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Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One. Cāṇakya's Precepts 1. I will speak of the essence, A collection of royal policies; This treatise is the seed of all, Cāṇakya's compilation of wisdom. 2. I will recite the fundamental verses, As spoken by Cāṇakya; By the mere understanding of which, A fool becomes wise. 3. A learned man and a king, Are never comparable; A king is honored in his own country, But a learned man is honored everywhere. 4. The wise have all virtues, The foolish have only faults; Therefore, among a thousand fools, One wise man excels. 5. He who sees other people's wives as his mother, Other people's wealth as a clod of dirt; And all beings as himself, Is truly wise. 6. What is the use of a large family, If a man is devoid of virtue? Even one of low birth, knowing the scriptures, Is honored even by the gods. 7. Endowed with beauty and youth, Born in a great family; But lacking knowledge, they are not beautiful, Like the *kiṃsuka* flower without fragrance. 8. The moon is the ornament of the stars, The husband is the ornament of a woman; The king is the ornament of the earth, Knowledge is the ornament of all. 9. The mother is an enemy, the father a foe, If they do not educate their child; He does not shine in the assembly, Like a heron among swans. 10. Better is one virtuous son, Than a hundred foolish ones; One moon dispels the darkness, Not even a multitude of stars. 11. Cherish for five years, Discipline for ten years; But when the son reaches sixteen, Treat him like a friend. 12. There are many faults in indulgence, Many virtues in discipline; Therefore, a son and a student, Should be disciplined, not indulged. 13. By even one good tree, In full bloom and fragrant; The whole forest is perfumed, Just as a family by a good son. 14. By even one bad tree, With a hollow eaten by fire; The whole forest is burned, Just as a family by a bad son. 15. A fool looks good from afar, Dressed in flowing robes; And the fool looks good, As long as he does not speak. 16. Take nectar from poison, Gold even from filth; Superior knowledge from the lowly, A w Even a rag is a jewel. 17. In festivals, in calamities, In famines, in conflicts with enemies; At the king's gate, and in the cemetery, He who stands by is a true relative. 18. One who destroys tasks behind one's back, And speaks sweetly to one's face; Avoid such a friend, A pot of poison with milk on the surface. 19. A friend who has been wronged once, And wishes to reconcile again; Embraces death, Like a pregnant mule. 20. Do not trust one who is untrustworthy, And do not trust even a friend; For an angry friend, May reveal all faults. 21. One should know a servant by his service, Relatives in times of calamity; A friend in times of trouble, And a wife in times of poverty. 22. With a favor received, One should lift an enemy with an enemy; A thorn stuck in the foot with a thorn, Like removing a foot-stuck thorn with a thorn. 23. No one is a friend to anyone, Nor is anyone an enemy to anyone; It is through cause that it is known, Who are friends and who are enemies. 24. A wicked person who speaks sweetly, Is not a cause for trust; Honey is on the tip of the tongue, But poison is in the heart. 25. A wicked person should be avoided, Even if adorned with learning; A snake adorned with a jewel, Does it not cause fear? 26. A snake is cruel, a rogue is cruel, But a rogue is more cruel than a snake; A snake is subdued by mantras, But by what is a rogue restrained? 27. Of those with nails, and of rivers, Of those with horns, and of those with weapons in hand; Trust should never be placed, In women and in royal families. 28. An elephant from a thousand cubits, A horse from a hundred cubits; One with horns from ten cubits, A wicked person by changing places. 29. One should protect wealth for times of trouble, One should protect a wife even more than wealth; One should always protect oneself, Even more than wife and wealth. 30. Avoid another's wife, another's property, Slander of another; Joking in a place of respect, And fickleness. 31. One should sacrifice an individual for the sake of the family, One should sacrifice the family for the sake of the village; One should sacrifice the village for the sake of the country, One should sacrifice the earth for the sake of oneself. 32. A wise person moves with one foot, And stands with one; Without examining the other place, One should not abandon the former. One should abandon what is not beneficial. 33. A greedy person is won over with gain, A stubborn one with folded hands, A fool with compliance to his desires, And a wise man with truth. 34. Loss of wealth, mental anguish, Misconduct in the home, Deceit and boasting, A wise man should not reveal. 35. In investing wealth and grain, And in acquiring knowledge, In eating and in dealings, One should always be free from laziness. 36. A wealthy man, a learned man, a king, A river, and a doctor as the fifth; Where these five are not found, One should not dwell there. 37. In which country there is no respect, No affection, nor relatives, Nor any acquisition of knowledge, One should avoid that country. 38. A deed conceived in the mind, One should not reveal in speech; For the success of a deed done secretly, Will not arise otherwise. 39. A bad country, a bad livelihood, A bad wife, and a bad river, Bad service, and bad food, A wise man should avoid. 40. A debt remaining, fire remaining, And disease remaining, likewise; Since they grow again, Therefore, one should not leave a remainder. 41. Worry is the aging of men, Sunshine is the aging of clothes; Lack of beauty is the aging of women, Sexual intercourse is the aging of horses. 42. He whose son is obedient, Servant and wife likewise; And who is content even in poverty, He dwells in heaven on earth. 43. A wicked wife, a deceitful friend, A servant who gives bad answers; Living in a house with a snake, Is death itself, without doubt. 44. Whose mother is not in the house, And the wife is not sweet-spoken; He should go to the forest, For the house is like a forest to him. 45. A father who is a debtor is an enemy, And a mother who is an adulteress; A wife who is beautiful is an enemy, And a son who is unwise is an enemy. 46. The voice is the beauty of cuckoos, A chaste wife is the beauty of a woman; Knowledge is the beauty of the ugly, Forgiveness is the beauty of ascetics. 47. Life is empty without knowledge, The directions are empty without relatives; A house is empty without a son, All is empty with poverty. 48. Lack of generosity is due to family defect, Poverty is due to bad deeds; Madness is due to maternal defect, Pitudos This is foolishness. 49. The teacher is the guru of fire, twice-born, etc., The brahmin is the guru of the castes; The husband alone is the guru of women, The guest is the guru of all. 50. Lanka was destroyed by excessive pride, And the Kauravas by excessive arrogance; Bali was bound by excessive giving, Everything excessive is blameworthy. 51. Ornaments are useless without clothes, Food is useless without ghee; A woman is useless without breasts, Life is useless without knowledge. 52. Food and the power to eat, Sexual power and excellent women; Wealth and the power to give, These are not the result of little asceticism. 53. Wives are for the purpose of children, A son is for the purpose of funeral offerings; A friend is for the purpose of help, Wealth is for every purpose. 54. Rare is a natural speech, Rare is a son who brings safety; Rare is a wife who is equal, Rare is a dear relative. 55. Gems are not on every mountain, Pearls are not on every elephant; Good people are not everywhere, Sandalwood is not in every forest. 56. The wise man without wealth does not grieve, The relative of a learned man does not grieve; A widowed woman does not grieve, If she is established with sons and grandsons. 57. A man without knowledge grieves, Coitus without offspring is grief; A population without food grieves, A kingdom without a king is grief. 58. Associating with good families, And friendship with the wise; Harmony with relatives, Doing this, one does not perish. 59. Living dependent on others is difficult, Living without shelter is difficult; Business without wealth is difficult, Poverty is the most difficult of all. 60. Where is morality for a liar, Where is forgiveness for a wicked person; Where is affection for a prostitute, Where is truth for a lustful person. 61. Where is honor for a messenger, Where is happiness for an angry person; Where is contentment for women, Where is loving-kindness for a cruel person. 62. The king is the strength of the weak, Crying is the strength of children; Silence is the strength of the foolish, Untruth is the strength of thieves. 63. He who, abandoning the permanent, Cultivates the impermanent; His permanent things are lost, And the impermanent is already destroyed. 64. White meat, old women, Young curd for children; Sexual intercourse in the morning, sleep, Immediately drinking water Days six; 65. Fresh meat and new rice, A young woman, milk food; Ghee and warm water too, Fresh drinks, these are six. 66. One from a lion, one from a heron, Six from dogs, three from donkeys; Four learn from crows, Four also from a rooster. 67. Whether much or little work, A person wishes to do; It should be done with restraint, One is said to learn from a lion. 68. Restraining all the senses, Like a heron, a fallen person; With time and place appropriate, Accomplish all tasks. 69. Eating much, always content, Sleeping soundly, quick-witted; Loyal to the master, and brave, These six qualities know from dogs. 70. Tirelessly carrying a burden, Not feeling cold or heat; Always content, and constant, Three learn from donkeys. 71. Secretly practicing sex,