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Even a captured enemy is not to be trusted.

Chanakya

The poor wish for wealth; animals for the faculty of speech; men wish for heaven; and godly persons for liberation.
CHANAKYA

Animal God Heaven Liberty Man Person Wealth
The learned are envied by the foolish; rich men by the poor; chaste women by adulteresses; and beautiful ladies by ugly ones.
CHANAKYA

Adult Beautiful Fools Jealous Learning Ugly Woman
Before you start some 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.
CHANAKYA

Question Reason Satisfaction Start Success Thinking Work Yourself
A low-minded person should not be given good advice.
CHANAKYA

Advice Goodness Mindset Person Wasted Time
A thing may be dreaded as long as it has not overtaken you.
CHANAKYA

Control Deep Fear Yourself
Brass is polished by ashes; copper is cleaned by tamarind; a woman, by her menses; and a river by its flow.
CHANAKYA

Cleaning Flow Metal River Woman
Those born blind cannot see; similarly blind are those in the grip of lust. Proud men have no perception of evil; and those bent on acquiring riches see no sin in their actions.
CHANAKYA

Action Born Control Evil Lust Man Proud Rich See Sin
He who look at a woman who is not his wife as a mother; wealth that is not his as dust and all the men as himself… is a happy man. He, who sees all these things under a different light, is a blind.
CHANAKYA

Different Happiness Himself Man Mom See Wealth Wife Woman
That man who is without religion and mercy should be rejected. A guru without spiritual knowledge should be rejected. The wife with an offensive face should be given up, and so should relatives who are without affection.
CHANAKYA

Affection Appearance Face Family Give Up Knowledge Man Mercy Rejection Relative Religion Spiritual Wife
Let not a single day pass without your learning a verse, half a verse, or a fourth of it, or even one letter of it; nor without attending to charity, study and other pious activity.
CHANAKYA

Activity Charity Education Learning Religious Study
Our bodies are perishable, wealth is not at all permanent and death is always nearby. Therefore we must immediately engage in acts of merit.
CHANAKYA

Act Body Death Engagement Ourselves Wealth Wisdom
A man is great by deeds, not by birth.
CHANAKYA

Action Born Greatness Man
It is better to live under a tree in a jungle inhabited by tigers and elephants, to maintain oneself in such a place with ripe fruits and spring water, to lie down on grass and to wear the ragged barks of trees than to live amongst one’s relations when reduced to poverty.
CHANAKYA

Better Choice Live Nature Oneself Place Poor Poverty Relationship Tree Water
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.
CHANAKYA

Better Death Grace Grief Life Loss Moments Oneself Pain Respect
Religion is preserved by wealth; knowledge by diligent practice; a king by conciliatory words; and a home by a dutiful housewife.
CHANAKYA

Home King Knowledge Practice Preserve Religion Wealth Wife Word
Accumulated wealth is saved by spending just as incoming fresh water is saved by letting out stagnant water.
CHANAKYA

Money Save Water Wealth Wisdom
The beauty of a cuckoo is in its notes, that of a woman in her unalloyed devotion to her husband, that of an ugly person in his scholarship, and that of an ascetic in his forgiveness.
CHANAKYA

Beautiful Devotion Education Forgiveness Husband Person Song Ugly Woman
Women have hunger two-fold, shyness four-fold, daring six-fold, and lust eight-fold as compared to men.
CHANAKYA

Comparison Dare Lust Man Shy Woman
There are three gems upon this earth; food, water, and pleasing words – fools consider pieces of rocks as gems.
CHANAKYA

Earth Food Fools Rock Thinking Water Word Worth
Knowledge is lost without putting it into practice; a man is lost due to ignorance; an army is lost without a commander; and a woman is lost without a husband.
CHANAKYA

Army Husband Ignorance Knowledge Leadership Lost Man Practice Woman
Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.
CHANAKYA

Friendship Happiness People Yourself
A permanent relationship is dependent on particular purpose or wealth.
CHANAKYA

Dependent Purpose Relationship Wealth
Rain which falls upon the sea is useless; so is food for one who is satiated; in vain is a gift for one who is wealthy; and a burning lamp during the daytime is useless.
CHANAKYA

Day Fall Food Gift Rain Sea Waste Wealth
A still-born son is superior to a foolish son endowed with a long life. The first causes grief for but a moment while the latter like a blazing fire consumes his parents in grief for life.
CHANAKYA

Born Consumption Fire Fools Grief Life Moments Parents Son
Although an ass is tired, he continues to carry his burden; he is unmindful of cold and heat; and he is always contented; these three things should be learned from the ass.
CHANAKYA

Animal Burden Carry Cold Learning Mindset Satisfaction
Union in privacy (with one’s wife); boldness; storing away useful items; watchfulness; and not easily trusting others; these five things are to be learned from a crow.
CHANAKYA

Animal Bold Easy Learning Privacy Sex Store Trust Unity
He who gives up shyness in monetary dealings, in acquiring knowledge, in eating and in business, becomes happy.
CHANAKYA

Business Deal Eat Give Up Happiness Knowledge Money Shy

Even a captured enemy is not to be trusted.

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Even a captured enemy is not to be trusted.

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