PANCHA TANTRA- MITRA BHEDAA-53

 SUBHASHITHANI:387

The Weighing Scales and The Merchant's Son

A business man who lost all his wealth decided to go abroad to earn his wealth once again. Before leaving he left his hard iron weighing scales with a friend, to be returned when he is back. After some years, when he came back and asked for his scales his friend said: " rats have eaten the scales" and he has nothing left with him. Ultimately by a clever ploy the business man got back his scales.

तुलां लोह-सहस्रस्य यत्र खादन्ति मूषकाः ।
राजंस् तत्र हरेच् छ्येनो बालकं नात्र संशयः ॥ ४४२ ॥
tulāṃ loha-sahasrasya yatra khādanti mūṣakāḥ |
rājaṃs tatra harec chyeno bālakaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ || 442 ||
Where rats can devour a scale made of solid iron, then, a falcon can fly away with a boy – there should be no doubt about it.

यत्र देशे अथ वा स्थाने भोगान् भुक्त्वा स्ववीर्यतः ।
तस्मिन् विभवहीनो यो वसेत् स पुरुषाधमः ॥ ४४३ ॥
yatra deśe atha vā sthāne bhogān bhuktvā svavīryataḥ |
tasmin vibhavahīno yo vaset sa puruṣādhamaḥ || 443 ||
No one can be more lowly than the person, who, has earned and enjoyed the luxuries of life in a country or town, continues to live there when his financial condition has become poor.

येनाहंकारयुक्तेन चिरं विलसितं पुरा ।
दीनं वदति तत्रैव यः परेषां स निन्दितः ॥ ४४४ ॥
yenāhaṃkārayuktena ciraṃ vilasitaṃ purā |
dīnaṃ vadati tatraiva yaḥ pareṣāṃ sa ninditaḥ || 444 ||
Where in the past one has lived with self-respect and enjoyed life, and then continues to stay on there during financially bad days, then, he falls in the esteem of other people. Other people look down on such a person.

न भक्त्या कस्यचित् को ऽपि प्रियं प्रकुरुते नरः ।
मुक्त्वा भयं प्रलोभं वा कार्य-कारणम् एव वा ॥ ४४५ ॥

na bhaktyā kasyacit ko 'pi priyaṃ prakurute naraḥ |
muktvā bhayaṃ pralobhaṃ vā kārya-kāraṇam eva vā || 445 ||

No one would do good to others merely through devotion except through fear or greed or some ulterior motive.

अत्यादरो भवेद् यत्र कार्य-कारण-वर्जितः ।
तत्र शङ्का प्रकर्तव्या परिणामेऽसुखावहा ॥ ४४६ ॥

atyādaro bhaved yatra kārya-kāraṇa-varjitaḥ |
tatra śaṅkā prakartavyā pariṇāme'sukhāvahā || 446 ||

If great honour is being given without any apparent reason, there a suspicion should be entertained, that would lead to happiness at the end.

तुलां लोह-सहस्रस्य यत्र खादन्ति मूषिकाः ।
राजंस् तत्र हरेच् छ्येनो बालकं नात्र संशयः ॥ ४४७ ॥
tulāṃ loha-sahasrasya yatra khādanti mūṣikāḥ |
rājaṃs tatra harec chyeno bālakaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ || 447 ||
Where rats can devour a scale made of solid iron, then, a falcon can fly away with a boy – there should be no doubt about it.

 Karataka said“You did all this because you were jealous of Sanjivaka being favoured by Pingalaka. It is rightly said…”

प्रायेणात्र कुलान्वितं कुकुलजाः श्री-वल्लभं दुर्भगा

दातारं कृपणा ऋजून् अनृजवो वित्ते स्थितं निर्धनाः ।
वैरूप्योपहृताश् च कान्त-वपुषं धर्माश्रयं पापिनो

 नाना-शास्त्र-विचक्षणं च पुरुषं निन्दन्ति मूर्खाः सदा ॥ ४४८ ॥

prāyeṇātra kulānvitaṃ kukulajāḥ śrī-vallabhaṃ durbhagā

 dātāraṃ kṛpaṇā ṛjūn anṛjavo vitte sthitaṃ nirdhanāḥ |
vairūpyopahṛtāś ca kānta-vapuṣaṃ dharmāśrayaṃ pāpino

 nānā-śāstra-vicakṣaṇaṃ ca puruṣaṃ nindanti mūrkhāḥ sadā || 448 ||

Generally, in this world ill-bred calumniate the well-bred, the unfortunate the son of fortunate, misers the charitable, the honest the dishonest, the poor the rich, the deformed those who are well built, the impious the pious, and the fools blame the intelligent.

मूर्खाणां पण्डिता द्वेष्या निर्धनानां महाधनाः ।
व्रतिनः पाप-शीलानाम् असतीनां कुल-स्त्रियः ॥ ४४९ ॥

mūrkhāṇāṃ paṇḍitā dveṣyā nirdhanānāṃ mahādhanāḥ |
vratinaḥ pāpa-śīlānām asatīnāṃ kula-striyaḥ || 449 ||

The learned are an object of hatred to the illiterate, the penniless to those who are wealthy, those who are devoted to moral codes are disliked by habitual sinners, and chaste ladies are hated by the unchaste.

SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH