Neeti book of Chanakya is what most of the common people know him with. It is the selling brand of his wisdom.
The book consists of couplets and quartets which tell ‘Do and Dont’s of everyday life. He claims them to be the extracts of the wisdom of various scripture written for the benefits of the masses. They are his maxims of the science of politial ethics. The word politics is not used by him in the conventional narrow sense. It covers all dealing and matters concerning life.
The maxims lay great stress on the importance of education in life and society. A man’s upbringing and religious nature is also highly rated by him.
There are some controversial view also. His bias against woman and lower castes shows up at several places. His praise of Brahmins is stretched too far to appear grossly illogical. At times his statements are contradictory bording brazen double speak.
The couplets and quartets are written in Sanskrit and are grouped in more than a score of chapters. The grouping is haphazard. There is no subject wise classification. He has used comparisons and analogs to make his poin clear in suitable situations.
Salient Chanakya maxims
- Henna gives off colour best when crused. Similarly a woman is best whom handed or worked hard.
- In bright sunlight moon is invisible. Smilarly a man living in the shadow or shelter of other makes no progress.
- Snake has poision in its fangs, bee in its sting and a scorpion in its tail. But an evil man in posion through and through.
- Don’t live in a house where there is snake, dishonest friend or woman of bad character.
- Make home a place where there is river nearby, good king and fair law and order situation, flourishing trade and good education system.
- The worst one can do to himself is by living with an evil man.
- Impolite servant is the biggest woe and embarrassment.
- A woman who ventures out of home on her own is bound to fall to bad ways.
- A man’s common sense deserts him when misfortunes arrive.
- There is good in everything a wise man says or does. A cow gives only milk irrespective of what it eats.
- Birds gather on a tree to spend the night. In the morning they fly away in different directions. Similar is the relationships of a man. Separation from near and dear ones should not be grieved upon. Take it as a law of nature.
- Beauty of a man lies in his qualities and good character, not in his physical apperance.
- A polite speaker is liked by everyone. It is one’s best advertisement.
- There is particular time to do everything. The right timing is very important. A cuckoo singing in autumn is a bad sign.
- The power does not lie in size. A small goad has the power to control an elephant.
- Kings speak for once. So do men of wisdom. Daughter is given in marriage only once. There all are on times. Their repeatition is no good.
- A man dependent on relatives gets no honour. It is better to live in jungle with beasts and eat grass.
- A son born dead is better than a foolish son. For the former you cry once. But a foolish son is a life long sorrow and grief.
- Learning is a real treasure. It will keep you in demand wherever you go.
- When your body is healthy death appears a distant threat. But it will steal a march on you giving no time to redeem your soul. Don’t waste time.
- One moon lights up the earth like thousands of stars can not. A good son similarly is better than a hundred worthless ones.
- Unwholes one food, scowhig wife, stupid son and widowed daughter are the biggest miseries of life. They burn one to ashes from within.
- A woman ages fast without love from her man, a garment fades being left in sunlight, constant travel brings old age upto a man and a horse gets old when tied up always.
- A family gathering is poison to a poor man, food is poison to a person suffering from acute indigestion and a young wife is a poison to an aged husband.
- To a problem besieged man there things prove great consolations: Children, faithful wife and the company of the devotees of God.
- Meditation is best done alone, study by two, singing by three, a journey by four, cultivation by five and war by an army.
- A good friend is one who stands by in the court of the king, in times of famine, in war and in trouble.
- A single sandalwood true spreads fragrance in the entire forest. Similarly a good son born brings glory to entire dynasty.
- Indulge a son upto five years of age, use cane for next ten years and then on treat him like a friend.
Panchtantra stories
Some people belive that the famous stories of Panchtantra were also written by Chanakya under the name Vihnugupta. The lore is that a king had four were refusing to get educated. The were obstreparous kinds, the woes of a teacher. No teacher could control them or was bale to impart education to them. The king was sad. He didn’t know what to do. The princes were growing up into morons.
The king announced a reward for anyone who could put sense into the princes and make them man of some wisdom. A teacher called Vishnugupta accepted the challenge. But he made it clear that he won’t do it for money. He only valued the restpect that a true teacher merited. The rewards were incidental.
Vishnugupta used a innovative way of teaching. he told stories to the princes. The stories were so interesting and original that the princes listened to them spell boud. The characters of his stories were birds and animals. Every story carried some moral lesson. The stories taught values, the importance of wit and wisdom, the clever ploys, the stratogems, frienship, the evil of greed, the result of stupidity, the harms of tricking others and a host of other values.
The stories proved so effecitve that at the end the princes had been converted into the worldly wise youngmen.
These educative stories caught the attention of everyone when it was translated into English. Panchtantra stories gained worldwide fame and it is one of the few books that have been translated into all of the languages of the world. The stories transcend all cultural and national barriers.
These stories inspired the creation of several series of similar stories from different angles, backgrounds and shades in various languages by several writers of different cultures.
If indeed Panchtantra was written by Chanakya he can no doubt be rated as rare genius of all times. Any one could have made name and fame by writing Panchtantra only. In case of Panchtantra it was Chanakya’s by-product only.
Every child born anywhere in the world reads Panchtantra stories in different forms in his childhood. They are as popular as fairy tales. The Panchtantra tales are treasrued items of world children literature.
