Chanakyaniti – Rules to live by – Chapter 4

Chanakyaniti is rules to live by. Chanakya niti outline the guideline about how to behave in different scenarios.

Chapter 3 – List of Chapters – Chapter 5

  1. Sons, friends, kith and kin are capable of distracting you. A wise man’s mind cannot be diverted as he knows that his holy acts will ultimately bring blessings to him and to his loved ones.
  2. As a mother takes care of every requirement of her infants; similarly a saint must deliver spiritual guidance to his followers.
  3. Knowledge is like holy kamdhenu and is like a tree that bears fruit in every season. In unknown territories it provides protection and also fetches rewards for you.
  4. Its better to have a worthy son than having hundreds of unworthy ones. Like millions of stars in the sky have no competition with brightness of the moon.
  5. When a dead son is born then the person griefs for a few days, but an unworthy son is a grief for lifetime.



  6. It is very difficult to bear pain that arises from a quarrelsome wife, living in a village with people of bad character, a stupid son, consumption of bad food, working for a wicked family, and by watching a widowed daughter.
  7. Like there is no profit in raising a barren cow; a son without knowledge or devotion is also useless.
  8. This world is like a hell where a person can get three kinds of relief in form of a devoted wife, a good son, and friendship of a noble person.
  9. A king orders ones, a great scholar speaks ones, and daughter are married ones. Therefore one must be very careful regarding those.
  10. Meditation is performed best when alone, education by two, singing by three, travelling with four persons, farming with five, and battle with as many possible.



  11. A good wife is pious, expert at household chores, faithful and never speaks a lie to her husband.
  12. An important verse of chanakya neeti compares following with poison:
    1. a person whose knowledge is confined to books
    2. a meal without appetizer
    3. living life in a community of poor people
    4. an old man marring a young woman
  14. A man must leave a religion without love and compassion, must leave a teacher without knowledge. Also its better to leave a short tempered wife and relatives with no love and respect for you.
  15. A person travelling a lot is likely to get weak/old, a tethered horse quickly gets old, same is the case with a woman lacking love in her life, and clothes that are frequently exposed to sun.
  16. How is this situation, who are my real friends, how is my home’s condition, what’s my earnings and expenditure, what are my talents and weaknesses …. are the questions that a wise man asks himself all the time?



Chapter 3 – List of Chapters – Chapter 5