RUNAM-ऋणं- DEBT-LOAN

 SUBHASHITHANI:307

 “Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.” -Hamlet, Shakespeare

( Husbandry- Careful management of resources )

ऋणं मित्रान्न कर्तव्यं न् देयं चापि मित्रके |
प्रीतिच्छेदकरी ज्ञेया यस्माद्वै ऋणकर्तरी ||  
Rinam mitraanna kartavyam na deyam chaapi mitrake.
Preeticchedakaree gyeyaa yasmaadvai Rinakartaree.
One should neither take a loan from his friends nor give any loans to them, because it can cause disaffection amongst them; hence loan is likened to a scissors.

तत्र मित्र न वस्तव्यं यत्र नास्ति  चतुष्ठयम्    |
ऋ|ण दाता च वैद्यश्च  श्रोत्रियः सजला नदी  |

Tatra mitra na vastvyam yatra naasti chatushthayam.
Runa daataa cha vaidyascha shrotriyh sajalaaa nadi|.
 O friend !  never live in a place where you do not have access to these four.facilities, namely (i) a money lender  (ii)  a physician  (iii) scholars and learned persons and (iv) a perennial river flowing nearby.

गोविन्देति यत्आक्रन्दत् कृष्णामाम्दूरवासिनम् I
ऋणंप्रवृद्धं इवमेह्रिदयात् नअपसर्पति II Mahabharatham

Govindeti yat Akrandat KrishnA mAm doora vAsinam
RiNam pravriddham iva mE hridayAt na apasarpati
Draupadi’s cry of “ Govinda,Pundarikaksha,raksha mam saranagatam “ from a long distance has entered my heart . Its intensity is amplifying by the moment and I am feeling restless  as though not having repaid the debt adequately. ( Krishna at the time of his leaving this world ) 

यावज्जीवेत सुखज्जीवेत ऋणं कृत्वा घृतं पिबेत् I
भस्मीभूतस्य देहस्य पुनरागमनं कुतः II Chaaruvaakaa

Yaavat jeevet sukham jeevet runam krutva ghrutam pibhet I

Bhasmibhootasya dehaya punaraagamanam kutah II
As long as you live, live comfortably; Drink ghee taking a loan. From where does the body spring up again after it turned into ashes?

ऋणं  याञ्च्या  च  वृद्धत्वं  जारचोर  दरिद्रता  |
रोगाश्च भुक्तशेषश्चाप्यष्ट कष्टाः प्रकीर्तिताः ||Subhashitha sangraha
Rinam yaanchyaa cha vrudhatvam jaarachora daridrataa.
Rogaashcha bhuktasheshaschaapyashta kashtaah prrakeertitaah.

Eight hardships are said to exist in a man’s life – loan, begging, old age, lover of a married woman, stealing, poverty, disease, having to eat the left-overs.

प्रत्येकस्य मनुष्यस्य ऋणत्रयं भवति

देवऋणम् ,ऋषि-ऋणम्पितृ-ऋणम् च ।

इदम् अलौकिकम् ऋणम् इति उच्यते ।

Pratyekasya manushyasya runatrayam bhavati I

Deva runam, rishi runam, pitru runam cha I

Idam aloukikam runam iti uchchayate I

A man has three debts at birth; deva runam, rishi runam, and pitru runam.

These are the debts related to spiritual world ( not related to material loans we may incur in our life )

जायमानो वै ब्राह्मणस्त्रिभिर् ऋणवा जायते
ब्रह्मचर्येण ऋषिभ्यो यज्ञेन देवभ्यः
प्रजया पितृभ्य एष वा अनृणो यः
पुत्री यज्वा ब्रह्मचारिवासी तत् अवदानैर् एव
अवदयते तत् अवदानानाम् अवदानत्वं I Taittiriya Samhita

jAyamano vai brAhmaNastribhir RuNavA jAyate
brahmacharyeNa RuShibhyo yaj~jena devabhyaH
prajayA pitRubhya eSha vA anRuNo yaH
putrI yajvA brahmachArivAsI tat avadAnair eva
avadayate tat avadAnAnAm avadAnatvaM

"A Brahmana on birth is born with a threefold debt, of knowledge or mantra (brahmacharya) to the Rishis, debt of sacrifice (yajna) to the Gods, of offspring to the Pitrus. He is freed from his debt who lived as a pupil, who performs yajna (to the Gods) and has a son (putrI); this (debt) he returns (avadayate) by these offerings, and that is why these offerings (avadAna) have their name."- Taittiriya samhita 

अग्नि शेषं ऋणः शेषं शत्रुः शेषं तथैव च ।
पुनः पुनः प्रवर्धेत तस्मात् शेषं न कारयेत् ॥Pancha tantra 

Agnih shesham runah shesham shatru shesham thathaiva cha
 punah punah pravardhet tasmaat shesham na kaarayet
 Fire, loan and enemy traces, even if they remain in small amount, they grow back repeatedly, hence , it is prudence not to permit any remnants of all these three.

कान्ता-वियोगः स्वजनापमानं ऋणस्य शेषं कुनृपस्य सेवा।
दारिद्र्य-भावाद् विमुखं च मित्रं विनाग्निना पञ्च दहन्ति कायम्॥१४॥Chanakya niti
kāntā-viyogaḥ svajanāpamānaṁ ṛṇasya śeṣaṁ kunṛpasya sevā |
dāridrya-bhāvād vimukhaṁ ca mitraṁ vināgninā pañca dahanti kāyam ||14||

The following five situations in life scorch one's body even without  fire.  (1) Loss of one's wife  (2) Insult from one's own kinsmen (3) the constant nagging of indebtedness (4) service under a wicked king or government (5) the lack of attachment exhibited by a dear friend when one is in poverty.

SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH