Tuhin Sarwar:
Who was Chanakya, what did he do, and why is he such a renowned figure? Most of us are familiar with him. We often hear politicians say things like “India operates according to Chanakya’s principles” or “India’s foreign policy follows Chanakya’s guidelines.” We’ve read many articles about him in newspapers and magazines. Therefore, I won’t delve too deeply into his background. I will only provide a brief overview.
Chanakya was a distinguished economics, politics, social policy, and diplomacy teacher in our subcontinent. At the same time, he served as the Prime Minister of the Mauryan Empire. Around twenty-three centuries ago, he carried out his teachings and activities on this land. Even as Prime Minister, he lived in a cremation ground; he encouraged local kings to free their lands from foreign control and led the battles himself.
Pseudonyms also knew him; he was referred to as Kautilya or Vishnugupta. For those of us who write under pseudonyms on blogs or Facebook, he can be considered a mentor. What he started twenty-three centuries ago, we are still doing today. Surely, even back then, there were people searching for his head and putting it in the right place?
The main purpose of my writing is not to promote him; rather, I aim to highlight his timeless teachings which are just as relevant and true today, twenty-three centuries later
Essence of Chanakya’s Principles:
1. A king who cannot comprehend the movements of his enemies and merely complains about being stabbed in the back should be dethroned.
2. All endeavors depend on money.
Therefore, the greatest attention should be given to the treasury. There are forty methods of embezzling funds.
Just as one cannot taste sweetness with poison on the tip of the tongue, it is equally impossible for a royal official to avoid embezzling even a small portion of the king’s revenue.
Just as the movement of fish underwater cannot be determined without seeing them drink or not drink water, it is similarly impossible to observe the embezzlement of a royal treasury.
The flight of a bird can be observed even from the highest sky, but understanding the secret activities of a royal official is equally impossible.
3. It is appropriate to accept nectar from poison, gold from dirty places, knowledge from lowly individuals, and a virtuous wife from a humble family.
4. Desires of the mind should not be suppressed. These desires should be utilized like the humming of a song.
5. For the diligent, nothing is impossible to achieve. For an educated person, no land is foreign. Sweet-tongued people have no enemies.
6. Even among a vast herd of animals, the young one finds its mother. Similarly, work always follows the one who performs it.
7. It is meaningless to go to a sacred place with a pure mind.
What do you understand? These are the teachings from twenty-three centuries ago! Has even one of them been disproven today? Or have they become even more relevant in our lives?
Now let’s discuss his various verses or teachings
Chanakya Verses
1. Faults cannot be concealed in excessive familiarity.
2. The lower class seeks wealth, the middle class seeks wealth and
honor, while the superior class seeks only honor. Honor is the wealth of the great.
3. Many study the four Vedas and religious texts but do not know the self, just as a cooking pot does not know the taste of cooking.
4. Advising the empty-headed yields no result;
bamboo does not turn into sandalwood by being near Malaya Mountain.
5. Neglect destroys work, excessive eating ruins family, begging leads to loss of respect, and poverty destroys intellect.
6. Knowledge without practice, eating without digestion, wasting time in the company of the poor, and a young wife for an old man are like poison.
7. There is no enemy like arrogance.
8. The movement of a bird flying in the sky can be known, but the activities of a concealed worker cannot be known.
9. There are many faults in giving affection, and many virtues in disciplining. Therefore, it is necessary to discipline sons and disciples, not to give them affection.
10. The certain path of disaster is the indulgence of the senses; the path to prosperity is conquering them, and each person follows the path they desire
<div class="substack-post-embed"><p lang="en">Chanakya's Priceless Words Can Change Your Destiny! by Tuhin Sarwar</p><p>Who was Chanakya, what did he do, and why is he such a renowned figure? Most of us are familiar with him</p><a data-post-link href="https://tuhineye.substack.com/p/chanakyas-priceless-words-can-change">Read on Substack</a></div><script async src="https://substack.com/embedjs/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Reference: https://tuhineyes.medium.com/chanakyas-priceless-words-can-change-your-destiny-835c0e5b71ed
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Reference: https://tuhinsarwar.blogspot.com/2024/08/chanakyas-priceless-words-can-change.html