Thirukkural Repacked and Made Easy

2007-01-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

Comments received on Thirukkural Made Easy:

Dear Mr. Raghunathan,
Your Thirukkural is wonderful !

Eric Miller
(Third Floor)18, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai
9th St.Mylapore, Chennai - 4

Dear Mr. Ragunathan,

Thanks for your valuable information.
We appreciate you.

Peter Yeronimuse
ypeter@comcast.net

Sir,

I found it very interesting.
I need a few more details to write an article about you.

R Chitra,
Associate Editor,
Chennaionline.com,
Chennai.

I am simply amazed after seeing your blog on thirukural. I am a MBA student from Coimbatore. With best regards

Suresh S

Thirukkural Made Easy

2007-01-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Thirukkural - The Treasure House of Worldly Knowledge

About Saint Tiruvalluvar
In the century before Christ, Tiruvalluvar lived with his devoted wife Vasuki in Mylapore, a suburb of modern Chennai, the capital of the State of Tamil Nadu, India. He was a renowned philosopher and a man of great wisdom on par with Socrates and Confucious. And beyond that, he was a Saint and a great Poet too. Many stories have been written about this Great Saint, Philosopher and Poet.

About Thirukkural

Thirukkural is the world’s foremost , finest and fantastic piece of poetical literature ever written. It covers every aspect of life in short poems of two lines. This literary marvel written by Saint Thiruvalluvar is traced by the Historians to the year 30 B.C. It is composed of 133 chapters with 10 expositions under each of them making them to a total of 1330 couplets. Each one of these couplets is noted for its brevity, rich meaning, breadth of vision and choice of diction, all at once noble and elevating. Contemporary poets have compared each couplet to a tiny mustard seed possessing within seven seas of knowledge inlaid.
Thirukkural is among the oldest literary works of the world. Erudite contemporary Poets and the great Kings of those days acknowledged the literary greatness of this Masterpiece imparting
Self Development Skills, Communication and Public Speaking Skills,
Family Management and Parenting Skills, Right Attitudes towards Work,
Money, Friends and Enemies, Managerial Skills and Good Governance
And the skills to make you a Person of Repute
It is said that at the time of its first presentation to the King’s court, the Pandyan King wanted to check its greatness. In the presence of all poets and the public, he put it to test by placing the Palm Leaves on which the Thirukkural was written along with those of other contemporary works on a golden lotus and allowed it to float in the Temple Tank at the famous temple of Madurai Meenakshi. The sanctified Golden Lotus that would recognize only masterpieces is said to have rejected all other works and retained only the Thirukkural.
But lost to the community for some time, it was again compiled and published in 600 A.D. Since then, Thirukkural has been widely translated. Apart from Indian languages, it has been translated in several foreign languages including in English, French, German and Latin. One of the reasons for its wide translation in different languages of the world is the undeniable fact that the ethics and the values it carries are applicable to all religions, all countries and all times. The following are few of the tributes in honor of Thirukkural from the world scholars of yester years.
It is a book of indispensable authority on moral life. The maxims have touched my soul.
-Mahathma Gandhi
It has a charming effect. It is truly an apple of gold in the network of silver.
- Dr. Graul
Thirukkural is a treatise par excellence on the art of living.
- Dr. K. M. Munshi
The KURAL, may be called a mandatory ethics.
- Dr E. H. Hopkins
This Blog reflects my understanding of Thirukkural. For easy understanding by others, I have re-arranged the Kurals and I may be pardoned for re-arranging these Kurals as per my own subject classification.
Keeping in view the overall wisdom that Saint Thiruvalluvar wanted to impart through his Kurals, I have re-arranged the Kurals under 12 titles as under:
1. Education
2. Friendship
3. Positive Attitudes
4. Keep away from Bad Habits
5. Communication Skills
6. Family Management
7. Right Attitudes towards Money
8. Right Attitudes towards Work
9. Managerial Skills
10. Good Governance
11. Environmental Awareness; and
12. Spirituality
While re-arranging the Kurals as above, I have taken care to indicate the Kural Number for any reference with any Publication of Thirukkural.
The lofty ideals enshrined in Thirukkural transcend the barriers of race, creed, country and time. It carries with it the comprehensive philosophy of life for all ages. To stay motivated physically, mentally and spiritually and to get ethical guidance and spiritual wisdom, keep referring to this Blog and benefit from this treasure house of worldly knowledge.
I would like to record my grateful thanks to my Son-in-Law, Shri R. Parthasarathi, who had been instrumental to my making the above translation and re-categorisation. --- R. Raghunathan

1. Do not Neglect your Education

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1.1 Importance of Education

Like the beauty of fertile land, men look fertile only through learning. People who had wasted their lives by not learning are like a barren land without produce. 406

The uneducated are like the animals. What distinguishes the human beings from animals is Knowledge. 410

1.2 Rise high through Education

One’s origin and birth is of no relevance to learning and acquiring knowledge. Even persons of high birth could stagnate and sink without knowledge. At the same time, even people of low birth can rise high and attain fame through knowledge. Knowledge helps people, irrespective of their social origins of birth. 409

Sometimes the position occupied by an uneducated could be high and look imposing. The terra cotta doll could have been painted bright, but it can never take the place of a live person. The position occupied by one is a least substitute for knowledge and wisdom. 407 & 404

Pursue knowledge. Study and learn what is worthy to learn. Obtain clarity in life and abide by the virtues that the education teaches you. 391

Deeper you dig the ground, the greater will be the availability of water. Same is with knowledge. The deeper you go into, the more you acquire. 396

1.3 Benefits of Knowledge

Whether arts or science, the letters and numbers that you learn remove your ignorance and open your eyes with which you can lead a life of meaning and fullness. 392

Knowledge gives eyes to the mind to see the truth. The learned alone possess the eyes and the vision. The ignorant cannot have any vision and their eyes are a simple sore. 393

The knowledge that the wise men acquire not only gives them pleasure, but delights the entire world. Every one benefits by knowledge both the giver and the listener. Pursue it with dedication and delight. 399

Knowledge is such a great wealth that one can lead a life of prosperity both in the present and the future. And that is the result of single minded devotion to learning. 398

People who possess wisdom possess all riches. Those who lack wisdom, even if they are rich are as good as poor. 430

Among all kinds of poverty, the most important is the poverty of wisdom in men. All other kinds of poverty can be banished effectively if only this poverty can be removed.
841

To men of great wisdom, even fools donate their wealth with pleasure. 842

Knowledge is the only wealth. It will never decay and it can never be stolen and it can never be lost. All other riches are no wealth at all. 400

1.4 Go in search of the Teachers

Those who are thirsty of knowledge would not hesitate to visit the houses of learned like the beggar. Their devotion and dedication to yearn for knowledge is a great experience. The ignorant are ignorant of this great experience. 395

It is a delight to be with the learned. It is the duty of the learned to delight the others. Look for their company and cherish their company. 394

1.5 Don’t be an I-Know-it-all-already person

More than being ignorant, there are many who do not listen to the wise counsel given to them, just because they pride themselves to know things already. Such shallow people cause more harm to themselves. 847

There are people who neither take efforts to acquire knowledge nor listen to the counsel of others. Such people would neither attend to their duties nor would attend to them when told. Such people are a clear pain and burden to others till their death. Don’t be one among them. 848

What is wisdom? Wisdom is when we stop believing that we know it all already. Fools generally believe they already possess wisdom. And once they believe they already possess it, they close the door for real wisdom to enter their minds. 844

Fools pretend to know what they do not know. It arouses the suspicion even on what they have good knowledge about. Where one believes that he knows it all already, makes others suspect their capabilities even in areas whey they are capable. 845

When a conceited fool thinks he knows it all already, one who tries to enlighten the fool befools himself. 849

Listen to the learned and acquire the balance of mind and wisdom. That alone can help you in your bloom and gloom. 425

1.6 Listen to the Learned and Acquire wisdom

Our stomach would feel the hunger only when our ears are kept unoccupied. Listening to great knowledge makes our stomach keep silent. 412

Open your ears to the words of wisdom. If you don’t listen to the learned, you are as good as deaf and at best you will hear only sounds. 418

Those who feed their ears with food [knowledge], would soon rise high in their lives and would join the Knowledgeable 413

Keep searching for the truth. Listen to the learned. Enlighten yourself. You will never speak foolishly even in a thoughtless mood. 417

During the course of your pursuit for knowledge, you hear many people talking to you many things. How do you distill them and find what is of true value? Only wisdom can help you do that. 423

What is important in listening to others is to discern who is talking the truth and whose message is to be believed. Wisdom alone helps you to comprehend it. 424

Wisdom helps you to avoid confrontations and to live in harmony with the world, despite the changes that are taking place around you. 426

In this world of cause and effect, only the learned can analyse and foresee and prepare for the future. The ignorant lack that ability and would have to take the future as it comes without any preparation. 427

Wisdom helps you to foresee evil. Wisdom helps you to guard yourself against evils. And wisdom helps you to avoid distress. 429

You may be protecting yourself against your enemies with all protective systems and armor. All that cannot protect you, if you do not possess the weapon of wisdom. Wisdom is more reliable than your other protection systems. 421

Well, you may have missed your education due to any circumstance. But now make it a point to listen to the learned and wise. And that would give you the next best education and would stand by you in times of your need. 414

1.7 Become a learned person and be respected

The learned are welcome everywhere. All lands and places are familiar to the learned . No country and no place is alien to them. It is unfortunate that the others waste their lives by neglecting this learning. 397

2. Check Your Circle of Friends

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Effect of friends on you

There is no profit without capital. There is no security without the support of able associates. 449

The water, because of its association with the soil, it takes the color and quality of the soil. Similarly, because of your association, your quality of thinking will be molded by the company you keep. Hence avoid mean people who either no good or only mediocre.
452

Friendship is like reading books. Reading good books and having good friends have the same effect of occupying you positively and taking you to a happy state. 783

You may think your wisdom resides in your mind. But what really resides in your mind is your association and their wisdom. 454

The knowledge you gain is through your mind. And your mind is shaped by the company you keep. By seeing your company, people will tell you what sort of man you are. 453

Both the quality of your mind and the quality of your actions depend on the quality of the association you keep. Thus you will be known by the company you keep. 455

If one is of pure mind, he will be blessed with prosperity. If one is with companions of pure mind, he is blessed with protection against all evils. 456

Purity of mind brings strength to human beings. Purity of companions brings all fame and glory to human beings. 457

Even though you may have purity of mind, it is a source of strength to have men of purity around. 458

Your future welfare lies in purity of mind in yourself. But this again is secured by the purity of mind in your companions. 459

There is nothing comparable to that of having a good company around you. Bad company will land you in troubles and pains. 460

Friendship with good people will make you shine like a full moon. Whereas bad company could put you to disadvantages and you could wane like a waning moon. 782

Very often mean people get into your circle. Avoid this trap. Good people dread bad company. 451

Probe before friendship

Once friendship is established, it is not easy to dismantle it. Therefore one should be discrete in selecting friends by making proper evaluation. 791

Friendship entertained without proper checks is likely to cause pain through out our lives.
792

And what checks are to be carried out? Make evaluation on four aspects, viz. his temperament, his defects, his family back ground and as to who his friends are. 793

Seek the friendship of those who have a noble family background and who would not indulge in any wrong. Such a friendship is worth having at any cost. 794

Referring to someone merely as one’s own friend is not real friendship. Mark of friendship is also not mere smile between friends. But unison of hearts alone is friendship. 790& 786

Friendship is not acquaintance. Friendship is not fellowship. Friendship is there to develop mutual bond for harmonious understanding. 785

Friendships are not meant for mutual delight. It should be capable of having a corrective influence on you. 784

Friendship is sharing each other’s difficulties and rendering mutual help. Friendship is preventing misdeeds being committed by any. 787

When the garment worn on our body slips, our hands immediately reach out to prevent the impending damage. Friends should behave similarly and when one of them is about to face any distress, they should move in immediately to prevent any damage. 788

The definition of friendship is rendering immediate help to the friend in distress, without any wavering. 789

Seek company of worthy people

Look for men of virtues and maturity. Know their expertise and associate yourself with them. 441

Associate yourself with those who can help you come out of your present problems and who can also protect you from the future worries. 442

The biggest blessing you can ever have is to have the friendship of people with mature wisdom. 443

The biggest strength you can ever have to follow the path of those who are nobler and wiser than yourself. 444

First be diligent to associate yourself with the noble and the wise. Then regard them as your own eyes. 445

Once you follow the worthy people, you become strong enough and you don’t need to fear any problem. 446

The worthy people would advise you of what to do and what not to do. If you follow their sincere advice you would have taken care of yourself against your detractors or impending problems. 447

Seek friendship of those who would condemn you for your errors to the point of making you cry and would thus discipline you when you commit any wrong. 795

Do not abandon friends just because they tell bitter truths about you. They tell you bitter truths because they are interested in your welfare. And there are the friends whom you should trust. If you choose associates who avoid telling you of bitter truths, your downfall is certain even if you have no enemies. If you abandon trustworthy friends, you will have to face your difficulties single handedly. 448 & 450

It is hard to acquire a true friendship. But once acquired, it would be of great use to protect yourself against problems. 781

True Friendship

Friends should be able to take liberty to make friendly and meaningful interferences in whatever you do. That is ripe friendship. 801

Freedom to make friendly well meaning interferences is the soul of intimate friendship. The wise consider it a duty to make such well meaning interferences. 802

.
Trusted friendship will always deem the acts of friends as their own. Otherwise, the intimacy in friendship would lose its meaning. 803

What the loving and intimate friends do unasked is cheerfully accepted by the wise. 804

In the course of such acts if anything done in good faith causes pain, the wise would graciously attribute it to intimacy and would leave it at that. 805

Intimate friends know the limits of friendship and would always remain within limits. Even in times of adversity, they would cherish the friendship and would not forsake the same. 806

Even when their relationship gets strained, true friends would not choose to break the bonds of friendship. 807

Noble friends would not lend their ears to listening to the faults of their trustworthy friends. Even where a fault is committed by the friend, they would take it with a smile.
808

Long standing intimacy and unbroken companionship between friends would stand applauded by the whole society. 809

Even enemies would admire the never changing affection between long standing friends.
810

Reassess your friendships periodically

Knowledge and friendship are two different things. Knowledge belongs to the brain and the friendship belongs to the mind. Thus even where one is knowledgeable, he need not necessarily be a good friend. 823

No one likes a crisis situation. But you can profitably use such crisis situations to see how your friends behave and to measure the depth of their faithfulness to the friendship.
796
Friendship of those who desert you in your difficulties would continue to haunt your minds till you are alive. 799

Condemnation of the wise friends is much better than the flattery of false friends. 816

Calculating friends joining you for gain are comparable to thieves and prostitutes. 813

Identify False and Evil Friendships

People pretending to be your friends without any real feelings of friendship in their minds could stab you in the back when opportune. 821

People displaying friendship without real friendly feelings could change their disposition depending upon the situation like the public women. 822

Exercise caution when dealing with deceitful friends who may carry smile at their face but guile at their heart. 824

Do not go by the words of those friends who carry no love for you in their hearts. 825

Even false friends are capable of talking to you friendly with kind words. Let their kind words not deceive you from seeing their evil designs. 826

When the bow bends, understand you are being aimed at. When the unfaithful utter words with humility, understand you are being aimed at. 827

One’s hands may have been folded in reverence. But deadly arms could lie within those folded hands. One may shed tears but behind the tears could lay evil designs. [It happened to Mahatma Gandhi --- Author] 828

Laughing and pretending friends can cause more harm to you than your hostile enemies.
817

The friendship of those who do not match their words with their deeds could cause disturbance even in your sleep. 819

Lose Evil Friendships

Where friends appear to be consuming you, such a friendship lacking in character and genuineness could better be allowed to diminish. 811

What is the use of going to the battle field with a horse that could run away deserting the rider? It is better to opt for solitude than to have such friends. 814

Never mind loss or gain. Lose those friends who join you in prosperity and desert you in adversity. 812

It is preferable to annul the friendships of those who do not come to your aid in adversity.
815

You need to remove the thoughts that degrade your soul. Similarly, you need to get rid of friendships of those who desert you in difficulties. 798

Shed the friendship of those who do not do what they could do or do in such a way as to make things more difficult for you to achieve. 818

Shake off the friendship of those who praise you in private and betray you in public.
820
You can never hope to acquire a better gain than being able to shake off and renounce the friendship of negative people. 797

Treasure the company of genuine friends. And never continue the friendship of those with mean motives and get rid of them at any cost. 800

Handle adversaries effectively

The world respects those who have the ability to convert enemies into friends. 874

When the enemy pretends friendship, play your cards, handle with a smile but do not cherish it. 830

Even when you know that the smiles and showering words of praise coming to you are pretences; handle the hostility with a smile. 829

When confronted alone by two enemies, the wisest thing to do is to befriend at least one of them and to make him help you out of the situation. 875

Keep away from your enemies in times of distress and grief. 876

Never tell your problems to those who cannot help you. Never divulge your weaknesses to people who are against you. 877

Protect yourself from your adversaries. Know the strategies and plan to protect yourself.
878

Enmity affects our manners. It should be abhorred and avoided in all situations. If they behave like enemies, they should be avoided in sports as well. 871

You may have two kinds of enemies, i.e. one with might of weapons and another with the might of writing and speaking, the enmity with the latter should be totally avoided. 872

Destroy thorny shrubs when they still young. Do not allow them to grow and to take roots and become hard to remove. 879

You would be in great trouble if you fail to prevent the wrong designs of your enemy towards you. 880

One who incurs the enmity of many is worse than a mad person. 873

3. Cultivate Positive Attitudes

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Understanding Positive Attitudes

There is nothing higher in life than Positive attitudes. Positive Attitudes bring glory and happiness to those who possess them. What else do we need? 31
There is no greater good than Positive Attitudes. There is no greater evil than not possessing them. 32
Positive Attitude is that course of conduct that keeps away desire, wrath and offensive speech. 35

Do not postpone adopting Virtues. Do not delay adopting Positive Attitudes. Start it now if you had not already started. She will be a great help in your life. 36

Do you want to know the fruits of Virtues? One who has practiced Virtues will be riding a palanquin; while those who have failed to practice the same would be carrying the palanquin. 37
Happiness can only come from observing Positive Attitudes. If you don’t adopt Positive Attitudes, you would be leading a life of suffering and misery. 39

The stories of great Sages performing impossible feats simply signify the fact that those who lead a life of Positive Attitudes can achieve the impossible. The simple message is you can achieve the impossible if you live a right life and that those who live a slave to their sense organs can achieve no success. 26

Such stories have also told us about kings who got reduced to nobody by sages who got angry at the non-virtuous acts of the kings. The message from such stories is that non-virtuous actions have the power of taking away all your existing wealth in a moment. 29

The Mother Earth does not tolerate people losing their Positive Attitudes and character and reflects her resentment through earth tremors. 990

Positive Attitude 1: Be Truthful

The definition of Truth is not in not uttering lies, but lies in not doing the evil. 291

If it would result in the good of every body, even untruth is truth. 292

Every one should abide by his conscience and should avoid speaking untruth. When untruth is uttered deliberately, the guilt feelings caused by his conscience would torture the untruthful throughout his life. 293

A person who never tells a lie would reside in the heart of all people in the community. Truthful behavior gains the appreciation of one and all. 294

A person adhering to truth and speaking truth is far superior to those who practice religion and donate money. 295

If you want to be a renowned person in this world, start speaking truth and adhering to truth. This one virtue would lead you to more Positive Attitudes and would make you a renowned person. 296

Even if you do not practice any other virtue, simply abstain from untruth. 297

Our body can be cleaned by water. Our mind can be cleaned by observance of truth.
298

A lamp is meant to show you the right path. The lamps that we see around us cannot do that. The real lamp that can lead us to the correct path is truth. Pursuit of truth alone can remove darkness and take us on the right path. 299

Many Positive Attitudes are talked about. Among them nothing is superior to truthfulness because all other Positive Attitudes have their source in truthfulness. 300

The right way to remove all pains in life is to go into the basics of whatever is presented to us and seek the truth behind. 359

People go behind the untruth due to desire, anger and ignorance. If we can get rid of these, we can get rid of all our sufferings in life. 360

Be righteous at all times. Be righteous ceaselessly. Be righteous in every way. 33

Be pure in mind. That is the only Virtues. All else is simple show 34

Practice righteousness every day. You would have avoided rebirth. 38

Do good and avoid evil. That is the law for all human beings. And that is Virtues 40

Positive Attitude 2: Practice Self control

Self control is a great virtue. People who have self control are treated as great souls. And those who do not have it, suffer untold miseries. 121

Consider self control as a great wealth and treasure it. There is no source that can do good to a person than the self control. 122

A person exercising restraint and self control is treated with respect even by wise people. It is the source of lasting name and fame. 123

. Exercise of self control and leading a principle centered life elevates a person to a height greater than a mountain. 124

People who cannot control themselves will earn many enemies. Tortoise protects himself by keeping within its shell. We should learn from the tortoise as to how to control our five senses within ourselves and be protected in all times to come. 126

The Positive Attitudes are waiting to come to those people of knowledge who practice self control. Even God is searching for one who had controlled his anger. 130

We all need to be sensitive to what the world considers as a blemish. If we are not sensitive to blameworthy acts, we would never learn to lead a life of righteousness. In effect we would be devoid of any Positive Attitudes. 1018

Adhering to the code of conduct is decorum. Lack of decorum disgraces homes, erodes social values and destroys every good around us. 1019

Positive Attitude 3: Be Disciplined

Discipline sustains dignity, leads you to eminence and thus would fetch you success. Love discipline more than your life. 131

Discipline will be your surest ally and greatest friend. Take its help and walk on the right path. 132

Discipline brings in you decorum which is a social virtue. Because of this admirable quality, it would bring fame to you and even to your family. On the contrary, indiscipline on your part will have the opposite effect for you and would make your life a misery. 133

Highest duty of a Brahmin is the study of Vedas. If he fails in that, still he can recover by taking it up for study even belatedly and restore his status in the society. But if he fails to observe discipline, he would lose his status and can never recover it. Thus we can accept the situation of learned people forgetting to do their duty which can always be rectified. But we can never accept the failure of learned people to observe discipline. 134

The presence of indiscipline in one prevents him from being constructive. And when he is not constructive, he cannot succeed in life. Thus it is impossible for an undisciplined person to succeed in life. 135

The people with strong mind will never think of any undisciplined deed, for they are fully aware of the evil consequences of indiscipline. 136

Good conduct is the path for achieving nobility. When you observe right conduct, you get crowned. But be undisciplined, you will get disgraced. 137

Discipline is the seed of all Positive Attitudes. Be disciplined and you will be grateful for all the good things that would flow into your life. But be undisciplined, you will land in all kinds of trouble since bad conduct is the source of all pain and suffering. 138

People who are disciplined, can never utter evil words even by slip of tongue. 139

All the learning is meant to impart discipline in personal life, social life and work life. And a disciplined life is one when we lead our lives in harmony with others. If you can’t live in harmony with others in family, work place or in society, you would be a fool despite your high learning and your education would go waste. 140

Greatness, like chastity, has to be acquired by self discipline and good conduct. 974

Positive Attitude 4: Practice result oriented discipline

We have heard of many sages having done penance in the ancient days. The penance they practiced was Self Discipline. They practiced tolerance and abstained from causing injury to others. 261

Only the disciplined can do penance. Doing penance calls for mind control. The indisciplined can’t do it. 262

It should not be thought that penance is something to be done in the forests by the sages. Penance is nothing but practising discipline in a strict manner. And practising discipline is a must for every one in a society. 263

By being disciplined, you can win anything in this world. It includes winning the enemies and winning wealth. 264

Penance is strict discipline no doubt. Penance is also persevering till the attainment of the goal. Once a person is determined to achieve his goal and goes after it with all the discipline, he is sure achieve it. 265

Penance is strict discipline and perseverance. And it is also doing one’s duty with all its sincerity and purpose. 266

Just as the gold gets purified when it is heated in fire, self disciplined people willingly go their problems and come out more pure. 267

Every one respects those who are highly disciplined and lead a spiritual life. 268

Self disciplined and virtuous people can overcome any problem including death. 269

Just as there are only a few rich and many poor people in this world, there are only a few people who are disciplined and have total control over their lives while many languish in destitution. 270

Positive Attitude 5: Maintain Modesty and Humility

Fear committing evil deeds. Have regard for decencies and observe modesty. 1011

Food, shelter and clothing are common to all human beings. What distinguishes you from the others and project you as a good person is modesty and sensitivity to shame.
1012

The common man is more worried about his body than to his soul. But noble men are more concerned about their soul [modesty] than to their body. Do you want to be a common man or a noble man? 1013

People who are worthy have a sense of shame and modesty. People who are unworthy, they are haughty and full of vanity, without the sense of shame or the modesty. 1014

Where can you find modesty? You can find modesty in the man who dreads blameful acts, either in himself or in the others. 1015

It is modesty that guards greatness in men. It is with modesty, the great people who go about achieving good in the world. 1016

Noble people would prefer to die than to lose their modesty. They would never lose modesty for the sake of life and they would never lead a life of shame. 1017

Those lacking in modesty are not people living on their own right. They are people acting at the instance of other interests and any evil force can take advantage of this and can manipulate them as puppets with their strings. 1020

Humility is a virtue in all people. But by practicing humility, rich people become richer. Practice humility before every one. You don’t become inferior, but superior with this greatest wealth. 125

Positive Attitude 6: Maintain Dignity and Honor

Even if they bring some benefit or even where you are in difficulties, never do anything that could affect your dignity and honor. 961

If you desire honor, do nothing dishonorable. If you desire to be respected by the others, never resort to do anything that is not in conformity with your dignity 962

Humility and Dignity are great Positive Attitudes. Practice humility even in prosperity. Maintain dignity even in adversity. 963

Even if one had occupied a high position, once fallen from grace, he loses all his importance and recognition. He becomes equivalent to the hair that has fallen on the ground from our head. 964

A small trivial mean act is sufficient to bring down a person of eminence from the high position he hitherto occupied. Even if they had been held in high position, they would be considered low once their indulging in a low act comes to light. 965

Live with honor and dignity. Work with honor and dignity. Never go behind things or people knowing fully well that your dignity is at stake. 966

Living in poverty is much better than risking your dignity. And never work for those people who put your self respect at premium. 967

Between loss of dignity and loss of life, the latter is to be preferred. Even if one keeps alive, the death of his dignity would make him die every day. Keeping the body alive in such circumstances is of no pleasure. 968

Just as there are different kinds of people, there are different kinds of deer. One of them is known as ‘Kavari’ which is known to sacrifice its life even if one hair of it falls down. For that animal, every hair represents its dignity. The man should similarly safeguard his dignity and be very sensitive to that. 969

The whole world respects those who sacrifice their lives when their honor is at stake. Such great souls prefer death to dishonor. 970

Positive Attitude 7: Keep your eyes and your mind kind

Think yourself as being confronted by stronger people than you are. Yourself trembling, you would expect compassion for you at their hands. Similarly, let there be compassion at your hands when you deal with weaker people. 250

The world can survive only if every one carries kindliness in their eyes and humanity in their demeanor. 571

Every one us live because someone is kind to us. If every one is unkind to one, he would have long exited this world. Those who lack kindliness would endanger others and are thus a burden to this earth. 572

Music means there has to be tune. A song without a tune is not a song. Eye means it has to carry kindness. An eye without kindness is no more an eye. 573

Eyes do not become eyes just because they remain on our face. An eye without kindness is of no utility. 574

We wear ornaments to make ourselves a beauty. The ornament to the eyes is kindliness. And without kindliness, our eyes would look sour and thus are a mere sore on our face.
575

Eyes without the expression of kindness resemble barren trees on the earth. 576

Eyes to be meaningful must be benign. Without benignity in his eyes, the man is actually blind. He would be blind to people’s woes. 577

We all need to perform our duties with a graceful mind. The right to live in this world is available only to those who can exercise kindness without affecting their duties. 578

The greatest virtue in one is extension of kind consideration even to those who bring grief to him. 579

A man is civilized only when he treats even bad people with equanimity. 580

If you are looking for virtues in a person without compassion and kindness, you are looking for light in the darkness. It is like looking for wisdom in a person without knowledge. Kindness is the base for all virtues. 249

Kind hearted people have always taken any situation in their stride. Accordingly they had never felt any hardship and had never been in any trouble. Human history has been a witness to this. 245

If you are graceful, no difficulties can ever affect you. You will never face any problem in leading life. 243

When you take care of interests of others and treat every one with kindness and compassion, no evil can come to you. 244

Positive Attitude 8: Go after what is Important

That knowledge is false which makes us believe unreal as real and unworthy as worthy. [The biggest unreal that people spend their time on are Films and TV shows. People, especially children spend so much time every day sitting before this unreal – Author]. Spending time in pursuit of such unreal things would make our lives painful and compel us to restart our lives. 351

Our lives would be fruitful only if we come out of this darkness to light and be able to see things in their real perspective. 352

Those who come out of unreal to real get the enlightenment. The day people get this enlightenment they would derive immense happiness in life. 353

To those who have not attained the true knowledge and are unable to distinguish between real and unreal, good and bad, their senses are of no use. They will continue to tread the wrong path despite presence of their eyes. 354

We should not go by the mere glitter or the other benefits offered by men or things presented before us. We should consider all the merits and demerits of the offer before accepting it. And that is true knowledge. 355

Those who possess true knowledge do not opt for the unreal things. 356

Those who have understood the truth would not opt for working with it for the second time. 357

To avoid repeat painful experiences one has to understand the true meaning and import of whatever they do. 358

Positive Attitude 9: Help the needy

Rendering help without expecting anything in return is a great virtue. It is larger than the oceans. It is more than the earth and heaven put together. 101 & 103

A timely help, even if it is small, transcends the whole world. 102

Living means giving to the needy. 231

All praise that is made in this world goes to those who help. 232

The clouds pour rain on this world to help us live. And the clouds do not expect anything in return. Similarly, we should help others without expecting anything in return. And that is benevolence. 211

Like the clouds gathering rain for giving it to the world, all the wealth we earn should be for helping others in need. Thus we should practice benevolence. 212

Being benevolent is the greatest virtue. There is nothing greater than this either in this world or in the worlds beyond. And even the God is known by His benevolence. 213

Being alive means being in harmony with nature. Being alive means being benevolent like the nature. And those who are not benevolent are as good as dead. 214

The benevolent Mother Nature provides us with ground water. The ground water continues to surface in the tanks to help people live. The more people draw water from the tanks, the nature surfaces more water for public use. Similar should be the wealth earned by the learned. The wealth at the hands of rich should be put to use of the needy. When that is done, the more it is shared with the needy, the more it would grow for further distribution. And that is the law of nature. 215

The benevolent Nature helps people by giving us fruit bearing trees. A fruit bearing tree continues to give fruits to the community, year after year. The more the community cherishes such trees, the more is given by the nature. We should also be so benevolent. The wealth in our hands should be so put to use for the community benefit. The more we do it, the more it would grow in our hands. And that is the law of nature. 216

The Nature’s benevolence is incomparable. The trees gifted to us by the nature not only give us fruits. They also serve us as medicines for cure of our illnesses. Any worthy person should so act that he comes to the help of people in times of their need. He should care for the people in such a manner as the trees care for us. 217

And more about the benevolence of trees, i.e. the benevolence of Mother Nature. Even when it is not the season to give fruits, the trees continue shower their benevolence on us by various other means such as giving us shade, wood, flowers, etc. Similarly, even during the period of our own shortages or lack, we should never cease to benevolent. People in need have different wants and a benevolent person always thinks in terms of helping people in need. 218

No benevolent man will ever shirk his dues to be kind and helpful even in times of his own distress. The river bed continues to help people even when it is running dry. 219

Opt to lead a life of benevolence. Even if other people tell you that you could lose yourself by helping others, never mind. Just proceed in the path of benevolence and you would be greatly blessed. 220

Positive Attitude 10: Give

Giving to poor alone is charity. All other giving is simply a barter. 221

Give and distribute your wealth. Do not take when you are in a position to give. Giving is a means to reach Heaven. Even if you don’t believe in Heaven, still give. 222

Never say “I don’t have anything”. Giving even when you claim you don’t have is the identification of great people. 223

Do not give taking pity on any body. While feeling the pity, you feel bad. It is never good to feel bad. Give yourself and feel glad seeing the receiver’s face blossoming. 224

If you want to give, give with a cheerful heart. Giving is incomplete if you can’t give with a pleasant look and with sweet words. 92

The more you can endure any pain, the stronger you become. Far greater than enduring one’s own pain, is the spirit of removing the pain of others. Give and quench the hunger of other people. 225

Quenching the hunger of poor is the best way to help yourself. You receive name and fame which you did not have before. 226

When you quench the hunger in others, the hunger will never come to you. By banishing hunger in others, you banish hunger in your own home. 227

Those who hoard wealth not only deprive themselves of the joy of giving, but also risk loss of their wealth by other means. 228

Solitary and unshared eating is much worse than begging. 229

Death is the biggest calamity in any family. Bigger than that is death of feelings of charity in one’s mind. 230

Positive Attitude 11: Have Attitude of Gratitude

The help received could have been a small one. But consider it a bigger one and hold your gratitude 104

The value of help rendered could have been small from the point of view of the giver. Its value should be assessed based on the value the receiver receives. 105

Never forget the pure hearts that helped you. Never give up your friendship with those who stood by you in times of your need. 106

Good people remember the help received in times of grief and pain all through the seven births and they never forget the friendship of those who helped them in their difficulties.
107

Help received should never be forgotten. Always be grateful to those who helped you. But forget whatever injury you may have suffered earlier. 108

One help done has the power of removing all the previous injuries if any inflicted by the same people. Do not be obsessed by the wound one may have caused you earlier. Think of the subsequent help he had done to you. 109

There is salvation for any bad deed you may have done. But there is no salvation for the sin of ingratitude. 110

Positive Attitude 12: Practice Tolerance and Forgiveness

Your character is brightened your tolerance. The more tolerance you cultivate, the more your character would shine. 154

The world does not respect those who use their strength to avenge wrongs done to them. The world cherishes like gold those who show tolerance and forbearance towards those who have done harm to them. 155

Forgive those who cause harm to you. Our Mother Earth does not retaliate against one who is digging the earth for one’s own gain. 151

Giving is always better than getting. But there is one place where getting is better than giving. And that is this. Forgetting the harm done to you is better than forgiving people who have done harm to you. 152

Poverty is something to be detested. More to be detested are people who suffer from poverty of hospitality for guests. In the same way, people deserving appreciation are those who are strong. More to be appreciated are strong who have the strength of forgiving those who do harm to them. 153

If you take revenge, you could feel pleased and that pleasure will last for a day. But the glory of those who have shown tolerance and forgiven the enemy last their entire life. 156

Even if others cause you harm do not cause harm to them. 157

Because of their false pride they do harm to you. Win them over by your nobility. 158

You stand far superior to the ascetics who have renounced the world when you ignore the hurtful words thrown at you by your enemies. That is the real renunciation. 159

People who penance are certainly great people. But greater than those are they who forbear the insults thrown at them. 160

Positive Attitude 13: Live to leave your Name

Living means giving to the needy and living in harmony both with the people and with the nature. If the above are not followed, living is meaningless. 231

Nothing in this world that can stand for ever except the fame achieved by great people.
233

Being learned and wise is a very good thing. But to be respected by Gods, you have to be a noble person of renown. 234

If you can live a noble life, your glory will survive even if you suffer difficulties and your fame will survive even after your death. 235

Achieve fame and glory in whatever you do. If you can’t achieve a name for yourself, it is better you were not born. 236

Those who cannot achieve name and fame not criticize any. All they need to do is to criticize themselves. 237

Living but not with glory and fame is a disgraceful life. 238

In a land where there is majority of unrenowned people, how can the nature shower its blessings? The ground which supports the unrenowned will lose its ability to produce.
239

The noble truly live in this world. The unrenowned only exist. 240

Become a Great Person

Good people are conscious of their duty and behave good with all people. Their Positive Attitudes lie in the nobility of their conduct. 981

Great people are great because of their good conduct that delights others. All other delights in this world are not delights at all. 982

Love, Modesty, Benevolence, Impartiality and Truthfulness are the five traits that make people great. 983

Humility adds to the strength of great people. And by being humble, they even disarm their enemies. 985

Great people do not stand on pride. They concede to their faults if there are any. 986

Noble people are those who do good even to those who cause harm to them. 987

Noble people do not mind living in poverty. Poverty is no disgrace for them. They value Positive Attitudes more than material wealth. 988

Oceans have their low tide and high tide. The oceans may recede but noble people remain firm on their principles. 989

4. Keep away from Bad Habits

2007-01-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

The Need to keep off Evil

He who refuses to believe in what the world believes in would be a bad spirit in this world. 850

The ignorant inflict on themselves more harm than what even their enemies can do. 843

People conceal their nakedness by wearing dress. But what is the use of this dressing when the whole world knows about their faults? So the important thing to do is to remove one’s faults. 846

Fearing the evils is not fear, but wisdom. Not fearing the evil is foolishness. Be wise to avoid evil thinking, evil habits and evil people. 428

The nature of human mind and sense organs is to wander. It is wisdom that reins over them and controls them. It is wisdom that protects you from evils and keeps you on the right path. 422

Evil 1: Frivolous Talks

All grains have a grain part and a chaff part. A grain becomes a grain only when removed of chaff. Similarly, profitless discussions and actions signify the chaff of men which need to be removed. 196

No one likes those who talk in vain. Such people are despised by all. 191

Engaging in frivolous talks in the presence of many people is worse than indulging in unvirtuous deeds. 192

Indulgence in blabber simply identifies one as a good for nothing person. 193

Indulgence in talks devoid of profit or pleasure in a gathering of people does not bring good either to others or to oneself. 194

Virtuous people never indulge in discussion on matters of inconsequence. And in case they do, they lose their nobility in the eyes of all. 195

Talking harsh is much better than talking silly. 197

Wise men will always talk about matters of great importance and would never talk on meaningless issues. 198

People of clear vision and wisdom would never talk non-sense even in their light moods.
199

If you have to speak, speak usefully. Never indulge in useless speech. 200

Evil 2: Anger

Many show their anger before the weak but restrain it before the strong. Restraining one’s anger before the mighty is no restraint at all. To be real, the restraint should be before the weak. 301

Whether it is before the mighty or the weak, anger is bad enough. But where it runs amuck on the weak, it is just evil. 302

Anger is the source of many evil spirits. Please avoid anger. 303

Anger first kills your laughter, joy and pleasure. Can there be any greater enemy to your life? 304

Anger means, there is lack of mental balance and control. People with such a frame of mind are an easy pray to the enemy at any place any where. 864

Anger is fatal to good relationships. It is good relationships that serve as a life boat and helps us to cross problems in life. But anger and wrath in a man makes our kith and kin and also friends dislike us and desert us. Thus anger burns our life boats. 306

Do not believe that your anger is going to change the person you are angry against. He is going to remain the same. But it is you who is going to undergo the pain. Anger would always cause damage to the hand of one who is beating the ground. 307

Even when one throws a bundle of fire at you, do not bring more fire to the scene arising your anger. Your anger will add fire in you as well as kindle more fire in the other person. Restrain your anger even against those causing harm to you. 308

What do you want to achieve through your anger? That can be more easily and quickly achieved through kindness. When you banish anger from you, you would get all that you want. 309

Once you hurt a person with your anger, people would stop talking to you. To them you are no more in existence. Thus your anger destroys you and you get counted among the dead. Renounce anger and be a respected person. 310

If you want to protect yourself, stop getting angry. If you do not guard yourself from anger, your anger would kill you. People who unleash anger on others always repent later and suffer from guilt throughout their lives. 305

Evil 3: Hate and Hostility

Hatred in you means neither you love nor are you loved. With hatred in you neither you are strong nor are you supported. In such a situation, your hatred can never make you win. Shed the hate in you. 862

Strong people do not feel hate. Only weak people do. By harboring hatred in you, you reveal you lack courage, you are ignorant, you are restless and you are uncharitable. These negative feelings would not support you in your fight against the person whom you hate. And with these negative assets if you go to fight with him, you will end up surrendering. 863

Hate means you are consumed by anger. Anger means, there is lack of mental balance and control. People with such a frame of mind are an easy pray to the enemy at any place any where. 864

Hatred is the fountain head of unfriendliness, discourteous treatment and all hostility towards another. Hatred is the cause for all disunion. 851

Even if one harbors hatred against you and does harm to you, be virtuous enough not to cause harm to him. Avoid the feeling of hatred in you. 852

When you overcome hatred against those who hate you, you crown yourself with glory.
853

Hatred is the captain of evils. When you get rid of this chief evil, you get rid of the greatest misery to you. When you have overcome this chief evil, no other evil would near you and you will have a joyous life. 854

Hatred is the chief of all evils. And one who has conquered this chief evil, no one else can conquer him. 855

Hatred clouds our vision. It prevents us from understanding and seeing the truth. 857

Do not fight the hated. Fight the hatred. The real power lies in fighting the hatred in yourself. If on the contrary, you nourish hatred, it will kill you from the insides and bring your own ruin. 858

Hatred breeds disaster. Freedom from hatred breeds prosperity. 859

All evils arise from hatred. All delights arise from good virtuous life. 860

When you suffer from hostility, you do not use opportunities with tact and you do not possess winning qualities. You are an easy target if you do not adopt considered ways.
865

Do not fight fire with fire. You would end up in ashes. Do not believe in retaliating the hatred with hatred. It would cloud your eyes, prevent you from thinking positively and would cause you ruin. 856

You should hate only those who lack virtues and full of vices. 868

Don’t be ignorant. Don’t be angry. Don’t be in hate. Overcome your weak feelings. Glory awaits you. 870

Evil 4: Envy

One can lead a disciplined life only when his mind is clean and free of dirt. One of the important dirts to be removed is envy. Envy means jealousy, greed, resentment, vengeance and malice. The presence of these dirts would make you think and act in an undisciplined way. 161

When you shed envy, you are marching towards obtaining glory. The biggest wealth you can acquire is to be free of envy. 162

Wise men do not allow envy to enter their minds. They know that if envy enters their minds, it would cause all evil to them. Be wise and know the miseries that envy could cause you. 164

The presence of envy in your mind is your greatest enemy and you need no other enemy to bring you to ruins. Your other enemies might try to hit you and fail, but the envy would not. 165

When envy is present in you, you can not tolerate another person becoming prosperous with help of a third person. Such a deep jealousy in you will destroy you totally with deep implications to your family. 166

The other name of envy is the path of gloom. Thus people with envy never truly become prosperous. 167

Envy even spoils one’s existing wealth and would drive him to days filled with misery.
168

If an envious man turns wealthy and if a virtuous man turns poor, it is time for them to think and reflect. 169

Evil 5: Slander

Even if one does not possess any virtue, at least one should avoid slander and back biting.
181

Smiling in one’s presence and back biting in his absence is a worst kind of offence, sin and vice and is worse than ignoring virtues. 182

One’s death is better than his leading a dubious life of slander and backbiting. Such a death is virtuous. 183

Even the use of harsh words in one’s presence is much better than backbiting. 184

Never indulge in slander and back biting in the absence of people. If you want to talk about others, talk about their virtues. 185

Those who talk about the failings of others, should realize that they too have their own failings of which the other people are aware. 186

Those who indulge in back biting are those who are unaware of cultivating friendships through sweet words. 187

Many trumpet about the faults of one’s own kith and kin. Think of what all they would do about the faults of yourself. 188

Our mother earth is really very patient. Just observe how does she bear the burden of those who have mean minds and back bite. 189

How happy we will all be if people were to consider the faults of others as their own? 190

Fasting never kills any one. Nobility never slanders any one. 984

Evil 6: Evil Thinking

Good people fear doing any evil act and committing any sin. But men who are already deep into evil doing, do not fear doing more evil. They even boast of being experts in evil doing and take pride in it. 201

If the fire when it is small is not quenched, it will spread more and more and would destroy everything one has. Similar is the nature of evil thinking. One evil produces another and then the third and so on. If it is not removed in the bud, it will grow into a formidable negative force and would destroy you completely. 202

Evil thinking and evil doing should get totally removed from our minds. Even we should not think of evil even to those who do evil to us. And that is the supreme virtue. Thus do not even think of evil to your enemies. 203

Never scheme evil to your enemies. The God of virtues would handle the evil doers in His own way. 204

Even in poverty and adversity, we should not think of committing evil deeds. If we do so, we will only become more poor and more miserable. 205

If you want to be free of pain and suffering, the greatest idea is to be virtuous and not think of any evil to others. 206

One may escape his enemies. But the evil acts committed will haunt him throughout his life. 207

Evil deeds committed by you will chase you to any place you go, like your shadow. 208

If you really love you and your family, never entertain evil thought and never commit any evil act. Avoid every evil including the trivial ones. 209

If you strictly adhere to the right path, hardly any sorrow will befall on you and you would be secure at all times. 210

Evil 7: Enmity and Revenge

Do not be imprudent to have enmity with those who are powerful. And there is no honor in having enmity with those who are weak. 861

Do not nurse only rage and enmity and do not be only wrathful. What you nurse will come back to you from the enemy and haunt you. What goes around comes around. 866

In enmity, if you are foolish and coward enough only to practice hate, you will become an easy target. 869

The code of non-violence is abstaining from causing harm to others including by those who are rich, famous and powerful. 311

Learned men do not carry any malice. They do not think of evil even against those who had caused them harm. 312

Any feelings of revenge in us towards those who have caused us harm, will only affect us. 313

Do not carry feelings of revenge feelings in you against a person who has caused harm to you. And if you still want to punish him, do him some good so that the other person feels shame and suffers feelings of regret for having caused you harm. 314

People of wisdom consider the pain of others as their own. It is not wisdom if it cannot share the pain of others. 315

Whatever you consider as painful to you, do not do that towards others. 316

Never even think of doing harm to anyone anywhere any time. That is the highest virtue.
317

It is strange that people inflict injury upon others knowing fully well that it would cause severe pain if inflicted on himself. 318

What you give away would always comes back to you. If you do harm to others it will not take long for the same to recoil on you. 319

All pains you undergo in life are due to the pain you had caused on others. If you do not want to suffer in life, never make others suffer. 320

When the mind thinks and acts evil, the five senses of the man laugh and celebrate their triumph. 271

The only enmity that is justified is with those who are seemingly close to you but who indulge in activities against your interests. 867

Evil 8: Hypocrisy

The great stature of a hypocrite will get exposed the moment he commits a wrongful act.
272

He is a simple goat wearing the skin of a tiger who projects himself a saint but has all the weaknesses of a common man lurking within. 273

A man who commits evils under the mask of a saint is like a hunter waiting for the victims to appear before him. 274

The false conduct of those who proclaim themselves as saints would land the person in unending problems. 275

Amongst all living men the more hardened criminals would be those who have not shed the evil in their minds but dress and act like saints. 276

There are many people in this world who externally pose in bright colors like the lovely fruits but are internally as black as the seeds of those very same fruits. 277

Our country is a land of many holy places. At all these holy places many insincere men present themselves wearing the mask of holy men. Foul in heart, they live the life of shame but surround themselves with crowds of men singing in their holiness. 278

The arrow which is straight can kill people. But the curved Veena instrument produces a lovely music. Thus we should judge people not by their appearance but by their deeds.
279

To praise God, one neither need grow beard nor tonsure their head. What will please God is our abstaining from the evil. 280

Evil 9: Drinking

Once addicted to liquor, you are wedded to the liquor for life. And you would all your glory in daily doses. 921

Do not consume liquor. No drunkard can ever become a learned person deserving the respect of others. Only those should opt for drinking who do not want to have any self esteem. 922

Drunkards are disliked even by their own mothers. Then where is the question of their being considered respectable by the learned? 923

Every housewife feels ashamed of having a husband in a drunkard. 924

Drinking habit must indeed be a sin carried forward from the previous birth. Other wise it is difficult to explain the foolishness of purchasing forgetfulness and benumbing your senses spending all your wealth. 925

When you lose all your consciousness, you are as good as dead. Thus liquor is a poison, a daily poison at that. 926

A drunkard loses all his senses and lets out all secrets about himself. He becomes a laughing stock in the eyes of neighbors. 927

All people who drink invariably deny they are drunkards. But very soon they let the cat out of the bag and prove that they are. 928

Trying to reason out with a drunkard is like going under water in search of a drowned man with a candle in your hand. 929

The only to reform the drunkards is in sober and saner moments, they themselves should ponder over what they are doing to themselves. 930

Evil 10: Gambling

Never gamble. Even if you win, the money you won would only tempt you to gamble further. It is just a bait offered to the fish at the hook. 931

In gambling, you lose more times than winning. A person who is losing so many times can never hope to lead a virtuous life. 932

Every time you gamble, you only enrich your enemies. When you fall for rolling the dice, you allow your wealth to roll out. 933

Nothing will make you poorer faster than gambling. It brings in endless woes, destroys your reputation and takes you to ruin. 934

Daily visit to gambling dens in the hope of gain is the sure way to grief. 935

Gambling is a force of devil. It will continue to keep you in hunger and want. It also positions more and more of poverty to wait on you to bury you deeper and deeper. 936

Once you enter the gambling den, you not only lose your reputation and wealth, you would also lose the reputation and wealth of your ancestors. 937

Gamblers should know they are paying their money for losing their money. They need realize that they are paying their money to kill all their virtues and reputation and to bring distress on themselves. 938

To a drunkard the losses are manifold. He loses his wealth. He loses his food and quality of dress. Most importantly he loses his learning experience and finally he loses his honor and reputation. 939

In spite of all these losses, the gambler unfortunately continues to cling to gambling. Such people are born to suffer. 940

Evil 11: Female Infatuation

Those who are afflicted with lust, even from their own wives, will not attain the excellence of virtue. Lust in all forms should be avoided if one were to acquire wealth for himself. 901

One who is afflicted with lust ignoring his own responsibilities, is bound to bring shame upon himself. 902

Every man should avoid surrendering of manliness and choosing servitude to women. If practiced, one is liable to face shame and lose honor in the society. 903

The man who fears his wife can not make profitable use of his manliness. Accordingly he stands disabled to go out and achieve glory. 904

The man who runs after women will find it difficult to perform his obligations to the other orders, viz. Brmhacharis, Vanaprasthas and Sanyasis and thus be unable to fulfill his duties in the society. 905

Any one who surrenders his manliness to lust, ceases to be an man irrespective of his position in society. 906

Women of modesty are far higher in glory, than enslaved men. 907

An infatuated person can neither help others in need nor do his duty to the society. 908

To an infatuated person, nothing, including virtue and wealth, matters. 909

Wise men of strong minds and noble thinking never surrender to infatuation. 910

He who has the wisdom and the mental strength to control his sense organs sows his seeds of greatness in this world. 24

Evil 12: Adultery

In no part of the world, having an eye on another’s wife is acceptable. Those who lead a virtuous life, never commit the mistake of sighting other’s wife. 141

Among all the evil deeds one practices, getting into another’s house is the worst deed 142

Those who misbehave with the wives of friends are the beasts ever known. 143

However great one may be, he is small indeed when he chooses to desecrate the sanctity of another house. 144

Infamy is waiting to befall on the person who invades another house thinking it a trifle act 145

Enmity, sin, fear and disgrace are waiting to befall on the person coveting another’s wife.
146

The true family man is one who does not love another’s wife. 147

In addition to its being the law, it is a virtue to be not in lust with another’s wife. 148

Gentlemen are those who are free of vice of looking at another’s wife 149

One may have ignored other virtues, but every one should desist from the lust of adultery.
150

Evil 13: Prostitution

Do not fall a prey to the sweet words of public women who attract men for money. They are sure to cause sorrow to you. Remember the Principle of Pain and Pleasure. When you take pleasure, the pain awaits you. 911

Beware of public women who first weigh your wealth and then utter sweet words with evil designs in their heart. They feign love and only keep an eye on your purse. 912

[2000 years ago, when the above verses were written, such evil people kept only their eyes on your purse. But these days they affect your every day life by resorting to continued black mail etc. and continue to affect your purse, peace and family life. Beware. ]

By choosing to enjoy the un-natural embrace of such wealth loving women, you are choosing to enjoy the embrace of dead corpses in the darkness. 913

People seeking real love avoid the knowingly false embraces of money robbing prostitutes and instead go home and be with their loving wives. 914

Wise men never go after the false pleasures from women who hire their body to many for financial gains. 915

If you want to protect your health, wealth and fame, do not go after false women. 916

Do not be a man of unruly desires and do not opt for the shoulders of women whose focus and interests are elsewhere. 917

Do not think you are deriving any pleasure from the faithless embrace of false women. They are not the real pleasures. They are just the evil spirits on you. 918

Beware. By offering false pleasures, the decorated women are good in taking the undiscerning fools into pain. 919

The Goddess of Wealth deserts those who fall into false pretensions of double tongued women who treacherously put him to liquor and gambling. 920

Evil 14: Wrongful desires

India had great sages, saints and Rishis on its soil who had renounced their lives. Renunciation does not mean one has to renounce the world. Renunciation means renouncing the unlawful desires. One is said to have renounced when he abides by the rules of conduct and leads a virtuous life. And those who lead a virtuous life are saints who deserve all respect. This is what every scripture affirms. 21

No one can count the number of people who have already died and left this world. Similarly no one can count the glory of saints who have renounced. 22

Saints are the people who have mastered the knowledge of good and bad. They are the people who live by good and avoid all that is bad. And any one who does that is a saint in his own right. They are the people who deserve all respect from every one. 23

Renunciation is thus nothing but shedding wrongful desires. Since all wrong doings stem out of wrong desires, they are considered fit enough to be renounced. And since the all wrong doings cause pain, the more desires we are able to renounce, the more pains we save us from. 341

The real pleasures come from renunciation of wrongful desires. And any renunciation has to be done timely. 342

To be a saint, all we need to do is to control our five senses and to shed their longings.
343

Wrongful possessions are the first form of pain. Wrongful patronage is the next. Over attachment and any clinging would cause pain. 344

Beyond wrongful possessions, patronage and attachments, over protection of even one’s own body would cause pain. 345

Wrongful possessions, patronage and attachments arise from the feelings of ‘I” and “mine’. He who sheds these “I and mine” can achieve all the fame and happiness. 346

Grief and suffering only come to those who practice the “I and mine” and run after wrongful possessions, patronage and attachments” and suffer from unnecessary bonds. Sorrows will never let their grip on these persons. 347

Those who cannot renounce the above are truly caught in the net of desires and sufferings. Freedom from sufferings is available to those who have achieved freedom from wrongful desires. 348

The right thing to do therefore is to cut yourself off from the wrongful desires and wants. If you cannot do that, you are in for mundane sufferings. 349

Seek the company of people who have truly renounced their wrongful passions. That would show you the way. 350

Learned people say that wrongful desires in the minds of human beings are the seeds that sprout, grow and sustain the birth-death-birth cycle. 361

If at all anything is to be desired, we should desire freedom from the cycle of birth and death. And it can be achieved only by curbing wrongful desires. 362

The greatest wealth one can aspire for is freedom from wrongful desires. 363

Human minds get afflicted by various desires. It would be pure only if it is free of wrongful desires. And this can be achieved by any one who pursues what is of permanent value in this world, i.e. truth. Wrongful Desires arise when one pursues what is of temporary value. 364

In the four fold path of Hinduism, people are expected to pass through four stages of life. And the fourth stage is the Sanyas, i.e. renouncing this world. Only those who have renounced their lives are free people. All the others live their lives with some or the other wrongful desires in their minds. 365

What is true Dharma in our lives is avoiding unlawful desires. If a man has such desires, he endeavors to achieve them. And when such desires could not be achieved, he gets upset and tends to achieve them by sinful means. And where he achieves them, he becomes a slave to those wrongful desires, Thus the very presence of those desires block him and prevent the man from living a virtuous life. 366

The path of virtue is possible to be adopted fully only when they banish wrongful desires from their minds. 367

Those who are free from desires do not experience any difficulties in life. Whereas, those who run after their desires allow pain and grief to visit them. 368

Those who want permanent happiness in their lives, will not go after temporary pleasures and would not commit any unrighteous acts. 173

Wise people would control their senses and remain spotless. They would never give in to temptations and would stay right even in times of difficulties. 174

Desire is an evil power. True happiness in life is reserved for those who banish their desires. 369

Desires which are possible to be lawfully satisfied are not bad enough. But all of us should shed desires which are not satiable. If we can do that, we shall live in a perpetual state of happiness. 370

Poverty of a learned is far less harmful than the wealth in the hands of the uneducated.
408

Evil 15: Committing Murder

The chief virtue is to abstain from killing. If you have the mind to kill any creature you are the storehouse of all evils. 321

Compassion, hospitality, sympathy and non-violence are the virtues prescribed in all religions. Patronise and save lives. Never kill them. 322

The two virtues that have been placed on the top of virtues are non-violence and truthfulness in that order. 323

The definition of a good person is a person who does not resort to cause harm to others.
324

A person who practices non-violence is far superior to a saint who has renounced the world. 325

A man who does not kill other creatures would live a long life. 326

Do not kill any one even in self defence. When you take to arms even in self defence, it infuriates the other killer and with his high passion he would prove stronger than you and your death is more certain. Hence do not think of killing others even in self defence. Taking to arms in self defence, only violence spreads. 327

It is a shame to kill others even if there is any gain in that. People of wisdom would refrain from such sinful acts. 328

In the eyes of virtuous people, people who indulge in killing are the sinners of highest order. 329

People who resort to killing are highly sick in their minds and would lead a degraded life.
330

Evil 16: Eating Meat

The man who builds his body by killing other animals will not be able to respect the life of others. Nor he will be able to extend kindness and love to the other creatures. 251

A person who cannot take care of his property cannot appreciate wealth. Similarly those who eat flesh of other animals cannot appreciate kindness, compassion and mercy. 252

The heart of a flesh eater cannot have feelings of kindness and love. One who possesses a deadly weapon and takes pleasure in killing his prey, cannot not practice love. 253

What is compassion? It is not killing. And what is the opposite? It is killing, butchering and feasting on flesh. 254

We need to save lives of all creatures in this earth. The way to save lives is to abstain from eating meat. And those who eat meat cannot escape the hell. 255

If people stop eating flesh, the sale of meat will automatically stop. 256

People who eat must realize they are simply eating the wounds of other creatures. If they want to avoid wounds to themselves, they should refrain from eating meat. 257

People of wisdom will abstain from feeding themselves on the flesh of other animals. 258

Abstaining from meat eating is far nobler than performing thousand ‘Havan’ pouring food and ghee into the fire. 259

Persons who abstain from flesh eating, will be gratefully thanked by all creatures with folded hands. 260

Evil 17: Being Stupid

Stupidity always foregoes gain and opts for loss and grief. 831

The crown of stupidity is taking delight in what is forbidden. 832

Shameless towards evils, aimless in life and harshness towards people are the hallmarks of a stupid. 833

The most stupid person is one who is well read and preaches well, but never follows what he himself preaches. 834

Stupid people by their foolish acts put themselves to grief beyond retribution. 835

Stupid people do not know how to do any task well. They approach tasks without knowing their dimensions and without any planning and ultimately make things more complicated than they originally were. 836

When wealth falls into the hands of a stupid man, he is lost in having parties with strangers while the kith and kin continue to suffer. 837

When stupid people come into possession of either any worthy material or wealth, they behave like a mad or a drunken man. 838

Stupid people enjoy each others company unmindful of others. And they also depart breaking away from each others company without feeling any regret at the loss of friendship. 839

When fools come into the assembly of learned, they cause nuisance like putting one’s unclean foot on a wonderful bed. 840

Remove your Defects

Be free from ego, anger and meanness. Then you would lead a highly appreciable life.
431

Keep off from greed, low and mean pleasures and the ego. 432

If you want to lead a life of dignity and respect, keep off from even small and petty crimes. For noble men, even small crimes are big crimes. 433

A crime may be seen small and petty from the view point of the person committing the crime. The size of the crimes should be viewed from the consequence they produce. One may inflict a small fire. But then what is the consequence? Any crime doer is a great enemy. 434

Every one of us should avoid faults, even the small ones. If we do not guard against them, they would produce serious harm and destroy your life like a small fire put on a heap of straw. 435

And if you are holding a supervisory position, beyond ensuring that you are free from faults also ensure your men also are free of faults. That is the way to keep you off any blemish. 436

A miser does not spend the money he has and overseas the loss of all that money one day. Do not be a miser but put your money to good use. It is similar to fund allotment. Understand that all funds allotted to you are with a purpose and are meant to be spent for achieving the good. If you keep them unused, at the end of the period, they would lapse without a trace. 437

Do not be attached to money. It is this attachment creates greed in you. And that greed will force you to commit crimes. Greed is not one of the faults that people have. Greed is the chief of all faults. 438

The next to be got rid off are ego, boasting, conceit and running after trifles and small pleasures. These do not do you any good. 439

If you cherish and keep the above blemishes in you, you do not need any enemy to destroy yourself. 440

Many times our scriptures talk of greatest of kings including Indira, the lord of skies being subdued by the great saints. All these stories convey the message that those who lead a life of righteousness acquire supreme power over those who lead a life of slavery to their senses. 25

The senses to be controlled are five. Control your tongue both while eating and speaking. Control your sight as not to enjoy the obscene. Control your skin organs as not to go after bodily pleasures and not to hanker for the property belonging to others. Control your ears as not to listen to the wicked and unwise. Control your nose as not to enjoy the intoxicating materials. You are a great saint if you have conquered your sense organs and employ them with due thought and determination to do what is right. And when you achieve the world would respect you and fall at your feet. 27

To be real saints, one has to go beyond controlling his senses. From controlling the senses, he has to move on to cultivating himself to higher wisdom. All our saints had been great souls of wisdom. Wisdom denotes superior knowledge. Our scriptures have revealed the name and fame of great saints of superior wisdom who had benefited our ancestors with prophetic utterances. 28

There is a simplest way to drive away your vices and to acquire virtues. Start speaking kindly with loving words. All vices will desert you and all virtues would join you. 96

Your sweet words would light up the path of virtue so that they join you and your vices cannot stand that light 97

Avoid company of Evil People

All criminals unfortunately look like any other people. It is very difficult to differentiate them from the others from mere look. 1071

The surprising fact is that the wrong doers do not know they are doing wrong. They do not know what is bad, what is care, concern or humanity. 1072

Because the mean people act as they like one can even say they resemble Gods to many people of non-virtuous living. 1073

They freely mingle with people similarly mean or more mean and shamelessly revel in being wicked. 1074

Though they may pose themselves normal, they rule by creating fear in people. 1075

Just as the drums are beaten by the Kings to announce the laws, they expect that their commands be taken seriously and people obey them or else to face harm. 1076

The mean people obey only to those who are meaner than themselves and share their booty with them. 1077

A feeble cry is sufficient to arouse sympathy in good men. The mean minded are hard to crack. Any amount of effort would bring no sympathy from their heart. To make their heart to listen, they need to be crushed like the sugar cane. 1078

The heart of mean people cannot tolerate the prosperity of the others. They indulge in slandering people living in prosperity. 1079

The mean men will sell themselves to any one wanting to get the jobs done through them. And that is all they are fit for. 1080

Face read to Identify Evil People

The greatest ability in this world is face reading. This ability calls for identifying the visitor’s inner intentions by a mere look at his face without the need to talk to him. 701

The man who possesses the power to unmistakably discern what lies within another’s mind can be considered to possess divine powers. 702

It is always preferable to explore the possibilities of having one as your associates who can face read. 703

The ability of those who can scan another’s mind is far superior to the others you may have around you. 704

Give your eyes the skill of reading one’s mind by the expressions on his face. Your eyes are not only for seeing at the surface level. They should be able to probe deeper. 705

Mirror always reflects what is before it. Similarly, the human face is the mirror of what is inside one’s mind. By seeing one’s face, you must be able to interpret what is happening within. 706

Human face is the index of both happiness and agony in the mind of the owner. 707

Learn to study the face of people. It is a great skill to understanding what lies underneath.
708

Look at the eyes of people. They would convincingly reflect both friendliness and hostility lying in their minds. 709

There is nothing more revealing than the eyes for assessing the subtleties lying in the minds of others. 710

5. Develop Communication Skills

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1. Listening

Learn to listen

Listening is fundamental to speaking. Right listening is very much necessary for right speech. When you don’t listen to the learned and wise, you will never learn to speak sensibly and politely. 419

It does not matter whether you live or die if you only feed your tongue and not your ears.
420

Listen to come out of difficulties

Whenever you are in difficulties and are walking on a slippery ground, listen to the wisdom of the learned. That would give you the staff to support yourself. 415

Lend your ears and listen to the counsel given by the learned. Grasp the good they give you. You will greatly benefit by that counsel. 416

Listening is wealth

The highest wealth is the gift of listening. Because, only through listening, one can acquire the other forms of wealth. Without listening ability, one can never learn any thing and get deprived of earning wealth. 411

2. Communication

Importance of Communication skills

Ability to communicate is a greatest virtue. It is an unmatched wealth. It is greater than all other good qualities one may have. Communication ability will keep a man in good stead. 641

Words are a powerful medium. The words you use have the capacity to take you either to prosperity or to ruin. Guard yourself against using wrong words in your communications. Keep your words soft and gain fame and wealth. If you foul it, you will end up in disaster. 642

Communicate keeping the receiver in mind

The purpose of any communication from you is to make the receiver agree with you. Avoid arousing hostility by any negative words. Use positive words and achieve that effect even from those who disagreed with you. 643

The biggest virtue in communication is to communicate with receiver consciousness. Know the understanding level of the receiver of your communication. Never talk above their head. Communicate at their level. You would achieve what you wanted. 644

Make sure your own points are not turned against you. Choose winning words that would win the issue for you. 645

Don’t communicate. Only Persuade

Make your communication persuasive. Employ meaningful words. Drive in your message, impress the receiver and make him agree with you. 646

Be a person of able words. Never fear and never get tired of persuading people. Express to impress. So long you are right, never give up. 647

Communicate to create goodwill

In communication you may be tempted to use certain choice words which are unnecessary. Provide clarity without flaw and avoid empty words. 649

Keep your presentation cogent and sweet. The whole world will be at your command.
648

The flowers may be beautiful. But the question is do they spread fragrance? Similarly, your words could be beautiful. But check whether they clarify and convey good will.
650

Communicate with kindness

Righteousness is welcoming people with a pleasant look and sweet words 93

Only those who speak with respect are capable of using sweet words without there being any deceit. 91

Humility and loving words are the only known ornaments. What we consider as ornaments are not ornaments. 95

When the sweet words produce pleasures alround, why should we use the harsh words at all? 99

Indulging in offensive words and avoiding sweet words is like preferring raw to ripe fruit.
100

Communicate with Grace

Material wealth is possessed even by mean men. But kindness and compassion can be possessed only by great men of grace. Hence grace is the chief among all wealth. 241

In any situation, keep your grace. Graceful disposition is a great companion both to lead a good life here as well as to attain heaven. That is the greatest virtue. 242

Never use wrong or harsh words

Control of the five senses is very important. And more important is to control one’s tongue. If our tongue were to remain uncontrolled, we would have to regret through out our lives for our indiscretion and lose talk. 127

You may have done greatest of actions. But one evil word from your mouth is sufficient to cancel out all your good deeds. Harsh words, even if uttered for one’s benefit would earn the wrath of the listener. 128

A wound caused by fire might heal. But a wound caused by harsh words of one’s tongue would never heal. 129

3. Public Speaking

Equip yourself for public speaking

The desire of the unprepared to take part in debates and to speak is like a flat chested woman claiming womanhood. 402

The unprepared will greatly benefit if they keep silent and politely listen to the deliberations of the wise in the assembly. 403

The pretensions of the unprepared will soon get exposed as they enter a discussion with the learned. 405

Entering the assembly without proper knowledge is like getting down to play the game without its knowledge. 401

Avoid fear of Public Speaking

Do not fear the assembly. 713

A soldier afraid of going to the battle and a scholar afraid of facing an assembly of the wise are just the same. 727

Those that fearlessly fight the battle braving the enemy are not rare. Rare are those who fearlessly face the wise assembly. 723

Assembly is a tool that the learned use to show case their knowledge. If you are timid and afraid of facing an assembly, it means your learning had been insufficient and you need to upgrade yourself. A sword in the hands of a weak soldier is of no use. 726

You may have studied many books and could have acquired good knowledge. But the test of your knowledge lies in the assembly. 728

If you are afraid to face an assembly, you are still considered not knowledgeable. 729

More than your self being considered as not knowledgeable, if you are afraid to face the assembly, it is for sure that your learned knowledge is still to become alive in you. 730

People who fear the assembly, do so due too lack of knowledge and confidence. Make sure you have the thorough knowledge on the subject of your speech. Only such a knowledge will give you the courage and ability to choose the words and the mode of delivery effectively before the learned. 721

Mere knowledge of the subject is not sufficient to speak before the learned audience. You will be able to hold the attention of the assembly only if you have acquired scholarly knowledge on the subject. 722

Well, speak what you had learnt and what you know. 724

Plan in advance

Take into consideration the level of people in the assembly you are to address. Check before hand what should be the effective mode of delivery and adapt your delivery appropriately. If you deliver a long address without considering the above aspects, you would be wasting every one’s time. 713

In making a speech, we need to weigh the effect of the words we use. The presentation should be such that suits the receiver. Only those who make such an assessment before delivery would be considered experts. 711

There are things which only knowledgeable people can appreciate and the uneducated cannot. Check the nature of your assembly and speak accordingly. 719

Know the art of language. Employ the words well keeping the place and time in mind. Assess how they would be received by the receiver and deliver with proper judgment.
712

Speaking before uneducated

Check the level of audience. If they are simple people, be plain as white as chalk. 714

Any effort to talk knowledgeably and argue eloquently before uneducated audience is equal to spilling the Nectar in an unclean courtyard. 720

The purpose of speaking is to disseminate your knowledge and make the audience grow. If you have been able to make the audience receptive to your ideas, you would have effectively watered the growth of the healthy plants. 718

Speaking before the learned

Check the level of audience. If they are brilliant people, adopt brilliance and eloquence in your speech. 714

If the audience consists of learned and the elders, maintain humility and restraint. 715

Be more careful in the assembly of the learned. Never use wrong words and never allow your tongue to falter. Failing before the learned is like slipping from a righteous life.
716

The capacity to choose flawless words and making an effective delivery would get you the recognition of being a scholar. 717

When you speak to a wise assembly, you may encounter questions from the audience. Be prepared to convincingly respond to the questions without fear. 725

Never enter into argument with the learned. 401

Be willing to listen to the wise audience and learn from them. 724

6. Acquire Family Management Skills

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Purpose of family

The Hindu religion believes in four orders of life. These orders are Brahmacharya, Grahastha, Vanaprastha and Sanyas. The The Family man is the Grahastha who is of great support to the other three orders.

Bramhacharis lead a student life learning. Vanaprasth stay in forests and lead life of teachers. Sanyasis do not stay any where and keep moving from place to place giving discourses and giving spiritual guidance to people.

By sending Bramhacharis to the Guru in Vanaprastha and by paying Guru Dakshina to the Guru, the family man ably supports both the Bramhacharis and the Vanaprastha. And then the Sanyasis, visit houses of family men seeking bare minimum food. And at that time, the Family man provides the food to the Sanyasis. This way, the family man supports the other three orders.
41

The family man provides food to the Sanyasis. The family man who also leads a Dharmic life, supports the needy. In addition the family man also supports the dead.

Hindu religion believes that one’s ancestors, after their death continue to live in a world called Pithru Loka. The religion prescribes that the family man should make his offerings to his ancestors on every New Moon day, i.e. once a month. One day in the Pithru Loka is equal to one month on the earth. Thus the offerings made to the dead once a month, effectively works out to offering food to them every day. By making these offerings, the family man also supports the dead. By making these prescriptions, the religion ensures that the ancestors, both men and women, are remembered by their names, by the family man and one’s link with his elders is maintained even after their death. 42

Each one of us are blessed with many organs and limbs in our body. They represent Gods, Forefathers, Relatives, Guests and self.

The man’s soul or the conscience represents God. God sets values in life and those divine values stored in one’s conscience are meant to guide the man to lead a value based life.

The man’s mind represents his forefathers. The man is supposed to keep the traditions set by the forefathers in his mind and to draw inspiration by thinking about how they led by example.

The man’s heart represents his relatives whom he is expected to love and cherish from his heart.

The man’s head represents his guests. He is supposed bow before the guests coming to his house, extend hospitality.

The man’s entire physical body represents self. The man is supposed to apply each of his limbs to proper use and upgrade himself to earn wealth, name and fame.

The family man is expected to display proper conduct and honor all the above. The Hindu way of life seeks to promote holistic personality in people which it thought is the only way to protect the society as a whole. As per the Hindu philosophy,

Divinity in the society is preserved by respecting the Gods.
Heritage in the society is preserved by respecting the ancestors.
Relationships in the society are preserved by respecting people.
Hospitality in the society is preserved by respecting the Guests; and
Dignity in the society is preserved by respecting the codes prescribed for self conduct.
43

Every family man must lead his life with a Mission. The Mission is to adhere to the above codes of offerings and sharing his food with guests and relatives and lead a life avoiding blemishes. This way, order will be maintained in the society and descendants will stand protected. 44

Displaying love for others and virtue in self is both the purpose of life and duty of every family man. When these are fulfilled, life will ensure he reaps all the rewards of life. 45

Ascetics move around spreading the message of spirituality. But the family man, by following his Dharma as above, spreads the message of spirituality practicing at home. In fact, a dignified family life accomplishes much more than what saints might accomplish. 46

By correct observance of prescriptions made for family life, the family man keeps ahead of those in the other three orders. 47

For the family man adoption of the path prescribed for him is supreme duty. By observing this supreme duty in a righteous manner, he does greater penance than the saints. 48

In sum and substance, family life is the embodiment of righteousness. If the family man observes the above and comes out without blame, he is said to have observed his Dharma well.
49

He who lives successfully as a family man on earth gets placed among Gods in heaven. 50

Be a Life Partner to your spouse

In a virtuous family, both the husband and wife are partners in life. They should possess all virtues expected by the other partner and live within their means. 51

However pompous one’s life style may be, it is presence of virtues in the partners that makes family life happy. A partner without virtues makes family life unhappy. 52

A noble partner ensures all the happiness in the family. On the contrary, if virtues are lacking in a partner, the family lacks in everything. 53

What more happiness is needed in a family if both the partners are devoted to each other? 54

When a wife worships her husband, all the blessings are showered in that house by the God 55

The first duty of a wife is to attend to her husband. To enable effective attendance to her husband, she has to first take care of her own self. The next duty of a wife is to protect the family honor. 56

Faithfulness to the partner ensures love and happiness in the family. 57

When partners provide right companionship to each other, they attract all the wealth of the heaven. 58

When the husband is joined by a faithful partner, his mind is peaceful and he walks with his head erect like the lion. 59

A wonderful family is one that is composed of a virtuous husband, a loving wife and gifted children. 60

Practice Love and kindness

No lock can withhold love. Love cannot tolerate the sufferings of the loved. 71

The loveless are full of themselves. Whereas the loving, live for the others 72

Our connection with love is eternal. We are all born through love and the purpose of birth and rebirth is to love others. 73

Love generates kindness. Then it grows into great friendship 74

Righteous love brings joys of heaven and enlivens humanity. 75

Love not only generates kindness. It also provides courage to protect the loved from evils. 76

Virtue demands we display love to others. One with no love is one with no virtue. The sun burns up a worm. Similarly the God of Virtue destroys people with no love. 77

Living life without love is the same as a dry tree standing on a barren land 78

One can never find happiness from a person so beautiful outward but without love from the insides. Without love, the limbs of our body are meaningless. 79

The essence of life is a body with love within. Without love within, the body is nothing but skin and bones. 80

Practice Good Eating Habits

Men of medical profession say that deficiency in or excess of three things, viz. the pulse, the bile and the phlegm in your body could cause illnesses in you. 941

Understand your digestive system. Eat only after you feel the hunger, i.e. after you know that what you had already eaten is already digested. If you do that, you will never need any medicine.
942

Observe measure and moderation in your eating. That is the way to live a long life without medicines. 943

Eat food that is agreeable to you, that which is not allergic to you. Eat after feeling the hunger. Eat to the level of appetite and not to the full stomach. 944

Eating non-allergic food in moderation ensures prevention of illnesses. 945

Persons eating moderately avoiding the bad food will lead a happy life. Persons eating voraciously will make their bodies a store house of illnesses. 946

Persons eating food without hunger and those eating immoderately will be afflicted by number of illnesses. 947

Any medical treatment must be started only after diagnosing the illness, finding the cause and identifying the means of cure. 948

Before starting the treatment, the physician must know the history of the patient, his condition, the gravity of the illness and the duration of the ailment. 949

The medical science recognizes fourfold approach to curing illnesses. This approach envisages consideration of the condition of the patient, the medicine to be administered, the nursing to be ensured and the life style change that the patient has to make. 950

Extend Hospitality to Guests

A guest is shattered by an indifferent look in the host. Any guest can discern your unwillingness to extend hospitality to him. 90

Righteousness is welcoming people with a pleasant look and sweet words 93

Humility and loving words are the only known ornaments. The other things that we consider as ornaments are not ornaments. 95

The purpose of acquiring wealth and a house is to extend hospitality to guests. 81

Never eat alone when the guest is waiting. Share it with the guest, even if it be nectar 82

Never believe that extending hospitality to guests will make you poor. You will never suffer poverty if you take care of your guests. On the contrary, it would greatly promote our wealth. 83

When you extend hospitality to your guests cheerfully, fortune will smile on you. 84

What is left behind after you have extended hospitality to your guests, become seeds that grow your wealth. 85

Guests are Gods. When guests come to you, it means God is coming to you. Cherish the guests coming to you and look forward to new and more guests. 86

Hospitality is a penance at home. The effects of hospitality cannot be measured precisely. In fact the effects would be unmatched. 87

If you decide to hoard your wealth and to avoid extending hospitality to your guests, you will regret it later when you long for some support. 88

Do not avoid extending hospitality feeling poor when you have plenty. That would be your greatest folly. 89

Enjoy Children

The soft embrace of young kids is a great delight to our body. And our ears get the delight when we hear the lisp of the kids. 65

Those who say that the sounds of Veena and floot are sweet, have not experienced the lisp of young children. 66

Be a Skillful Parent

The great good that a father can do to his children is to make them acquire first rank in the school. 67

Children born of well natured parents will practice modesty and equity on their own. Because of good lineage, all virtues would naturally reside in them. 951

Children born of good parents would never forsake the primary virtues of discipline, truthfulness and modesty. 952

Parenting should be such that it cultivates in children qualities such as cheerfulness, benevolence as well as courtesy in words and deeds. 953

Good parenting is that the children never think of doing anything unbecoming even if they stand to gain huge wealth. 954

Family tradition should be such that even in adverse circumstances, children shall never lose touch of being kind and benevolent. 955

Good parenting should be such that children value family traditions and family name and they do nothing unbecoming that would be detrimental to the honor of the family. 956

Children should be told that the family name and fame should continue to shine in the society and that they should not do anything unbecoming. They should be made to be aware that any blemish in people of noble families would become the talk of the town just as the dark spots on the moon 957

Children should know that lack of courtesy and good manners in them would bring bad name to the family. 958

Parents should tell their children that they should guard their tongue since the kind of words we use denote the kind of family we belong. Just like the health of the plants indicates the quality of the soil, the healthiness of the tongue indicates the quality of family. 959

The biggest message that the parents can give to their children is that if one wants to protect the good name of himself he should be modest. And if one wants to protect the good name of family, one should be humble and submissive. 960

No evil will dare to visit a family for seven births where children grow up with good disposition and are free from any vice. 62

Poverty in the family does not matter when the children are loving, caring and respecting. When given by loving children even the porridge tastes sweeter than the Nectar, to the parents. 64

Children of good upbringing will stand to face all difficulties. Only the absence of a good son will bring distress to a family. 1030

Assets of the Family

Among all the assets of a family, the biggest one is that of having intelligent and knowledgeable children. 61

The wise men say that the wealth of a family man is his children. It is because, the wealth flows into the family through virtuous deeds of children. 63

Intelligent children not only delight the parents but also the entire world. 68

The mother no doubt gets her joy at the birth of a child. But she gets greater joy when she hears others praise for her child. 69

The greatest service that a son can do to his father is to make the society to come and congratulate the Father for the good deeds of the son. 70

Support your Relatives

Have good words for your relatives. Only those who speak with love are capable of speaking sweet words without there being any deceit. 91

Sweet words not only help you attain fame while you are alive, but your fame remains even beyond your death. 98

If you want to give and help your relatives, give with a cheerful heart. Giving is incomplete if you can’t give with a pleasant look and with sweet words 92

Water stored in a tank are meant for the welfare of the society. The wealth available in a family is meant for the welfare of the kith and kin. Wealth in the hands of a person without kith and kin is like the water stored in a tank without any bounds. The entire wealth would go waste. 523

Poverty will never visit those who have a good word for all. 94

The real happiness from wealth is derived when you are surrounded by your kith and kin.
524

Sharing of wealth accompanied with kind words enriches and enlivens our relationships with our kith and kin. 525

No happiness is superior to sharing our wealth with our kith and kin with all the kindness in our hearts. 526

Crows teach us as to how to cherish kith and kin. A crow when getting access to food will, without concealing it, caw and call his brothers to come and share the wealth. The crow that shared the food with the others does not get deprived as fortune smiles on it and he gets food again from another source. 527

The king is surrounded by many and he assists each of them by their merit and needs. 528

We should be attached to our Kith and kin and not attached to their wealth. Changing fortunes of a relative should not affect our old attachments to each other. 521

Unchanging love towards kith and kin despite changing fortunes in one, is a great wealth. 522

Do not discriminate your kith and kith who had gone away from you because of their disagreements with you. Once you remain virtuous, they would return of their own accord.
529

And when they return, let us welcome them, embrace them and remove their grievances still remaining if any. 530

Beware of the Enemy Within

Shade and water are there to enliven you and protect you. But sometimes both turn unwholesome when water causes disease and shade prevents growth. In the same way your near and dear who are expected to support you, turn murky and indulge in disagreeable activities.
881

When your enemy comes before you with an open sword, you sure would take care of yourself. But more dangerous are those who are close to you but intend to do harm. You will be extra cautious before turbulent waters. But what you should be more careful about is calm waters.
882

Beware and guard yourself against enemies within. They you’re your weaknesses and could cut you as easily as the potter’s knife. 883

The enemies within are the reasons for all the dissentions and it is because of them families, societies and the Nation are put to distress and grief. 884

All crimes, distress and pain that surface before the Government are due to internal dissentions.
885

The hitherto unified families suddenly face internal discords making reunion very difficult and untimely deaths certain. 886

People in divided homes, though act as one, are really not in unity. A lid could have been welded on to a box to give the impression as one. But in reality, they are two different things.
887

The family affected by internal discord, will wear out like the gold being handled with a file by a goldsmith. 888

A family with internal discord is like a seed holding a tree within. 889

Living with people who have hostility is like leading life in a house which has a snake in it.
890

When the sweet words produce pleasures alround, why should we use the harsh words at all?
99

Indulging in offensive words and avoiding sweet words is like preferring raw to ripe fruit.
100

7. Have Right Attitudes towads Money

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Paradoxes of human life

This world is a strange place. There are many who are knowledgeable who but remain poor. And there also those who are low in education. But then they are rich. Very rarely knowledge appears to co-exists with material wealth. Why? 374

We may embark on an endeavor believing we have all the advantages but might still fail. And there are also people who sailed against the wind and reached the shore. Why? 375

Howsoever you may guard your wealth, you could still lose it. And howsoever one may be spending his wealth, he may still be bestowed with unending inflow. Why? 376

You may have amassed and hoarded lots of money. But you could still be deprived of enjoying them. Why? 377

The poor people with no resources on their hands could have easily renounced this world and attained all the happiness. But they don’t. Why? 378

When people pass through good time, they consider them as very fortunate. But when bad days come, they start complaining. Why? 379

Wealth is the only one important thing in this world. Only wealth makes insignificant men to become prominent. 751

No one in this world respects people who are poor. Only rich men bag all honors. 752

Wealthy people are respected in all countries. They are even considered the enlightened people. 753

What is that potent force that acts strangely as above? Even when we act cleverly, we are taken for a ride. Many call it fate. Is that true? 380

Nevertheless do not tolerate poverty

Among all the pains, the greatest pain is of poverty. The day to day deprivation and suffering in poverty is untold. 1041

Lack of wealth deprives the poor of enjoying the pleasures of both the present and the future. 1042

Poverty spoils the name and fame of the whole ancestry. It affects family bonds and traditions. 1043

When afflicted by poverty, even people of noble origin lose their niceties and dignity of speech. In effect not only they lose externally but internally also. 1044

Poverty is the mother of all evils and brings in all kinds of difficulties. 1045

The poor have gone through a lot and have lots of experience in life. They have lots of advice to give to others. But just because they are poor, no one would listen to them.
1046

If one is reduced to abject poverty, even his own mother would despise him. And more so when he also lives devoid of virtues. 1047

I went through the pain of hunger and deprivation in the past. Are they going to be my companions even in the future making me miserable? I really dread this poverty. 1048

It may perhaps be possible to sleep even amidst fire around. But when the fire is within you in the name of poverty, you can never have even a wink of sleep. 1049

The more the people continue to live in poverty, the more they would be living on other’s food and wealth. They should find their strengths and work to come out of poverty. 1050

Work to remove your poverty

Not seeking assistance from those who can help and practicing self reliance is a greatest wealth. 1061

Poor people should never even think of resorting to begging. Begging might earn some money but the poverty would continue to exist. 1063

The dignity of poor people who refuse to beg even in the midst of adversities cannot be adequately appreciated even by the whole world. 1064

Even the smallest meal one can get by one’s own labor is much better a feast offered as alms. 1065

Begging is just a mean activity. Even in the name of holy, no begging should be resorted to. 1066

Begging itself is to be avoided. No one should beg especially before people who either hide their wealth or before people who give unwillingly. 1067

Earn wealth honestly

But then realize that material wealth is generally temporary. If you want it to remain permanently with you, do two things. Firstly, earn it by proper means. Then the second is put the wealth to proper use. 333

Honestly earned wealth does not leave you. If you are upright, your wealth will never dwindle. It would even pass on to the next generation happily. 112

Wealth should be earned with love of work and grace in dealing with people. If earned otherwise, it would not stay. 755

Ultimately those who become wealthy are those who do not desire for the wealth of others. The Goddess of wealth stays only in those homes who work for creation of wealth. 179

Have no desire for unearned wealth

Those who care for justice, will not indulge in disgraceful acts of acquiring wealth by unjust means. 172

Wanting to possess the wealth of others and departing from justice will destroy one’s family and keep him in regret through out his life. 171

What is the use of one’s education and intellect if he were to indulge in non-virtuous acts foolishly? 175

Even the very thought of wrongdoings would take one to ruin. Take to the righteous path of compassion and never fall from grace. 176

Avoid the temporary gains coming out of taking other’s wealth. Its fruits are bitter and would ruin your entire family. 177

The way to protect your existing happiness is to avoid longing for other’s wealth. 178

Long term prosperity never visits the envious and never forsakes the virtuous. 170

History tells us that only those who had been devoid of virtues and kindness and been cruel to people had lost all their wealth. 246

Practice no Corruption

If you are in a position of service to people, be impartial. Assess the strengths of each and give each one his due. Do every thing with a sense of equity. Sense of equity is a great virtue. 111

Never adopt wrongful means to earn wealth. Give up ill gotten wealth even it promises prosperity. 113

Crores of enemies are no match to Managers who move with sinister designs for causing harm. Managers with evil designs are the enemies within. 639

A Manager who demands money and practices extortion and corruption is like an armed highway robber demanding money. 552

Truly learned persons will always practice and uphold equity in thought and action. Therefore, whether you go through adversity or prosperity, hold your balance. Then alone you can be considered a person of wisdom. 115

The men of integrity always treat people fairly. Acting as the fine balance, it is they who uphold justice in this world. 118

People who practice integrity do not adopt obliquity in their speech. They are free of any bias in their minds and hence in actions as well. Be unbiased and ensure impartial treatment to all. 119

Even the traders who work for personal profit keep the customer interest in their minds. Why the others cannot do so? 120

Those who want to be respected should keep off from fraud, deceit, bribe and such 281

If you believe you would have no place in this world without money, please also know that people without kindness cannot lead a happy life. 247

People without material wealth could still become prosperous at some time in their life. But there is no hope of prosperity to those who possess no kindness. They will always be experiencing one or the other trouble. 248

They should avoid even the very thought of accessing another’s wealth. 282

Adopt the path of virtue and be content with lawful earning and not even dream of making unearned wealth. 287

Adopt Values. Virtues dwell only in the mind tempered by Values. 288

Consequences of taking bribes

Covetousness brings ruin to one’s family. One achieves real success only when he is free of corrupt mind. 180

Whether you had earned your wealth rightfully or wrongfully would always get reflected in the character of your children. 114

Ups and downs in one’s life always happen with a reason. If one leads a non-virtuous life, he is sure to face a downward movement in life. 115

It is the law of psychology that the thoughts that reside in our minds always come true. The righteous always think that the Dharma would not let them down. And it would not. The wrong doers would always be afraid that they could get caught. And they would. Thus wrongful thinking always takes people to ruin. 116

Well, even in the life of virtuous mishaps may take place. But in their period of adversity, the world comes to the help of people who had been just. The despair visits only the wrong doers. 117

Wealth earned by wrongful means will not stay with the offender. The money thus stored would be like the water stored in pot of un-burnt clay. 660

Wealth that is acquired by deceitful means will appear to grow for some time, but would vanish totally. They would go away the way they came. 283

Love for another’s money would lead to endless grief and pain. 284

Those who have their focus on others’ money would never be able to observe virtues of any kind. 286

Thoughts of deceit will be in the mind who are in the habit of committing frauds. 288

Those who are deep in fraud cannot stop defrauding others. One cannot fool all the people all the time. He would get caught while in the act soon and that would be his end.
289

While the Gods would protect those who are virtuous, those who are fraudulent will be caught by their own act. 290

Have no wrongful desire for money

Do not have wrongful desire for money 361

The greatest wealth one can aspire for is freedom from wrongful desires. 363

Free your mind of desire for money. Pursue what is of permanent value in this world, i.e. truth. You are presently pursuing what is of temporary value. 364

When you have a wrongful desire, you endeavor to achieve it. And when it could not be achieved, you get upset and tend to achieve it by sinful means. And where you achieve it, you become a slave to it. Thus the very presence of a wrongful desire in your mind blocks you and prevent you from living a virtuous life. 366

When you eye for the others’ wealth or prosperity with envy, you become possessed of wrong desires and you are sure to move away from the path of virtue. That would make you do wrong things and you would lose the wealth and prosperity you already have. Thus acting with envy means you neither desire virtue nor wealth for you. 163

Banish the wrongful desire for money in you and come over to the path of virtue. 367

Those who are free from desires do not experience any difficulties in life. Whereas, those who run after their desires allow pain and grief to visit them. 368

Desire is an evil power. True happiness in life is reserved for those who banish their desires. 369

Desires which are possible to be lawfully satisfied are not bad enough. But all of us should shed desires which are not satiable. If we can do that, we shall live in a perpetual state of happiness. 370

When you have the money, don’t be a miser

Attachment to money makes a person a miser. A miserly person simply stores his wealth and does not use it. He neither helps others nor enjoys the wealth himself. He is as good as dead. 1001

A miser generally thinks that all his gain lies in storing his wealth. This thinking in him will haunt him in days to come. 1002

The Mission of every one born on this birth is to make a meaningful difference in this world and leave it a better place than when he came in. But the miserly people who just do not do anything but only accumulate wealth are a simple burden on this earth. 1003

Misers do not help any one and are therefore despised by the people on earth. They thus can’t earn the affection of any one. What life is it when one lives without the love and affection from and to any one. 1004

What is the use of crores of rupees if that is neither enjoyed by oneself nor given away to others in their difficult times? 1005

The wealth of the miser is like the fruit of a poisonous tree in the village. People cannot use either that fruit or the wealth of the miser. 1008

Ultimately what happens to the wealth of the miser remaining unused and undistributed? It is finally taken over by some strangers, either through theft or inheritance. 1009

Impermanence of life

Intelligence means the ability to distinguish between what is of lasting value and what is temporary. The unintelligent people always commit the folly of treating the unstable as stable. 331

One’s fortune may flow temporarily. It is like gathering of the crowd at the theatre. As soon as the show is over, all people would leave. 332

Material wealth is generally temporary. 333

The next thing that is unstable is time. Time is like a saw. It keeps cutting our life bit by bit as the days pass one by one. 334

People who were alive and kicking yesterday had suddenly vanished today. This world is famous for taking away people all of a sudden. 336

People who keep planning and scheduling do not know what is in store for them the next moment. 337

The eggs believe that the life contained by it within will be therefore ever. But suddenly, it finds that it is broke and the chick goes out. Our body is like that shell wishing that the life be contained within for ever. 338

Oh Man! Don’t be asleep believing nothing can happen to you. Awake. Be born again and lead your second life shedding your wrong beliefs held so far. 339

You are only a visitor to this world. Your soul which is permanent has just taken a temporary shelter in your body. It can leave any time. Be come aware and do good in this life of yours. 340

Before you experience the final moments of tongue blabbering and hiccough arising, do something good. 335

Make Right use of Wealth

The wealth is a blessing when it is used to help the needy people. It is also a blessing when one uses it for one’s own enjoyment. But the wealth that remains unused either way is simply a curse. 1006

God gives us wealth to use it. The wealth that remains unused for the welfare of the needy is similar to the withering beauty of a woman who remains single through her life.
1007

Society generally has two kinds of people. One, who are misers who have lots of money but would not spare it for helping the needy. The second kind consists of those who have a large heart but who possess no wealth and who are like clouds which do not bear the rains. But the nature would soon bless such good hearted people and their poverty is only short lived. 1010

Help those in need

There are people who falsely assure help but take undue advantage of the confidence reposed in them. Do not be one of those people who speak kindly only to exploit the unwary. 285

Seeking the help of others in need is no sin. People come to you for help because they think you can help. And if you can help, but still you don’t, you deserve blame. 1051

Assistance to the needy is always welcome. But you are not under obligation to help if it would put you in pain in the process. The beneficiary would be happy if the help comes out of love and grace. 1052

The beneficiaries would be highly thankful if the help is rendered with grace and beauty.
1053

Never entertain the thoughts of holding back your resources. All the resources are given to you only for being shared with the needy. 1054

Giving and taking are complementary. Both need to exist. When they give, the Haves signify that there are good people around in this world. And when they receive, the Have-nots signify that there are still people in this world on whom we have the great opportunity to shower benevolence. 1055

When a person goes for begging believe he is caught in the sea of difficulties. And when he faces refusal of the giver, his boat crashes on a rock in the high seas. 1068

No one goes out to beg willingly. No one likes to beg. If at all one goes out to beg, he does so with pains in his heart. But when he faces the refusal, it just breaks him. 1069

Needy people die every day by meeting refusal. They do not know how to save themselves. Help them. 1070

When the Haves become generous, the Have-nots lose their indignity. 1056

When the poor see people who simply give without maligning the receiver, the poor derive true happiness and thank God for the presence of those good people in this world.
1057

If there are no poor in this world and every one has in abundance, would the world be ever interesting? Then every one would go his own way unmindful of the others like the dolls. Inequities have been created in this world so that people would venture to bring equity and in the process derive self satisfaction. 1058

If there are no Have-nots in this world, what would the Haves do to attain glory? 1059

The Have-nots should not get upset when they do not get help. And the Haves should not look at the Have-nots with scorn. 1060

Achieve whatever you want, rightly

All your difficulties stem from the foolish acts you might commit. And all your gains come from acting in wisdom. 372

If you are determined and persevere in your endeavors, you are sure to achieve whatever you wanted. If on the other hand you suffer from idleness and procrastination, you are bound to face ruin. 371

Beyond all formal education, what is really important is innate wisdom. 373

Acquire wealth by fair means. The wealth acquired by fair means builds our name and fame. 754

We beget children by practicing love. Similarly we should acquire wealth by nursing love. Not otherwise. 757

Do not hoard money. If you had amassed wealth through illegal means, you will have to encounter lots of enemies. On the contrary, work hard and earn enough of wealth and store it. You will have no enemies at all. Your mere honest example will affect the pride of enemies of virtue. 759

When you accumulate wealth through lawful means, you will be truly virtuous and happy. 760

Be pure in action

Are you interested to earn the respect in the society? Then don’t do anything that would affect your reputation. 653

Have clarity of purpose in whatever you do and have unwavering strength of mind to follow virtues. They will save you from doing anything demeaning. 654

Never ever do any act which you would regret later. And where you had already done such an act, take precautions and avoid their repetition. 655

Righteous people, even in adverse situations, do not do things which are condemnable. Even in the face of one’s mother being hungry, they would not indulge in wrongful acts.
656

Righteous men prefer suffering in poverty over wealth earned from sinful acts. 657

Those who knowingly commit forbidden acts may succeed temporarily, but in the end their lives would be one of lasting regrets. 658

Gains extracted from the tears of others will go down the drain taking along with them the tears from your own eyes. The cry of others caused by you will not leave you unpunished. Be fair, do good deeds and earn good for yourself. 659

8. Have Right Attitudes towards Work

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Let Work be your priority

The human race spent many years roaming around hunting. Finally they came to pastoral age and settled down to do agriculture. It finally dawned on man that he has to work and toil to improve his lot. 1031

The most important thing that every one should devote himself to is to do all that is necessary to improve the condition of his family. 1021

Only two things can improve conditions of one’s family. They are acquisition of knowledge and hard work. 1022

Those who are willing to acquire knowledge and to do hard work to improve conditions of his life will always find help ready at hand. 1023

Success comes chasing to one who wants to improve the condition of self and family and work in that direction untiringly. 1024

The whole world is waiting to befriend one who work hard to improve his conditions without adopting wrongful means. 1025

Courage and confidence in one’s endeavors automatically bring improvement to one’s family conditions. 1026

Battles are won by soldiers who fight with confidence and conviction. Similarly family fortunes are won by those who work with confidence and competence. 1027

Seasons may change. But they are of no excuse to those who work for family prosperity and honor. One should not resort to any excuse for not working including on pretexts of false dignity. 1028

A soldier going to the war should not be afraid of wounds on his body. Similarly one who is working for his family upliftment, should not be afraid of difficulties he may encounter. 1029

Avoid Laziness and complacency

Laziness, inactivity, apathy and the mad joy are different forms of thoughtlessness and are more harmful than uncontrolled wrath. 531

Thoughtless people lose fame and this is seen world over. 533

Lazy people suffer from lack of ability to see the future. They are unwary of their folly. In times to come, they will be left with only feelings of regret. 535

Laziness and complacency ensures you do not acquire more knowledge. And freezing of knowledge kills your renown and drives you to poverty. 532

Forts cannot do any good to people who are gripped with fear. Similarly, no good can come to those who are complacent and indifferent. 534

One needs to be awake at all times. All the good can come only to those who keep vigil at all times. 536

Keep alert and be on readiness at all times. Persist towards your goals with all the zeal. If one so lives, nothing is impossible for him. 537

Action and ceaseless efforts are most important. Any neglect and indifference in this regard will deprive you of any command in life. 538

People who are willfully negligent and revel in drinks and delight have always perished.
539

Be diligent and thoughtful. That is the way to reach the goal and achieve the objectives.
540

Know the Perils of laziness

Your family may be a great one who may have achieved prosperity. All this prosperity can vanish if laziness and inactivity pervades your life. 601

Those who want to preserve the name and fame of family will never allow sloth to enter the minds of any family member. 602

If you suffer from laziness and inactivity, you will see the downfall of your family in front of your own eyes, soon to be followed by your own regretful expiry. 603

If you allow laziness and inactivity in your family members, the drying up of family resources will encourage the members to commit crimes and take the family to ruin. People who enter crimes are those who had wasted their past life in laziness and inactivity. 604

Those who go to ruin take the four routes. The routes are procrastination, indifference, inactivity and sleep. 605

Even if there are people to extend financial support, lazy families cannot derive much benefit therefrom. 606

Families suffering from indifference and inactivity will ultimately face disgrace in the society. 607

A once thriving family, due to damages caused by laziness, will be forced to work as slaves of their enemies. 608

The only way to bring back the prosperity into your family is to banish laziness in members of the family. 609

All the prosperity of a kingdom is due to banishing laziness in people and making them productively employed. 610

Have Self Motivation

Your real possession is your self Motivation. If you are self motivated you possess everything. And if you are not self motivated, you can not possess anything else. 591

Self Motivation alone is wealth. If this wealth is not there in you, all other wealth would fly away from you. 592

Your strength lies in making constant efforts. If you fail to make efforts, be ready to grieve losing the opportunities that knock your doors. 593

You don’t need to go after wealth. Wealth and prosperity will find their way to you if you are a person of tireless efforts and undaunted will. 594

Howsoever deep the water may be, by their self efforts, the Lily and Lotus rise above the waters. Have that mental strength to rise in your life. 595

Every obstacle can be overcome and even unattainable results can be achieved by one’s constant efforts. Be always willing to exert yourself. 596

Why are the elephants chosen to participate in a war? Elephants have the capacity to carry on the fight despite piercing arrows. Similarly, be a person of strong willpower and even in adversities, carry on your fight to achieve your goals without losing your self motivation. 597

A person of no strong will can never achieve reputation in this world. 598

If you have the courage, you can win even the strongest. If you attack like a tiger, even an elephant, though big in size and possessing strong and sharp tusks, will fear you and run away from you. 599

Your strength lies in Motivation, courage and willingness to exert yourself in pursuit of goals. Without this mind set, you are as good as a piece of wood. 600

Think and Act

Think and do. Don’t do and think. Any mission is to be undertaken after due thinking. Starting the mission in haste and thinking about it subsequently is a blunder. 467

Doing a thing that should not be done and not doing a thing that needs to be done, both are ruinous. 466

Do not risk your capital with mere hopes of profit. Wise men would not risk their capital in anticipation of unsure gains. 463

Do not embark upon a thoughtless expedition. Acting without forethought and deliberated plans, would make your enemies more strong. 465

When you think in advance, you are able to organize your strategy. Ill organized working, though backed up by others, is bound to fail. Not plans, but planning alone would help you succeed. 468

Do not do anything that the others would consider unwise. The world would not take kindly to unbecoming ventures. 470

Deliberate before Action

Think well of your costs, yields and profits, before deciding to take any action. 461

First consult with your own people of probity and weigh the pros and cons of what you are going to do. Now after due deliberations, a considered action is taken, you can always achieve what you wanted. 462

Do you want to proceed with an act? Consider certain elements before start doing the job. The things to be considered are the nature of the deed to be undertaken, the resources needed, the details of work to be done, the time element and the place of performance. 675

Do not venture to do anything the implications of which have not been fully deliberated and understood. If done in haste, you could get disgraced. 464

Who are all with you in execution of your plans? Have you identified their dispositions and allotted them jobs to suit their demeanor? If people’s dispositions are not taken into account, the achievement of the goal could fail even if the tasks are otherwise well executed. 469

Well, in addition to the above, also deeply consider what the finished product should look like, the possible obstacles that you could encounter and the ultimate benefit you have in mind. 676

It is also better to consult the experts on the job and to know the intricacies involved and be aware of the methods to follow to take the activity to fruition. 677

You would no doubt need to take the help of your friends in achieving the task. But more than that befriend your enemies to avoid obstacles they could otherwise put on your path.
679

When you consider yourself needing help for goal achievement, meet and establish an alliance with those who are superior in the field. 680

Make a Plan of Action

Telling what you are going to do is easy. But the difficulty always arises in implementation. 664

Divide your goal into sub-goals and make achievement each sub-goal as the preparatory action for achieving the next. You know we catch an elephant by using another elephant.
678

Do not believe in luck or ill luck. Absence of luck does not handicap one who works hard and proceeds towards his goal. 618

Do not announce what you are going to do earlier than doing it to people unconnected with the job execution. Achieve your goals and then make it known to others. Sometimes announcing what you are going to do put your goal achievement in jeopardy. 663

Take Prompt action

Friends can at best support you and encourage you in your endeavors. But the efforts to achieve your desired goals have to come only from you. 651

Make due deliberations and consultations before resolving to carry out an act. But once resolved, delaying taking action is inadvisable. 671

When all is clear, take prompt action. When there is ambiguity, subject it to more deliberations and thinking. 673

After due consideration, once you have resolved to do a particular thing, carry it out firmly without any hesitation and delay. 668

Delay in taking action is acceptable where caution is needed. But where the need is for quick results, you need to act faster. Do not delay those which need not be delayed. 672

Be pure in action

Any thing you do must fulfill two conditions. Either it must promote virtue or bring you fame. All other actions are worth being discarded. 652

Are you interested to earn the respect in the society? Then don’t do anything that would affect your reputation. 653

Have clarity of purpose in whatever you do and have unwavering strength of mind to follow virtues. They will save you from doing anything demeaning even in your adversity. 654

Never ever do any act which you would regret later. And where you had already done such an act, take precautions and avoid their repetition. 655

Righteous people, even in adverse situations, do not do things which are condemnable. Even in the face of one’s mother being hungry, they would not indulge in wrongful acts.
656

Those who knowingly commit forbidden acts may succeed temporarily, but in the end their lives would be one of lasting regrets. 658

Do not fear Problems

At the beginning you may encounter teething troubles. But when carried out with courage, you can achieve the goal and attain enduring gains. 669

Laugh at your at adversities. Tell them that you are bigger than they and order them to get lost. And take action to drive them away. This attitude of yours will keep them away. 621

Even flood of difficulties would not stand before the person who has the determination to face them. 622

Do not be afraid of the pains one has to undergo in goal achievement. Let your courage drive away the pains to come back as pleasures. 623

The path may be rough and uneven. But the bullock cart ceaselessly negotiates the tract and makes progress towards its destination. In the same way, continue with your efforts with perseverance and you would overcome all difficulties. 624

Even if you face series of difficulties, make them all disappear and perish with your overwhelming resolution. 625

People who do not run after wealth would not lose their peace when they lose their affluence. They would neither exult in riches nor would feel disparate in adversity. 626

The wise men know that one has to take pains in life. They know pain is inevitable in life, but misery is optional. Hence they don’t consider pain as pain and are not unduly worried about it. 627

Pain and Pleasure are a life philosophy. Wise men know that when one takes pains, the pleasures are waiting to bless him and when one goes after pleasures, the pain is waiting to grab him. Therefore wise men do not run after pleasures but opt for taking pains. 628

Persons of balance do neither seek joy in pleasures nor grieve in sorrows. 629

Persons of maturity take pain and pleasure evenly and earn the esteem of even their adversaries. 630

Have Determination to succeed

One may have other virtues such as knowledge and skill. But more prized are the will power and determination. The world does not esteem those with no will power. 670

What really helps you to achieve your goal is your determination. Determination is a supreme power in comparison to all others. 661

Be determined to guard against adversities. And then cross all obstacles with determination. Live by these two maxims. 662

Planning to details, determination to achieve the goal and total involvement in its achievement always lead to success. 666

In achievement of the goal, the size of the man does not matter. For a big chariot to move, what help are the small linch pins in the wheel. 667

Take leadership. Be a leader. The credit for the determination with which the soldiers fought the war and won it, always goes to the King, the leader. 665

Persevere till Achievement

Don’t leave the job unfinished. It is never advisable to leave the battle half way. Anything unfinished can flare up like a fire not put out fully. 674

Don’t give up in the face of difficulties. Persevere till you attain your goals. Self motivation and willingness to work hard would ensure difficulties do not frustrate you. Only perseverance can take you to fame. 611

Be determined to take the task to the right finish. Do not give up any job unfinished in the middle. If you abandon the work unfinished, be aware that the world would abandon you and that would be your finish. 612

Perseverance is a virtue without which, you can’t achieve any goal. When you cannot help yourself, how can you be expected to render service to the society? 613

Do not run after pleasures. Be goal conscious and be persevering. Only then your family can look up to you for support and redeeming them from sufferings. 615

What makes a difference between rich and poor is industry and hard work. Industry brings in wealth and lack of it brings in poverty. 616

Person who is not industrious brings total darkness to his life. Goddess of Wealth smiles only on those who work hard and persevere to succeed. 617

Some may attribute one’s failure to fate. There is nothing called fate. No fate can stand up before the person who is working hard to achieve his goals. Sincere hard work always brings its reward. 619

Work hard with determination to overcome the difficulties. You will overcome your destiny. 620

9. Acquire Managerial Skills

2007-01-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

Know the Expectations from you

A Manager must be one of wisdom who finds the resources, takes the right action at the right time and achieves results. 631

Every Manager should have five qualities. They must be of profound learning. They must possess firmness in dealings. They should have mastery over the task on hand. They should also have determination to succeed. And they should apply these qualities to their work with a focus on welfare of the people. 632

Managers should be able separate the grain from the chaff, i.e. distinguish between the performers and the non-performers. They should then be able to focus on making further improvement in the performance of performers and also in turning the non-performers into performers. 633

Managers should be capable of comprehending the issues before them. Then they should be able to choose the best means to execute the jobs on hand. They should also be able to convincingly explain the job, the purpose, and the means of achievement of the same to his staff. 634

Managers should be possessors of virtue and of considerate speech with ability to spot talents. 635

All the skills needed for overcoming difficulties present themselves before those who have the combination of good learning and wisdom. 636

Managers lacking in abilities will never be able to achieve results though having all the resources at their command. 640

Managers should know the virtues cherished by Superiors and observe virtues meticulously avoiding even small faults. Once detected to have faults, they are likely to lose the trust of Superiors and it would be difficult to restore the trust subsequently. 693

Managers must be thinking Managers. They should not apply rules blindly. They should think and apply rules with common sense. 637

Managers should not lust for or seek or otherwise misuse the perks available to Superiors
692

One should not believe they can do anything just because of their confirmed position in the establishment. The enlightened would never misuse their privileges and would not do the disagreeable. 699

Similarly one should not take liberties to do anything just because of their long service in the establishment. Any disagreeable act is likely land the doer in difficulties. 700

Observe Good Conduct before Superiors

Every Manager will have a superior above him. On any given issue, it is the duty of Managers to place their honest opinions before the superiors, whether or not the same would be agreed to. 638

Like the person warming him before the fire, the Managers shall neither go too close to Manager nor would keep away from the Superiors. 691

In the presence of seniors, one should avoid whispering to colleagues and laughing with them. 694

Unless otherwise told to them by the seniors, Managers must not probe, pry into, seek or show inquisitiveness to know the details not revealed by the Superiors. 695

Whenever there is need to convey any information to the seniors, the same be communicated in a positive spirit after choosing the right time and seeing the disposition of the senior. 696

What is important to be known by the senior must be conveyed, though choosing the right time and disposition. And what is only a futile and useless talk, should be avoided even if sought for by the senior. 697

Do not behave loosely with the seniors even if they are of younger age or even when they are known to you. Give them all due respect at all times. 698

Superiors are people who have risen to their position with superior qualities. Do not be a person of little mind as to lack the aptitude to respect great men and to learn from them.
976

Do not be one of little minds who get busy boasting their own glory. Do not be one to consider superiors as lacking in capacities than you and look down on them. 977

Greatness can be identified through one’s humility and modesty. Meanness can be identified through one’s arrogance, self admiration and vanity. 978

Greatness lies in shedding vanity. Meanness lies in boasting in offensive vanity. 979

Greatness ignores the faults of others. Meanness exposes the faults of others. 980

Maintain Good Customer Relations

Only those who are pleasant and concise in words, avoid inconsiderate talk and bring smile in the face of customers can bring results to the establishment. 685

Good upbringing, devotion to the establishment, courtesy in dealings and virtuous actions are the characteristics needed for having good Customer Relations. 681

Friendly disposition, good knowledge of the affairs and well developed communication ability are the three essential qualities in Customer Relations. 682

Since Managers would be interacting with learned customers, those desiring to be successful in Customer dealings should be more learned. 683

Only those who have good personality, hands on knowledge and have the ability to keep cool can succeed in Customer Relations. 684

Be courteous to those coming to you

You are considered courteous when you become easy of access to people. Once you are easy of access, you would command all respect in this world. 991

Love for others and having a good family background are the two factors that keep you virtuous. 992

What makes you acceptable is not either your personality or your dressing for the occasion. Your worth comes from your courteous behavior and humanity. 993

Your kind assistance to people making the beneficiaries feel grateful to you, would be appreciated even by others in the world. The world is always grateful to those who are courteous and do good. 994

Even in jest do not be discourteous. Be courteous even towards those who are unfriendly to you. 995

The whole world survives on the strength of good people. But for them, it would have been in ruins long ago. 996

One may have all the sharpness of intellect and knowledge. But they are as good as dead like a piece of wood if they do not possess courtesy. 997

We should be courteous even to people who are unkind. That is the trait of virtuous people. 998

Those who behave discourteously and fail to gladden the hearts of people, bring darkness even during the day time. 999

All the resources at the hands of discourteous is as good as milk kept in an unclean vessel which is bound to go sour. 1000

Be persuasive with your Customers

Only those who are knowledgeable, fearless, persuasive, impressive and expedient can sell their ideas. 686

To persuade successfully, work with duty consciousness, time consciousness and place consciousness. 687

The attributes of Sales personnel are morality, loyalty, fearlessness, and honesty. 688

If you want to be a good persuader, act with conviction and courage. 689

The ultimate persuader should be one who acts with determination against all odds to bring benefit to the establishment. 690

Handle Tasks with Forethought and Motivation

Before taking up any task for achievement, four things have to be weighed. They are, the gravity of the situation, the threat perception, the resources available for goal achievement and the commitment quotient for task completion. 471

Nothing is impossible to achieve, if you know the nature of the task and are willing to put your heart and soul into it for goal achievement. 472

Pride lies in achieving greatness in the chosen field. If you are leading a life devoid of pride, you are leading an unenlightened life. 971

Every body is born equal. Achievement lies in your growing unequal. No one is respected by birth but by one’s skills and achievements. 972

By taking birth in a great family, one does not become great. By taking birth in a low family, one does not become low. One becomes great by his own deeds and achievements. 973

Great men by their great deeds achieve great things which are difficult for the others to achieve. 975

Have Time Strategy

Between the crow and the owl, the latter is stronger. But during the day time, the owl cannot see. Hence the crow chooses the day time to conquer the owl. Thus for conquering any assignment, time is an important element. 481

Timing is one of the secrets of success. 482

True, you should have proper resources to handle a task well. But the when you use those resources at a favorable time, even tougher jobs can be achieved easily. 483

You can win any assignment when you strike at the right time and at the right place. [Think as to how the Russians defeated Hitler?] 484

People who wait for the right time to strike are great strategists. They patiently wait for the opportune moment to arrive to make their movement. 485

One of the strategies of the strong is to wait in silence to strike from a vantage point. 486

Wise men do not strike in anger. They control their feelings and smolder within waiting for the right time to strike. 487

Bear with patience the difficulties you encounter. Lie low till is opportune. Attack the task at the right time. 488

Time always provides us a golden opportunity. Be on the look out for the right time. And when it arrives, go all out to achieve the impossible. 489

Observe the stork bird. It waits in patience and attacks the prey at the favorable opportunity. And that should be the strategy. 490

Choose your Territory

Just as proper timing is important the need for a proper place can also not be overemphasized for handling a task on hand. 491

Howsoever knowledgeable and skilled one may be, a place secure enough for handling the task on hand is necessary. 492

If the place is right, even the unskilled can overcome their lack. 493

If you have ensured a locational advantage for yourself, no competitor can carry on his activities. 494

Your personal skills and ability would not be of any advantage at a wrong location. The all powerful crocodile loses its strength once out of water. 495

Every one needs a favorable territory to carry on his activities. Neither a chariot with mighty wheels can run on sea nor can a ship sail on the land. There is a place for every thing and every thing has a place. 496

For success in an endeavor, beyond courage all that you need is a proper place. 497

One in the security of his own location can win over even mighty competitors. A big army marching into the territory of a small chieftain can lose if the latter has his locational advantage. 498

To win the natives in their own lands is difficult for even a mighty army. 499

The mighty elephant might kill even big armies. But the same elephant might fall a prey to a small fox if it is caught in a marshy land. 500

Do not overload yourself

Many had taken up assignments over ambitiously without assessing all the aspects. All of them had ultimately to withdraw in the mid course. 473

Those who under estimate the risks involved and plunge into the tasks thinking too much of themselves would come to grief. 474

Do not take over more tasks on hand than you can manage. The axle of the cart can break with over load of the materials put on it. 475

Over ambition could make you move to the top of the tree. But even the green stick can bend only up to certain limit beyond which you could fall down and endangering your life. 476

You should not over stretch yourself beyond limits. Even a person doing charity needs to keep in mind the wealth he has and not expend beyond the resources available. 477

Never mind your achievements being small. You should take up more tasks only when you think you have the resources therefor. At no time, go beyond your capacity. It is similar to the need to live within one’s income. 478

When one starts taking more than what his plate can accommodate, things will start falling off. One who starts living extravagantly could perish sooner. 479

Going beyond one’s capacity, can affect even the strongest. One’s charity beyond capacity could affect even the wealthy. 480

If overloaded, create your Team

The job requirements, the capabilities needed for performing the job and the appropriate time for making the induction must all be weighed and action taken for inducting a Team Member. 516

If you decide to make inductions to your Team, check the prospective members on four basic aspects. The basic aspects to be tested are his virtues, his financial position, his integrity and his safety consciousness. 501

The next aspects to be checked on the person to be had in your team, employed are his family background, freedom from vices, and fear of sins. 502

Beyond his blemish-less character, the next thing to be checked is his knowledge and competence for the job. One may have studied well, but yet, when it comes to the question of a job, one may still be ignorant of the expectations on the job. 503

Be careful about choosing persons who have no family to support. People who have no family to support lack social instincts and cannot think through their heart. And such persons can be reckless and commit crimes. 506

No one is either fully virtuous or free of all blemishes. Every one is a mixture of both good and bad. Therefore, weigh both good and bad in the person and decide based on what predominates in his composition. 504

Examine the good and bad in the prospective team member and choose the one who is most suitable. 511

In identifying people for your team, keep off from nepotism. Your blind attachment to a particular person could result in employing a person without sufficient knowledge. 507

Similarly, do not select total strangers, untested by the above parameters. If you do, you could land in troubles. 508

Employing a person without ability to persevere and achieve goals is like giving the sword to a soldier who is a coward. 614

Communicate expectations to your team members

Any Team Member must be one who could improve revenue and avoid losses for the employer. He must be one who should be able to overcome all obstacles on the way and do the right. 512

The Team Member must possess four qualities, viz. love for work, knowledge to do the job, skill to do the job and absence of greed to make money for himself. 513

Assign Tasks

Despite all assessment, every Team Member is likely to vary in his perceptions, performance and other endowments. 514

Notwithstanding individual differences in Team Members, one’s knowledge and ability to make his job a success should be re-tested before assignment of jobs. 515

Once satisfied that the person has stood the tests and proved himself suitable for task entrustment, he could be entrusted with the tasks identified for him. 517

The task entrustment to be done only after satisfaction that he would be fit enough to do that job. 518

Trust your Team Members

All assessments must be done before the candidate is put on the tasks. And once put on the tasks with deliberate care, trust must be placed on him to enable him to perform with confidence. Mistrust will affect his performance. 509

Trusting a person before assessment and mistrusting the person after task assignment, both are harmful. 510

Once he has joined you as a team member, trust the Members for performance of the jobs assigned. Mistrusting Team Members would result in their ineffective performance and consequently loss of the human resource so carefully acquired. 519

Not only trust them for their jobs, but also take care of their interests because by their performance of duties, they are going to carry the activities in their right path. 520

Make Performance Evaluation

Without mistrusting the Members, verify one’s quality by his actions. Assess his actions and identify what sort of a man is he. 505

10. Know What is Good Governance

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All Institutions to be governed well

Fearlessness, benevolence, wisdom and zeal are the hall marks of a good administrator.
382

Alertness, knowledge and courage are the essential attributes of any administrator. 383

Any Institution must observe unblemished virtue and abstain from all wrong doings. 384

The economic principles of an Institution must focus on producing, acquiring, preserving and making equitable distribution of wealth and services. 385

The people will greatly appreciate if Administrators are easy to access and treat the citizens courteously. 386

The whole world would respect such an administration which is courteous, friendly and protective of citizens’ interests. 387

Every Institution must dispense justice and protect the interests of people. And such Institutions are considered highly divine. 388

An Institution which would be receptive to criticism will be held high in esteem by all people. 389

An enlightened Administration is one which works with focus on beneficence, benevolence, rule of justice and people’s welfare. 390

What is Good Governance?

Proper examination of issues coming up, impartial consideration and doing justice to every one is good governance. 541

Just as the people of the world look up to the sky for adequate rains, the citizens of a country look up to all Institutions for good governance. Grace of God and grace in Governance are the two things that keep people happy. 542

The human civilization started with Good Governance. And based on those principles of Good Governance, codification was done in the form of Vedas, Scriptures and Dharma.
543

The people of whole world would eagerly submit themselves to the Government that practices Good Governance. 544

Where the Good Governance prevails, the environment is well taken care of and the Nature in return takes care of people blessing them with copious rains and plentiful crops.
545

God protects the world. The Ruler protects the people. Good Governance protects the ruler. 547

The Ruler who fails to govern well would be working towards his own dismissal. 548

When it is Bad Governance?

A Government which is unjust is worse than the cruelty of murderers. 551

A Ruler who demands money and practices extortion and corruption is like an armed highway robber demanding money. 552

Good Governance requires day to day dispensation of justice and day to day elimination of wrongs. The Administrator who fails in this is leading the country to ruin day by day.
553

The Government which does not prevent abuse of power would face economic disaster and would ultimately lose its people as well. 554

The misuse and abuse of powers in Government makes the people feel hapless. When people stand de-motivated, they cannot contribute to the promotion of economy. The result is economic down fall of the country. 555

A Government shines by Good Governance. And the absence of Good Governance makes the Government lose its shine and endurance. 556

Prosperity to people can be brought by the Government and the rains. People living without the support of the Government is the same as people living without rains. 557

The country may have all the wealth of natural resources. But none of these can bring prosperity to people under the Government which thrives on misuse and abuse of powers. Thus living under an unruly Government, is worse than living in poverty. 558

Rains fail to fall on the land governed by unjust Governments. When natural resources are plundered, the nature obviously feels it is no use giving such people the natural gifts. Thus where there is unjust ruler, there are inadequate rains. 559

If the protector does not protect, there would be problems of law and order since people would stop practicing virtues. When people stop practicing virtues productivity in the country will come down and the country as a whole would lose its prosperity. 560

Let there be discipline in all Functionaries

Good Governance warrants proper enquiry into alleged misuses of power and award of deterrent punishment to avoid recurrence. 561

Long term prosperity of the country can be ensured only by strict maintenance of discipline in Governance. The award of punishments must be quick but not necessarily severe. 562

Being severe with criminals and giving them exemplary punishments are not any faults in the Ruler. They are his duties to ensure protection of his subjects. 549

Awarding death penalty to murderers and the like is similar to weeding the field clear of unnecessary growth. 550

However, award of severe punishments bordering on terror and cruelty is not in the long term interest of the country. 563

Functionaries entrusted with the governing functions should not turn dictators. If they do so, they can not survive for long in power. 564

When the functionaries make themselves inaccessible, put people in fear and amass wealth for themselves, you can take it that the whole Governance has passed into the hands of demon. 565

Every enforcing agency must practice compassion. If they get cruel, do not respect people and do not practice compassion, it will drive away prosperity from the country.
566

Using unkind words and acting unjustly will take the shine out of the functionaries managing the affairs of the state. 567

The Ruler who does not heed to wise counsel and who makes the subjects victims of his wrath who soon shrink in size. 568

Every functionary is expected to protect people’s interests. All resources are entrusted to his hands only to act in people’s welfare. Despite resources in his hands, if he does not take efforts to protect his people, he will be unable to protect himself in times of turmoil.
569

Greatest of burdens befall on a country when the Ruler turns a Dictator surrounded by the selfish and unwise. 570

Let there be Kindliness towards people

The world can survive only if every one carries kindliness in their eyes and humanity in their demeanor. 571

Every one us live because someone is kind to us. If every one is unkind to one, he would have long quit and exited this world. Those who lack kindliness would endanger others and are thus a burden to this earth. 572

Music means there has to be tune. A song without a tune is not a song. Eye means it has to carry kindness. An eye without kindness is no more an eye. 573

Eyes do not become eyes just because they remain on our face. An eye without kindness is of no utility. 574

We wear ornaments to make our necks and hands a beauty. The ornament to the eyes is kindliness. And without kindliness, our eyes would look sour and thus are a mere sore on our face. 575

Eyes without the expression of kindness resemble barren trees on the earth. 576

Eyes to be meaningful must be benign. Without benignity in his eyes, the man is actually blind. He would be blind to people’s woes. 577

We all need to perform our duties with a graceful mind. The right to live in this world is available only to those who can exercise kindness without affecting their duties. 578

The greatest virtue in a person is extension of kind consideration even to those who bring grief to him. 579

A man is civilized only when he treats even bad people with equanimity. 580

Extend Courtesy towards citizens

Functionaries are to be courteous. They should be easy of access to people. That is the way they can command respect of all. 991

Functionaries should develop feelings of love and care for people coming to them and be virtuous. 992

One’s physical personality and impeccable dress do not necessarily enhance one’s worth. One’s worth comes from one’s courteous behavior and humanity. 993

Functionaries should focus on extending assistance to people and make them feel grateful. 994

Functionaries should take extra care not to be discourteous and unfriendly. 995

The edifice of the whole humanity is built on kindness of each other. Even the functionaries themselves survive only on the kindness of someone. If people are unkind to each other, the whole world would have perished long ago. 996

All functionaries are basically selected to the posts they occupy based on their knowledge and intellect. But their very purpose of being in that position is to be alive to the needs of people. But if one is not alive [to that purpose] he is as good as dead like a piece of wood. 997

Another trait needed in functionaries is to be courteous even to those who are rude. People aggrieved sometimes lose their temper in the presence of functionaries. Despite that, functionaries are expected to be courteous even to people who are unkind. 98

Aggrieved people who face discourtesy at the hands of functionaries feel it is dark all around, even in the day light. Having been rejected by the functionaries, they don’t know where to go. 999

The Government entrusts enormous resources at the hands of functionaries just to help people. It is like the cow giving the milk to every family to feed the children. But what would happen if that milk is kept in an unclean vessel and allowed to go sour? The children would go hungry despite the cow’s benevolence. Similar would the fate of resources entrusted at the hands of functionaries when they apply those resources to wrong ends and deprive needy citizens. 1000

According to Hindu mythology, the society was divided into four groups keeping Brahmins as superior to the other three. Similarly the Government too has divided the entire work force into four groups and has kept the administrators as superior to the other three. Just like the expectations from Brahmins, these administrators are expected to follow righteous path of Virtues with kindness and love towards all citizens. 30

The functionaries who simply watch deprivation and grievances abound in the country, do not deserve to stay in power. 1062

Rules have been made for good of the people. But the rule makers could not have envisaged all the situations that might surface. There the functionaries must not apply the rules blindly. They should apply them by looking into their appropriateness in the changing situations and apply them with common sense. 637

The functionaries should ensure that nothing unethical gets done under their jurisdiction. They should help the Government earn their revenue only through lawful taxes and levies. 756

Any work undertaken by the functionaries involving finance must be as transparent as two elephants engaging together on a mountain top in full public view. 758

The ultimate objective: Upgrade the country into a Nation

A Nation is one where there is abundance of produce, rich commerce and virtuous people. 731

A Nation is one which has enormous wealth and prosperity to share and there are no calamities. 732

A Nation is one which has the resources to bear its outgoings and the citizens willingly pay their taxes. 733

A Nation is one where there is absence of hunger, disease and wars. 734

A Nation is one where there are no groupisms, no internal dissentions and no criminal elements. 735

The best Nation is one which does not face any crisis and is capable of meeting any demands on it from out of its rich resources. 736

The limbs of a Nation are well protected borders, protective mountains and plenty of water resources, viz. the ground water resources, surface water resources and running water resources. 737

The five jewels of a Nation are Health, wealth, bountiful yields, happy citizens and effective security. 738

A Nation is one which is rich by its natural resources and not the one which produces wealth by toil and hard labor. 739

A good army, protected borders, friendship with the neighbors, virtuous ministers, wealthy economy and worthy citizens are the markings of Good Governance. 381

It is not the law and order enforcement that ensures peace and prosperity of a Nation. They are achieved through Good Governance. 546

When all the wealth is available but ruled by an incapable ruler and no harmony among people, a Nation becomes a mere country. 740

Where the Good Governance prevails, the environment is well taken care of and the Nature in return takes care of people blessing them with copious rains and plentiful crops.
545

[While translating from his writings in Tamil, I have used the words “Government” and “Institutions” interchangeably to cover different forms of Establishments. Whichever the term used, the tenets explained herein apply to all Establishments.]

11. Respect Environment

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Saint Thiruvalluvar, has spoken much about rains. His words of wisdom have much to communicate to us.

By sending the rains down to earth, the Divine energy of the Heaven is sending down the nectar for his children to live. We all survive and enjoy life, thanks to the rain. 11

Water is a multipurpose material. It both serves as food and producer of food. It alone helps growth and production of all inputs that we need in life. 12

If the rains would not fall, the whole world would starve. 13

If the rains would not fall, all agricultural activity would grind to a halt. 14

If the rains would not fall, we shall all perish. Only its regular blessings keep us alive. 15

If the rains would not fall, not even the grass would grow. Then where is greenery and prosperity? 16

If the rains would not fall, even the seas could shrink since they would not get replenished. 17

If the rains would not fall, all our celebrations, festivities and offerings would come to an end. 18

If the rains would not fall, the very word ‘benevolence’ would go out of the dictionary and every body would be out there grabbing what little is available and committing crimes. 19

If the rains do not fall, all virtues in the world would come an end. The world cannot exist without water. And there would be no water without rains. 20

Rains fail to fall on the land where people are unjust. When natural resources are plundered, the nature obviously feels it is no use giving such people the natural gifts. 559

Where there are good people, the environment is well taken care of and the Nature in return takes care of people blessing them with copious rains and plentiful crops. 545

12. Observe Spirituality in Life

2007-01-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

Spirituality and Thiruvalluvar

All the languages of the world start with the letter ‘A’. Thus the starting point had been the same for all of us. And for all of us that starting point is the God who created this world for us and created us as well. 1

We are all created by His pure knowledge and wisdom. All of us derived our languages from Him. Thus it becomes the first duty of all the educated people to express their gratitude to Him and to adore His great feet. 2

The God lives in the hearts of each of us. Those who find refuge in His Feet will lead a long life of happiness. 3

The head which does not bow in reverence before the Lord of all virtues and righteousness is merely a limb of the body without any sensation. 9

God has no likes and dislikes. He treats every body alike. Everyone is assured of a trouble free life if they live by His principles. And these principles are explained in Thirukkural. 4

God is incomparable because He is the embodiment of Values. Those who adopt His values in their day to day lives will be free of any distress. 7

God, our Father is embodiment of enlightenment and grace. If we adhere to the principles of God we too can attain enlightenment and grace. All problems of human race arise from living in ignorance of His principles and from making faults. 5

Human problems arise out of misdeeds committed by the five senses, viz. eyes, ears, tongue, nose and the sense organ. Those who can control these senses and lead a disciplined life can attain fame and longevity. 6

Be guided by those who have crossed the sea of virtues embodied in the Principles of God. When you swim in the sea of virtues, you also swim through wealth and happiness. 8

By observing virtues, we cross the ocean of life with success and attain the feet of Lord and thus overcome the cycle of birth and death. Those who do not adopt a virtuous life would not be able to cross the ocean of life and reach the feet of the Lord. Thus they would continue to travel through the cycle of birth and death eternally. 10