What fault of spring that the bamboo shoot has no leaves? What fault of the sun if the owl cannot see during the daytime? Is it the fault of the clouds if no raindrops fall into the mouth of the chatak bird? Who can change one's fate as determined by God at birth?

Those who treat their own with love, others with kindness; are ruthless to the wicked frank with the the noble indifferent to the fool respectful to scholars; take their enemies with bravery, pay obeisance to the teacher, are not infatuated with women; are known as great men.

He is a blessed householder in who's house there is a blissful atmosphere talented sons wife speaks sweetly wealth is enough to satisfy him pleasure in the company of his wife servants are obedient guests are honored Lord Shiva is worshiped daily delicious food & water to drink.

A student who desires education must shun the following eight activities: - Sexual intercourse - Gratification of the tongue - Showing anger - Greed - Caring for personal beautification - Moving in fair for entertainment - Excessive sleeping - Indulging in anything excessively

It is not strange if a man reviles (Degrades) a thing of which he has no knowledge, just as a wild hunter's wife throws away the pearl that is found in the head of an elephant, and picks up a gunj (a type of seed which poor tribals wear as ornaments).

Just as the wine pot, which can not be purified even after burning it with fire, the malice from the hearts of wicked people can not be removed even after repeated baths in holy waters.

No amount of instruction can turn a wicked person into a noble person just as no amount of milk and ghee put on the roots of a neem treen can make it taste sweet. A person's basic nature can not be changed.

He who is attached to home will never acquire knowledge; meat eaters are not merciful; the greedy man will not be truthful; and purity will not be found in a woman* and a hunter. [* has also been translated as "an effeminate person"]

Even a large elephant is controlled by the goad. Is the goad as powerful as an elephant? A lit lamp removes darkness. Is a lamp as vast as darkness? A thunderbolt breaks a mountain into pieces. Is the thunder as big as a mountain? No. Brilliance matters, not physical size.

He who forsakes his own community and joins another perishes as the king who embraces an unrighteous path.

Charitable disposition, sweet tongue, patience and proper wisdom (according to the demands of the situation) are inborn qualities of a person which cannot be cultivated by practice .

Sorrow aggravates diseases; milk nourishes the body quickly; ghee (clarified butter) enhances semen in a man's body and strength in a woman's, and meat-eating only adds to the flesh of the body.

Flour gives ten times more strength than the ordinary cereal; milk gives ten times more strength than flour; meat gives ten times more strength than milk; but ghee gives ten times more strength than even meat.

Despite my being well versed in Sanskrit language, I want to learn other languages, Just as the Gods, despite having nectar available, lust for imbibing the juice of the divine dancer's (Apsara's) lips.

He who has intelligence has power, for how can a fool have any power? A tiny rabbit is capable of slaying even an enraged lion in the Jungle. [The reference is to an ancient 2500 year old panchatantra story where a rabbit leads a drunk lion into a lake.]

Many kinds of birds sit and rest on a tree in the night but fly in different directions in the morning. What is there to grieve about? [Separation is a regular feature of this world]

The root of the tree must be protected at all costs as the whole tree derives strength from it. If the root is lost then neither the leaves would remain nor the branches.

It is better to stay in a forest full of panthers and elephants, to live beneath trees and survive on jungle fruits and the water of streams, to sleep in beds made of wild straw and wear clothes made of tree bark and leaves than to stay with relatives as a pauper.

By offending a kinsman, life is lost; by offending others, wealth is lost; by offending the king, everything is lost; and by offending a brahman, one's whole family is ruined.

There is no way [or device] on the Earth by which a wicked man could be made a good man. Even if one washes the anus region a hundred times, it cannot be made a pious organ.