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Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One. The Mirror of Poetry and Polity Table of Contents Just as righteous kings, ministers, and chaplains; Relying on the science of polity, make just decisions. The four Vedas with their auxiliary disciplines, the extensive Mīmāṃsā and Nyāya; The science of Dharma and the Purāṇas, these are the fourteen branches of knowledge. Āyurveda, Dhanurveda, and Gāndharvaveda, these three; And Arthaśāstra as the fourth, these are considered the eighteen branches of knowledge. Memory, tradition, calculation, and the special science of diseases; Music, courtesanship, archery, and completion. Medicine, history, astrology, illusion, and prosody; Knowledge of omens, grammar, these are the eighteen arts. Discipline is known as punishment, the king exists because of punishment; His polity is the science of punishment, it is called guidance. Because the world is led by punishment, or punishment leads again; It is known as the science of punishment, the three worlds bow to it. I will speak of the collection of royal policies, gathered from various sciences; This science is the seed of all, the essence of Chāṇakya's teachings. I will declare the fundamental principles, as stated by Chāṇakya; By understanding which, a fool becomes wise. Gaining friends, dividing allies, war, and peace; These five strategies, and others, are written from other texts. From the Worldly Polity – (1) Section on the Wise. (2) Section on the Good. (3) Section on the Foolish and Wicked. (4) Section on Friends. (5) Section on Women. (6) Section on Kings. (7) Miscellaneous Section. Worldly Polity – The wise, the good, the wicked, friends, and women; Kings and miscellaneous matters, adorned in seven sections. Revised with the auspiciousness of the wheel and Indra, in the Kāsika year; In the second Āsāḷha month of Chanotiya, the seventh day of the dark fortnight is the beginning. I will speak of the Worldly Polity, gathered from various sciences; In brief, in the Magadhi language, having venerated the Triple Gem. Polity is the essence for a person in the world, Like mother, father, teacher, and friend; Therefore, a person should understand polity, To be wise, great, and learned. Great and Worthy Polity – (1) Discourse on the Wise. (2) Discourse on Discord. (3) Discourse on Friends. (4) The Leader's Discourse. (5) Discourse on Women The great, worthy, solitary sage, free from hindrances and craving; Liberated, liberated, beautiful to see, I venerate the excellent Bodhi tree, the best. A guide to beings, the essence of morality, a friend, a teacher, and a father; Moral, of excellent intellect, learned, and seeing the meaning. Moral Principles – (1) Discourse on Teachers (2) Discourse on Skills (3) Discourse on Wisdom (4) Discourse on Learning (5) Discourse on Stories (6) Discourse on Wealth (7) Discourse on Countries (8) Discourse on Dependence (9) Discourse on Friends (10) Discourse on the Wicked (11) Discourse on the Good (12) Discourse on Strength (13) Discourse on Women (14) Discourse on Suitability (15) Discourse on Servants (16) Discourse on Household Life (17) Discourse on What Should Be Done (18) Discourse on What Should Not Be Done (19) Discourse on What Should Be Known (20) Discourse on Adornment (21) Discourse on Royal Duties (22) Discourse on Attendants (23) Discourse on Mixed Discourses on Suffering, etc. (24) Miscellaneous Discourses The supreme wheel-turning monarch, the god of gods, the king of gods, The Brahma above Brahma, the Brahma king, may the Victor fulfill my aspirations. May the teaching of the Victor, which destroys great delusion and darkness, Shine brightly in the world for a long time, benefiting all beings. Having venerated the excellent jewel, relying on former teachers, I will explain the moral principles, bringing happiness to the whole world. The teacher and the skill, wisdom, learning, discourse, and wealth; The country and dependence, friend, the wicked, the good, and strength. Woman, son, and servant, household life, what is done and not done; What should be known and adornment, royal duties, and attendants; Mixed discourses on suffering, etc., and miscellaneous topics are the outline. Royal Policies – Learn one thing from the lion, one from the heron, four from the rooster; Five from the crow, the king should be like six dogs and three donkeys. 1. Whether a great task or a small one, whatever task one wishes to do; It should be done with all effort, in that case, one is like the one thing from the lion. 2. With well-controlled senses, one should be wise like the heron; Knowing the place and the time, one should accomplish all tasks. 3. Rising early, fighting, sharing with relatives; And enjoying pleasures without being overcome by women, learn these four things from the rooster. 4. Secretly engaging in sexual intercourse, looking at food, knowing The collection of precepts; Looking around, laziness, Five things should be learned from crows. 5. Not lazy, not fearing danger, Sound sleep, easy to awaken, Strong devotion and bravery, These six qualities should be sought. 6. Weary, he carries the burden, Cold and heat he does not consider; Content he should always be, These three things should be learned from a donkey. 7. These twenty qualities, A wise person should practice here; He will conquer all enemies, He will be full of glory. (1) The chapter on the wise (2) the chapter on the good (3) the chapter on the foolish and wicked (4) the chapter on friends (5) the chapter on kings (6) the chapter on leaders (7) the chapter on sons (8) the chapter on physicians and teachers (9) the chapter on servants (10) the chapter on women (11) the miscellaneous chapter Whoever makes the Kavidappaṇa-nīti A part of their speech, In the middle of the world, They are known as wise and learned. The Kavidappaṇa-nīti Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One Salutation to the Triple Gem 1. The great and excellent Buddha, And the Dhamma served by him; The Saṅgha, also without blemish, I respectfully salute with my head. 2. I will compose in brief, Gathered from various texts; For the benefit of poets, a treatise on ethics, Called the Kavidappaṇa. The Chapter on the Wise 3. Ethics is the essence for humans, A friend and also a teacher; A mother and father is the ethical person, The learned one, the author of books. 4. For the lazy, where is skill? For the unskilled, where is wealth? For the poor, where are friends? For the friendless, where is happiness? For the unhappy, where is merit? For the unmeritorious, where is excellence? 5. One who thinks well-considered thoughts, And speaks well-spoken words; And does well-done deeds, Is a wise and virtuous person. 6. Poets and goldsmiths, having made, Heated and refined gold; Make ornaments, prose, and verse, And make them delightful. 7. Much and little, grasping, And proper consideration; Not forgetting what is grasped, This is the mark of the truly wise. 8. As if immortal, the wise one Should consider the meaning and the goal; As if seized by the hair, By death, one should practice the Dhamma. 9. There is no wealth like skill, Skill thieves cannot seize; In this world, skill is a friend. 10. "The mouth is for eating, for speaking," do not say that. But the wise person speaks words brought forth from the mouth. 11. Praise from fools, and blame from the wise; Better is blame from the wise, than praise from fools. 12. In the profound, meaningful, well-spoken words of the Buddha, Always take instruction, revering the teacher properly. Therefore, in the profound, meaningful, well-spoken words of the Buddha, Always take instruction, revering the teacher properly. 13. Devoid of the teacher's instruction, one does not find the essence of meaning. Devoid of the essence of meaning, one declines from the true Dhamma. 14. Possessing the teacher's instruction, endowed with the essence of meaning, Protecting the true Dhamma, one does not decline from the true Dhamma. 15. Among all possessions, wisdom is said to be supreme, Because it is inexhaustible, priceless, and always imperishable. 16. Even with little, the wise, the discerning, with skill, Raises oneself up, like a small fire fanned. 17. In the wise are all virtues, in the foolish only faults; Therefore, one wise person is superior to a thousand fools. 18. Fools envy the virtuous, those who do no wrong; The wise are respected, but to the ignorant they are the same. 19. One should speak only what is pleasing, never what is displeasing; To one who speaks what is pleasing, he bore a heavy burden with respect; And he gained wealth, and his mind was pleased by it. 20. Learning gives humility, from humility one attains worthiness; From worthiness one obtains wealth, from wealth Dhamma, then happiness. 21. Those who respect the elders, people skilled in the Dhamma, Receive praise in this very life, and a good destination in the next. 22. Like a mother towards others' wives, like a clod of dirt towards others' possessions, Like oneself towards all beings, whoever sees thus is wise. 23. A person should aspire, a wise person should not despair, In blameless actions, praised by the virtuous. A person should aspire, a wise person should not despair, "I will see myself, as I wished." Yes, it was so. 24. A man should strive, A wise man should not despair; In meritorious deeds, Praised by the wise. 25. What is unachievable For energetic people in the world? Even a great bridge over the ocean Is built by troops of monkeys. 26. What is the use of a large family, If a man is devoid of virtues? Even a low-born man who knows the scriptures Is revered even by the gods. 27. They desire a hero in battles, One who is not curious in counsel; And pleasant food and drink, And a wise man when a matter arises. 28.