‘good morning’ becomes a ‘good day’.

silence is the greatest music.

difference between thinking and worrying. Worrying is like a rocking chair, it moves but does not go ahead. There is action but no progress. Thinking, on the other hand, enables one to move forward. From solving problems to creating art, the power of imagination really has no bounds.

Therefore, it’s crucial that you prioritize what needs to be done right away and what can wait. First thing is to assimilate your thoughts so that you don’t miss out on anything. Make a list of the tasks that need to be accomplished. Then prioritize what needs to be done, based on its urgency.

Careful planning followed by execution is the key to success. Swami Chinmayananda used to say, ‘Plan out your work, and work out your plan.’

‘Do the most important thing first thing in the morning,’ said Swami Tejomayanandaji (from Chinmaya Mission) to his student. ‘Later in the day, you will get sucked into the demands of others, and you will never be able to do it.’

Habit can change the destiny of a person and a good habit can go a long way in bettering the quality of one’s life.

‘Wealth will slip away from the foolish person who continuously consults the stars; for wealth is the star of wealth; what will the stars do? Capable men will certainly secure wealth at least after a hundred trails.’

‘There is no greater force in this world than human will, coupled with faith.’

to succeed in life, one should use one’s afternoons productively and engage in new activities.

‘The inner world and outer world is the same,’ said Swami Vivekananda. So if you have to change your outer world, it is important to first work on your inner world.

‘Read deep and read wide. Also, read scholarly and research papers for your personal growth.’

‘The observance of one’s own swadharma (special duty) leads to heaven and to endless bliss.’

‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ Make a list of your priorities and break them down into yearly, monthly and daily goals that will be easily achievable.

The more you record your success, the more you will get motivated to continue your pursuit.

‘Don’t prioritize your schedule, but schedule your priorities.’

‘Anvikshiki keeps the mind steady in adversity and prosperity and brings about proficiency in thought, speech and action.’

When things are going completely wrong and one does not know what to do, one must find a way to keep calm. But when things are going right and everything seems to be moving in a positive direction, it’s still important to keep calm.

Bhagwad Gita says, ‘Yoga Karmasu Kaushalam.’ Yoga brings excellence in whatever you do.

Srinivasa Ramanujan, the great Indian mathematician, used to pray and meditate and he could crack the mathematics of the universe. He once said, ‘An equation means nothing to me unless it expresses a thought of God.’

First, divide the twenty-four hours of your day into day and night. Divide the day into eight parts and the night into another eight parts.

Each part is of one-and-a-half hours each.

Now decide what you want to accomplish in that day. Then you can fit in every task in the pattern of one-and-a-half-hour units ...

Don’t get fixed on one thing and put aside everything else. An ideal pattern is one where you include time for relaxation too.

the universe is full of patterns. To understand it, you first need to understand its patterns.

‘The law laid down in the Vedic lore (tradition) is beneficial, as it prescribes the respective duties of the four stages of life.’

Great thinkers don’t come up with ideas, they come up with realistic ideas.

‘The longest route to success is a shortcut.’

‘Wealth should be like breeze—it should come from one window and go out from another.’

‘Renounce one person for the sake of the family, a family for the sake of the village; the village for the sake of your country and even the [kingdom of] earth for one’s own sake.’

‘Kshatriya power, made to prosper by the Brahmin (chaplain), sanctified by spells in the form of the council of ministers, (and) possessed of arms in the form of compliance with the science (of politics), triumphs, remaining ever unconquered.’

‘The wise person should groom their children carefully to make them persons of high qualities and see them employed in productive work. Only the persons of learning and qualities find respect in the society.’

‘As between a father and son, husband and wife, brother and sister, maternal uncle and nephew, or teacher and pupil, for the one abandoning the other and going away, the fine for violence shall be the punishment.’

‘Knowledge is like a holy Kamadhenu cow. It bears fruit in all seasons. In foreign lands it protects and rewards. That is why it is considered inbuilt secret treasure.’

‘A man must quit a religion that does not preach love and kindness. Similarly one should leave a teacher who has no knowledge to impart, a person who has a short temper and relatives who have no love to give.’