Page 32 - Sri Canakya Niti

1.2 Śrī Cāṇakya-nīti

Life is too short to waste in chasing the illusory objects of desire. It is
a grave mistake to ruin this rare opportunity of life by submerging the
senses in the so-called pleasures of bodily enjoyment that are widely
available even to cats and dogs on the street. In the first verse of

Śrī Cāṇakya-nīti, the wise paṇḍita turns us toward the goal of life,
worship of the Supreme Lord, before turning his attention to the more
mundane aspects of nīti-śāstra. He who wishes to become great must
serve the greatest and that can be accomplished only through humility.
Thus our great paṇḍita shows us the way by bowing his head unto the
almighty Viṣṇu before stating vakṣye rāja-nīti-samuccayam: “I shall
now describe political ethics.”

ŚLOKA 1.2
ं
अधीत्येदं यथाशा नरो जानाित सत्तमः ।
ं
धमोर्पदेशिवख्यात कायार्कायर्ं शुभाशुभम् ॥२॥
adhītyedaṁ yathā-śāstraṁ
naro jānāti sattamaḥ
dharmopadeśa-vikhyātaṁ
kāryākāryaṁ śubhāśubham

A person is most excellent who, through a study of these scriptural
precepts obtained from various śāstras, acquires an understanding
of these principles of dharma, and thereby understands what is to
be followed and what is not to be followed.

Commentary: Here Cāṇakya Paṇḍita demonstrates that in order
to be rightly called “the śāstra of common sense,” nīti-śāstra must
eventually lead to dharma-śāstra, pursuance of spiritual goals. It
follows therefore that a life void of religious understanding is a life
that is bereft of common sense. The second verse underscores the
fi rst.

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