25. Mitravarga
The Chapter about Friends
(25 Verses)
[25.1]
[adm.]
Aśrāddhebhiḥ kadaryebhiḥ, piśunair vibhūtinandibhiḥ
sākhyaṁ kurvīta na prājñaḥ, saṁgatiḥ pāpair hi pāpikā.
With the faithless, the stingy, the slanderous and those who joy is in another’s downfall the wise one should not make friendships, association with the bad is bad.
[25.2]
[adm.]
Śrāddhebhiḥ peśalebhiś ca, śīlavadbhir bahuśrutaiḥ
sākhyaṁ kurvīta saprajñaḥ, saṁgatir bhadrair hi bhadrikā.
With the faithful, the skilful, the virtuous and the learned the one with wisdom should form friendships, association with the good is good.
[25.3]
[adm.]
Na bhajet pāpakaṁ mitraṁ, na bhajet puruṣādhamam,
bhajeta mitraṁ kalyāṇaṁ bhajed uttamapūruṣam.
One should not associate with a bad friend, one should not associate with an ignoble person, one should associate with a good friend, one should associate with a superior person.
[25.4]
[stm.]
Addhā narāḥ sevitavyāḥ, śrutāḍhyāḥ sthānacintakāḥ,
teṣāṁ hi śrutvā tu subhāṣitāni,
vināpi tebhyo labhate viśeṣam.
Certainly people rich in learning, whose minds can reason are to be associated with, having heard their well-spoken words, even without them, Meaning, even without them present; i.e. by simply following their teachings and example. one obtains distinction.
[25.5]
[adm.]
Hīyati puruṣo nihīnasevī,
na tu khalu hāyeta tulyasevī,
śreṣṭham upagato hy upaiti śraiṣṭhyaṁ,
tasmāc chreṣṭham ihātmano bhajeta.
The person who follows an inferior declines, but who would follow an equal surely would not decline, who approaches the best reaches the best, therefore, for one’s own sake, one should associate with the best here.
[25.6]
[stm.]
Śreyo hi labhate nityaṁ yaḥ śreṣṭhān upasevate,
prajñayā cottamatamāṁ śīlenopaśamena ca.
Indeed one who associates with the best constantly obtains the best, having wisdom, the very highest virtue and calm.
[25.7]
[stm. + ana.]
Pūtimatsyāṁ kuśāgreṇa yo naro hy upanahyate
kuśāpi pūtikā vānti, hy evaṁ pāpopasevanāḥ.
The person who wraps putrid fish with a blade of sacred grass finds even the sacred grass smells putrid, so those who associate with the bad smell putrid.
[25.8]
[stm. + ana.]
Tagaraṁ Palāśapatreṇa yo naro hy upanahyati
patrāṇy api sugandhīni, sad evaṁ saṁgamāt satām.
That person who wraps incense with a Pālaśa leaf finds even the leaves are perfumed, so are they perfumed from association with the good.
[25.9]
[stm.]
Akurvann api pāpāni kurvāṇam upasevate,
śaṅkito bhavati pāpasya, avarṇaś cāsya vardhate.
Even if one not doing what is wicked associates with one who is, he is suspected of wickedness, and his bad reputation increases.
[25.10]
[adm. + sim.]
Saṁsevamānaḥ pāpo hi saṁspṛṣṭaḥ saṁspṛśet parān,
śaro liptaḥ kalāpasthān aliptān upalimpati,
upalepabhayād dhīro naiva pāpasakhā bhavet.
Through associating with a wicked one, being touched by the touch of others, like a defiled arrow defiles those situated in a quiver that is undefiled, the steadfast one from fear of defilement should never have wicked friends.
[25.11]
[stm.]
Yādṛśaṁ kurute mitraṁ, yādṛśaṁ copasevate,
na cirāt tādṛśo bhavati, saṁsevā hy asya tādṛśī.
Whatever sort of friend one makes, whatever sort one associates with, soon one becomes such a character, through association with such a one.
[25.12]
[adm.]
Tasmāt phalapuṭasyaiva dṛṣṭvā saṁpākam ātmanaḥ,
asanto nopaseveta, santaḥ seveta paṇḍitaḥ.
Therefore, seeing there is the same result for himself as for a leaf-wrap, This logically follows on from verse 545 above, as in the Pāḷi order. he should not associate with bad people, the wise one should associate with the good.
[25.13]
[stm. + sim.]
Yāvajjīvaṁ pi ced bālaḥ paṇḍitāṁ paryupāsate,
na sa Dharmaṁ vijānāti, darvī sūparasān iva.
Even if a fool attends on a wise man for his whole life long, he does not learn the Dharma, just as a spoon does not learn the tastes of curry.
[25.14]
[stm. + sim.]
Muhūrtam api saprajñaḥ paṇḍitāṁ paryupāsate,
sa vai Dharmaṁ vijānāti, jihvā sūparasān iva.
If one having wisdom attends on a wise man even for a moment, he indeed learns the Dharma, just as the tongue learns the taste of curry.
[25.15]
[stm.]
Yāvajjīvaṁ pi ced bālaḥ paṇḍitāṁ paryupāsate,
na sa Dharmaṁ vijānāti, prajñā hy asya na vidyate.
Even if a fool attends on a wise man for his whole life long, he does not learn the Dharma, for his wisdom is not found.
[25.16]
[stm.]
Muhūrtam api saprajñaḥ paṇḍitāṁ paryupāsate,
sa vai Dharmaṁ vijānāti, prajñā tasya hi vidyate.
If a man having wisdom attends on the wise even for a moment, he indeed learns the Dharma, for his wisdom is found.
[25.17]
[stm.]
Yāvajjīvaṁ pi ced bālaḥ paṇḍitāṁ paryupāsate,
na sa Dharmaṁ vijānāti Samyaksaṁbuddhadeśitam.
Even if a fool attends on a wise man for his whole life long, he does not learns the Dharma taught by the Perfectly Awakened One.
[25.18]
[stm.]
Muhūrtam api saprajñaḥ paṇḍitāṁ paryupāsate,
sa vai Dharmaṁ vijānāti Samyaksaṁbuddhadeśitam.
If a man having wisdom attends on the wise even for a moment, he indeed learns the Dharma taught by the Perfectly Awakened Buddha.
[25.19]
[stm.]
Ekam arthapadaṁ proktaṁ paṇḍitasyārthakārakam,
bālasya tu na kṛtyāya syāt sarvaṁ Buddhabhāṣitam.
A single verse having meaning spoken to the wise will benefit them, but for a fool, all of what the Buddha said would be of no use.
[25.20]
[stm.]
Bālaḥ padasahasreṇa padam ekaṁ na budhyate,
padenaikena medhāvī padānāṁ vindate śatam.
A fool does not understand a single verse amongst a thousand verses, but an intelligent one through one single verse understands a hundred verses.
[25.21]
[stm.]
Amitraḥ paṇḍitaḥ śreyāṁ na tu bālo ’nukampakaḥ,
bālo ’nukampamāno hi narakān upakarṣati.
A wise one who is unfriendly is better than a compassionate fool, because a fool being compassionate still drags one down to purgatory.
[25.22]
[stm.]
Yo jānīyād: Ahaṁ bāla iti bālaḥ sa paṇḍitaḥ,
bālaḥ paṇḍitamānī tu, bāla eva nirucyate.
The one who would know: I am a fool, that fool is wise in that, but the fool who imagines himself wise, is called a fool indeed.
[25.23]
[stm.]
Yac ca bālaḥ praśaṁseta, yac ca nindeta paṇḍitaḥ,
nindā tu paṇḍitāc chreṣṭhā, na tu bālāt praśaṁsanā.
There is what a fool would praise, and what a wise one would blame, but blame from the wise is best, not praise from fools.
[25.24]
[adm.]
Bālaṁ na paśyec chṛṇuyān, na ca no tena saṁvaset,
duḥkho bālair hi saṁvāso, hy amitreṇaiva sarvaśaḥ,
dhīrais tu sukhasaṁvāso, jñātīnām iva saṁgramaḥ.
One should not meet with a fool, nor listen to a fool, nor should one live together with a fool, living together with fools is suffering, as with an enemy always, but one lives happily with the steadfast, like one associating with his kin.
[25.25]
[adm. + sim.]
Dhīraṁ prājñaṁ niṣeveta śīlavantaṁ bahuśrutam,
dhaureyaṁ javasaṁpannaṁ, candraṁ tārāgaṇā iva.
One should associate with the steadfast one, the wise, the virtuous, the learned, the reliable, the quick-witted, like the moon amongst the multitude of stars.
Mitravargaḥ, 25
The Chapter about Friends, the Twenty-Fifth