BOOK REVIEW: Complete Chanakya Neeti

By Jayakumar Balasubramanian September 10, 200616 Comments

Author: Chanakya (Translation and comments by Vishwamitra Sharma)
Price: 80 INR

This is a wonderful book, contains couplets written by Chanakya. Chanakya is considered to be one of the brilliant strategist and economist of all time. Due to his political wisdom and diplomatic skills he is called as ‘Machiaville of India’. The Dos and Don’ts suggested by Chanakya in these couplets are very much true even today. I could also compare these couplets with ‘Thirukkural’ (In Tamizh) written by Thiruvalluvar. This book once again proves the ‘superior’ thought process of Indians which they had thousands of years ago. But in this book Chanakya considers and comments on women in a very bad fashion which I am not able to agree. Following are some of my favorites from this book:

• An industrious person can never be poor, always keeping God in mind keeps one away from sin, the silence doest not let quarrels appear and an ever vigilant person has no cause for fear.

• The following six things are living funeral for a man: To live in a village of bad characters, to work for an evil family, to get bad food to eat, a short tempered wife, a foolish son and a widowed daughter.

• Do not be too simple and too straight. Go to the jungle to see how the smooth and straight trees have been cut down mercilessly but the crooked ones stand unharmed.

• A person who is shameless (Bold) in the matters of: Dealing with money or trade, learning some art or skill, eating and behavior, is a happy one.

• Be content with what you have already got as wife, food and income. But don’t ever be content with your knowledge, self-improvement and charity.

• In this world, those who desire only for wealth are lowly people of lowest level. Those who desire wealth and respect are people of middle level. The persons of highest level only desire honor and respect.

• Sages say that one Yavana, the foreign invader is as filthy as thousand scavengers.

• No blessing is greater than peace. No joy is greater when contentment. No disease is worse than greed. No religion is greater than mercy.

• It is of no use to give advice to persons who have no capacity to receive or imbibe. The fragrant winds coming from the forest of sandalwood trees do not aromate the bamboo groves which continue to be offensive smelling.

• Brain power is the mightiest power. The physical power may look fearsome but it has no clever edge to sin against wisdom. Remember the story how a lion got killed by a clever rabbit.

• Something which looks too far off to achieve, intangible and too high to attain, can be reached through perseverance, dogged effort, hard work and single minded devotion. Nothing is impossible. Even God is just a true penance away.

Jayakumar Balasubramanian

I am Jayakumar, an EdTech Entrepreneur from Bangalore, India. This blog is an attempt to share my learning and connect / collaborate with like-minded people. Feel free to reach out to me via the contact-me page or simply by leaving a comment below.

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