Most Popular Quotes | Acharya Chanakya

Acharya Chanakya was a 4th Century BCE ancient India's philosopher, economist, jurist, royal adviser and teacher. There are two books attributed to Chanakya namely Arthashastra and Chanakya Niti, also known as Chanakya Niti-shashtra. In that era, teacher were called as Acharya. Being a teacher he was referred as "Acharya Chanakya". Below are the most popular quotes from his treatise "Chanakya Niti" which are revered even today among scholars and philosophers. He is traditionally identified as Kautilya or Vishnugupta in the Mauryan Empire.

• A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.

• Before you start any work, always ask yourself three questions – why am I doing it, what the results might be and will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead.

• Once you start working on something, don’t be afraid of failure and don’t abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.

• The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.

• There is self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interest. This is a bitter truth.

• There are three gems upon this earth; food, water and pleasing words. Fools (Mudhas) consider pieces of rocks as gems.

• As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.

• Till the time you don’t decide to run, you are not in the competition.

• Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.

• If you want to cast a spell on an intelligent person, then tell him the truth.

• Learn from the mistakes of others...you can’t live enough to make them all yourselves!!

• Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.

• A good wife is one who serves her husband in the morning like a mother does, loves him in the day like a sister does and pleases him like a prostitute in the night.

• The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions.

• The one excellent thing that can be learned from a lion is that whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a wholehearted and strenuous effort.

• He who is overly attached to his family members experiences fear and sorrow, for the root of all grief is attachment. Thus one should discard attachment to be happy.

• There is no austerity equal to a balanced mind, and there is no happiness equal to contentment; There is no disease like covetousness, and no virtue like mercy.

• Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.

• There is poison in the fang of the serpent, in the mouth of the fly and in the sting of a scorpion; but the wicked man is saturated with it.

• One whose knowledge is confined to books and whose wealth is in the possession of others can use neither his knowledge nor wealth when the need for them arises.

• The serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the dog owned by other people, and the fool: these seven ought not to be awakened from sleep.

• O wise man! Give your wealth only to the worthy and never to others. The water of the sea received by the clouds is always sweet.

• Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.

• As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; When death is imminent what can you do?

• The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.

• It is better to die than to preserve this life by incurring disgrace.

• The loss of life causes but a moment's grief, but disgrace brings grief every day of one's life.

• If one has a good disposition, what other virtue is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation?

• The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.

• A man with reason succeeds in life, and opposite is the case for a man with excuses.

• You can win a greedy by offering money, a proud person by pretending your devotion, you can win a fool by agreeing with him, and you can win a scholar by truth and only truth.

• There are two ways to deal with thorns and wicked people. One is crushing them and the other is to stay away from them.

• Like Money in hands of others is of no use. In same manner knowledge confined to books is also of no use to a person.

• Intelligent men have no enemies.

• A man desiring flowers does not irrigate a dead tree.

• Only Courage cannot lead you to Victory.

• You can attain true knowledge by serving old people.

• The forest fire burns even trees like sandalwood.

• A man is great by deeds, not by birth.

• Great men should not depend on the valor of others.

• Greed puts a cover on intelligence.

About Author:

Authored by Bhiva Palav.He is a blogger and a youtuber. He has keen interest in Indian culture and spirituality.

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