Chanakya's Quotes

#1. A western audience might not appreciate 'Chanakya's Chant' because of its dependence on history and ancient statecraft. My book is a modern-day thriller that draws on a bedrock of history. My primary object is to entertain, not educate.

Ashwin Sanghi

#2. Winning an award is a great feeling but winning the Vodafone Crossword Popular Choice Award is particularly exhilarating because it is based upon public voting. I find it a strange quirk of fate that Chanakya's Chant, a political tale, should end up winning an election!

Ashwin Sanghi

#3. The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions.

Chanakya

#4. He who lives in our mind is near though he may actually be far away; but he who is not in our heart is far though he may really be nearby.

Chanakya

#5. A man or a ruler should always take up a task after thoroughly considering its consequences. Otherwise fate also cannot protect his wealth.

Chanakya

#6. A thing may be dreaded as long as it has not overtaken you.

Chanakya

#7. A father who is a chronic debtor, an adulterous mother, a beautiful wife, and an unlearned son are enemies in one's own home.

Chanakya

#8. Skills are called hidden treasure as they save like a mother in a foreign country.

Chanakya

#9. He who befriends a man whose conduct is vicious, whose vision impure, and who is notoriously crooked, is rapidly ruined.

Chanakya

#10. He shall despise none, but hear the opinions of all. A wise man shall make use of even a child's sensible utterance.

Chanakya

#11. He who runs away from a fearful calamity, a foreign invasion, a terrible famine, and the companionship of wicked men is safe.

Chanakya

#12. Do not be very upright in your dealings for you would see by going to the forest that straight trees are cut down while crooked ones are left standing.

Chanakya

#13. A permanent relationship is dependent on particular purpose or wealth.

Chanakya

#14. He who loses his money is forsaken by his friends, his wife, his servants and his relations; yet when he regains his riches those who have forsaken him come back to him. Hence wealth is certainly the best of relations.

Chanakya

#15. Virtuous persons and fruit-laden trees bow, but fools and dry sticks break because they do not bend.

Chanakya

#16. The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers it's rear end, nor protects it from the bites of insects.

Chanakya

#17. Low minded people are fraudulent, wicked and chaeat. They shouldnot be trusted. To h ave faith in low minded ones is mistake in policy and useless because they are not trustworthy. An administrator should not invited calamity by trusting the low minded ones.

Chanakya

#18. Do not say, What what fear has a rich man of calamity.

Chanakya

#19. The ruler should employ person in tasks according to their abilities because Knowers ( or the means ) and efficient employees make impossible tasks also possible.

Chanakya

#20. The serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the dog owned by other people, and the fool: these seven ought not to be awakened from sleep.

Chanakya

#21. Foolishness is indeed painful, and verily so is youth, but more painful by far than either is being obliged in another person's house.

Chanakya

#22. That man who is without religion and mercy should be rejected. A guru without spiritual knowledge should be rejected. The wife with an offensive face should be given up and so should relatives who are without affection.

Chanakya

#23. The learned are envied by the foolish; rich men by the poor; chaste women by adulteresses; and beautiful ladies by ugly ones.

Chanakya

#24. This world is a bitter tree, it has only two sweet nectar like fruits - one is soft voice and the other is company of gentlemen.

Chanakya

#25. Those born blind cannot see; similarly blind are those in the grip of lust. Proud men have no perception of evil; and those bent on acquiring riches see no sin in their actions.

Chanakya

#26. Chankaya is referring there to the probibition of entry of the untrustworthy in the counsel-room. Disloyal persons foolishly speak out the secrets of the counsel not knowing the harmful effects of the same. Disclosing the secrets of the counsel mars the welfare of the country.

Chanakya

#27. When one is consumed by the sorrows of life, three things give him relief: offspring, a wife, and the company of the Lord's devotees.

Chanakya

#28. It is better to die than to preserve this life by incurring disgrace. The loss of life causes but a moment's grief, but disgrace brings grief every day of one's life.

Chanakya

#29. One's weakness should not ever be revealed.

Chanakya

#30. If people of one's own side have good conduct, it adds power to oneself. The misconduct on the contrary render one powerless. The enemy taks advantage of it. A skilled statesman never allows enemy to win over.

Chanakya

#31. The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman.

Chanakya

#32. Union in privacy (with one's wife); boldness; storing away useful items; watchfulness; and not easily trusting others; these five things are to be learned from a crow.

Chanakya

#33. A friend, even if he be the enemy's son , should be protected.

Chanakya

#34. Everynbody tries not to reveal his weaknesses, so that he may not be ridiculed. Specially before the enemy. One's weakpoits shold not be revealed. Becaues ohe canstrike on those to ruin us. So one shold remain strong before the enemy.

Chanakya

#35. It is better to live under a tree in a jungle inhabited by tigers and elephants, to maintain oneself in such a place with ripe fruits and spring water, to lie down on grass and to wear the ragged barks of trees than to live amongst one's relations when reduced to poverty.

Chanakya

#36. Low class men desire wealth;middle class men both wealth and respect; but the noble, honour only; hence honour is the noble man's true wealth.

Chanakya

#37. The Grhasta blessed if house a bliss, wife speaks sweetly,
If wealth satisfies desire, sons able, enjoys wife's company;
If servants obedient, has hospitality, Lord worshiped daily,
Delicious food, drink shared, finds joy in devotees' company.
[209] 12.1 Chanakya

Munindra Misra

#38. Trees on a riverbank, a woman in another man's house, and kings without counselors go without doubt to swift destruction.

Chanakya

#39. It's foolish to call Chanakya an Indian Machiavelli. Rather, Machiavelli was possibly an Italian Chanakya.

Ashwin Sanghi

#40. One who is to be pardoned should not be harassed.

Chanakya

#41. The one excellent thing that can be learned from a lion is that whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a whole-hearted and strenuous effort.

Chanakya

#42. Love is indicated by deeds (and not by words)

Chanakya

#43. The low minded are fond of deception the nature of low-minded people never changes.

Chanakya

#44. There is no austerity equal to a balanced mind, and there is no happiness equal to contentment; there is no disease like covetousness, and no virtue like mercy.

Chanakya

#45. Till the enemy's weakness is known , he should be kept on friendly terms.

Chanakya

#46. In trans-border relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies or even permanent borders. There are only permanent interests and everything should be done to secure these interests.

Chanakya

#47. A person or a ruler who executes his plans (of public welfare) after due consideration, the prosperity stands with him for a longer period.

Chanakya

#48. Test a servant while in the discharge of his duty, a relative in difficulty, a friend in adversity, and a wife in misfortune.

Chanakya

#49. Sinfully acquired wealth may remain for ten years; in the eleventh year it disappears with even the original stock.

Chanakya

#50. Your feelings are your god.

Chanakya

#51. If the bees which seek the liquid oozing from the head of a lust-intoxicated elephant are driven away by the flapping of his ears, then the elephant has lost only the ornament of his head. The bees are quite happy in the lotus filled lake.

Chanakya

#52. Those parents who do not educate their sons are their enemies; for as is a crane among swans, so are ignorant so are ignorant sons in a public assembly.

Chanakya

#53. He who shall practice these twenty virtues shall become invincible in all his undertakings.

Chanakya

#54. The man who is praised by others is regarded as worthy though he may be really void of all merit. But the man who sings his own praises becomes disgraced though he should be Indra, the possessor of all excellencies.

Chanakya

#55. Time perfects men as well as destroys them.

Chanakya

#56. Learning is a friend on the journey; a wife in the house; medicine in sickness; and religious merit is the only friend after death.

Chanakya

#57. We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future; men of discernment deal only with the present moment

Chanakya

#58. The house of a childless person is a void, all directions are void to one who has no relatives, the heart of a fool is also void, but to a poverty stricken man all is void.

Chanakya

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

Chanakya

#60. As a whole forest becomes fragrant by the existence of a single tree with sweet-smelling blossoms in it, so a family becomes famous by the birth of a virtuous son.

Chanakya

#61. A low-minded person should not be given good advice.

Chanakya

#62. Although an ass is tired, he continues to carry his burden; he is unmindful of cold and heat; and he is always contented; these three things should be learned from the ass.

Chanakya

#63. He whose son is obedient to him, whose wife's conduct is in accordance with his wishes, and who is content with his riches, has his heaven here on earth.

Chanakya

#64. The disgrace of one's people brings sorrow to the Nobel minded.

Chanakya

#65. Sometimes coincidentally an unintelligent person can accomplish a task but that does not mean that he is a knower of means and device or is experienced. A ruler should be careful enough to designate other tasks to such persons.

Chanakya

#66. He is a pandit (man of knowledge) who speaks what is suitable to the occasion, who renders loving service according to his ability, and who knows the limits of his anger.

Chanakya

#67. Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person.

Chanakya

#68. He who wears unclean garments, has dirty teeth, is a glutton, speaks unkindly and sleeps after sunrise - although he may be the greatest personality - will lose the favour of Lakshmi.

Chanakya

#69. The demerits of our own people bringh infamiy. Their disgrace is our own disgrace. That is why infamy os such people relly hurts . It is desifrable that the ruler or the administrator may work in a way that such disgraceful conduct may not occur.

Chanakya

#70. The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability.

Chanakya

#71. Constant travel brings old age upon a man; a horse becomes old by being constantly tied up; lack of sexual contact with her husband brings old age upon a woman; and garments become old through being left in the sun.

Chanakya

#72. One who is in search of knowledge should give up the search of pleasure and the one who is in search of pleasure should give up the search of knowledge.

Chanakya

#73. There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.

Chanakya

#74. A good wife is one who serves her husband in the morning like a mother does, loves him in the day like a sister does and pleases him like a prostitute in the night.

Chanakya

#75. Brass is polished by ashes; copper is cleaned by tamarind; a woman, by her menses; and a river by its flow.

Chanakya

#76. He who is prepared for the future and he who deals cleverly with any situation that may arise are both happy; but the fatalistic man who wholly depends on luck is ruined.

Chanakya

#77. Many a bad habit is developed through overindulgence, and many a good one by chastisement; therefore, beat your son as well as your pupil; never indulge them.

Chanakya

#78. A person becomes great not by sitting on some high seat, but through higher qualities. A crow does not become an eagle by simply sitting on the top of a palatial building.

Chanakya

#79. Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.

Chanakya

#80. There are three gems upon this earth; food, water, and pleasing words - fools (mudhas) consider pieces of rocks as gems.

Chanakya

#81. 'Rozabal' was theological while 'Chanakya' is political. Unlike 'Rozabal,' which was about research, the aim of 'Chanakya' is plot, plot, plot, which carries the character. The common DNA, of course, is history.

Ashwin Sanghi

#82. Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.

Chanakya

#83. Polluted who hears not voice of learning, gives no charity,
Who sees not pure devotee and walks not to places holy;
Who fills with things by crooked practices unhesitatingly,
And who ever holds his head high in arrogance and vanity.
[212] 12.4 Chanakya

Munindra Misra

#84. People's Fury is above all the furies.

Chanakya

#85. As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.

Chanakya

#86. Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher of poison with milk on top.

Chanakya

#87. What good is a cow that neither gives milk nor conceives? Similarly, what is the value of the birth of a son if he becomes neither learned nor a pure devotee of the Lord?

Chanakya

#88. Poverty, disease, sorrow, imprisonment and other evils are the fruits borne by the tree of one's own sins.

Chanakya

#89. If one has a good disposition, what other virtue is needed? If a man has fame, what is the value of other ornamentation?

Chanakya

#90. What good can the scriptures do to a man who has no sense of his own? Of what use is as mirror to a blind man?

Chanakya

#91. Do not put your trust in rivers, men who carry weapons, beasts with claws or horns, women, and members of a royal family.

Chanakya

#92. Task performed by an unintelligent person should not be rated high.

Chanakya

#93. Punishment when awarded with due consideration, makes the people devoted to righteousness and to works productive of wealth and enjoyment.

Chanakya

#94. Little given to brahman in distress compensated abundantly,
Is got back not in equal quantity, but in a way higher degree.
[210] 12.2 Chanakya

Munindra Misra

#95. Fate being unfavorable( or without god's grace, even an easy task becomes difficult to accomplish)

Chanakya

#96. A ruler wishing to win shold not trust a cpterued enemy even if he may be extending had to be friend. Because deep rooted enemity, however, concealed, will ruerely come to light.

Chanakya

#97. A learned man is honoured by the people.A learned man commands respect everywhere for his learning. Indeed, learning is honoured everywhere.

Chanakya

#98. The fire of the forest burns trees to ashes. Even expensive sandalwood tree which is endowed with qualities of cooling and fragrance, cannot escape from burning. In the same way wicked cause harm to their benefactors also.

Chanakya

#99. Offspring, friends and relatives flee from a devotee of the Lord: yet those who follow him bring merit to their families through their devotion.

Chanakya

#100. As a calf follows its mother among a thousand cows, so the (good or bad) deeds of a man follow him.

Chanakya