16. Gharāvāso
The Householder
(14 Verses)
182 = Ln 126; ≈ Vṛddha-Cāṇakya (CV) 1.5 [stm.]
Duṭṭhadārena amityā dāso c’ uttaravācako Ln: duṭṭhabhariyāsaṁvāso dāso c’ uttaradāyako; dwelling with a corrupt wife or a servant who answers back.
sasappe ca ghare vāso maccu-m-eva, na saṁsayo.
Dwelling with a corrupt wife, an enemy or a servant who talks back, or in a house that has snakes is deadly, no doubt.
A corrupt wife creates discord and moral danger. An enemy within the home poses a constant threat. Servants who talk back signify a breakdown of order and respect. The presence of snakes represents a literal, hidden danger. Together, these elements create an environment of toxicity, treachery, insecurity, and peril. A household must be purified of these destructive forces to be a place of safety and peace; otherwise, it is not a home but a tomb.
Vṛddha-Cāṇakya (CV) 1.5
Duṣṭā bhāryā śaṭhaṁ mitraṁ bhṛtyaś cottaradāyakaḥ
sasarpe ca gṛhe vāso mṛtyur eva, na saṁśayaḥ.
Dwelling with a corrupt wife, a treacherous friend or a servant who speaks back, MW: imparting, communicating, uttering, telling. or in a house that has snakes is deadly, no doubt.
183 ≈ Mhn 67 [adm.]
Yasaṁ lābhaṁ patthayantaṁ naraṁ vajjanti dūrato,
tasmā anapekkhitvāna taṁ maggaṁ maggaye budho.
They avoid from afar the person seeking fame and gain, therefore the wise one, without longing, should walk the path.
A person who is visibly and eagerly seeking personal fame and gain will be avoided by the discerning. Their ambition radiates neediness and self-interest, making others wary of exploitation or superficiality. Therefore, the wise person, understanding this dynamic, should walk the spiritual path without such longing. Their practice should be motivated by higher aims like virtue and understanding, not worldly acclaim. This ensures their company remains pure and their progress genuine, attracting the right kind of respect.
Mhn 67
Yaso lābhaṁ jigīsantaṁ naraṁ vajjenti dūrato,
apatthetvāna te tasmā taṁ maggaṁ maggaye budho.
They avoid from afar the person wishing for fame and gain, therefore the wise one, without desiring them, should walk the path.
184 = Dhn 316, Mhn 233 [adm.]
Khalaṁ sālaṁ pasuṁ khettaṁ gantā cassa abhikkhaṇaṁ,
mitaṁ dhaññaṁ nidhāpeyya, mitañ-ca pācaye ghare.
Going frequently to his fields, animals, stables and granaries, one should store a measure of grain, and cook a measure in the house. This verse is repeated below at Dhn 316, but in the context of being a courtier, rather than simply a householder.
The head of the household should be personally and frequently involved in inspecting his core assets: fields, livestock, storehouses and granaries. This hands-on oversight prevents neglect and theft. The key principle is measured management whereby one should store a measured portion of grain for future security while using another measured portion for current consumption in the home. This balance between saving for tomorrow and providing for today embodies the virtue of wise stewardship.
185 [ana., adm.]
Añjanānaṁ khayaṁ disvā, vammikānañ-ca sañcayaṁ,
madhūnañ-ca samāhāraṁ, paṇḍito gharam-āvase.
Having seen the wearing off of collyrium, the piling up of anthills, and the gathering of honey, a wise one should live in a house.
Collyrium slowly wears away with use, showing that resources deplete. Anthills grow by gradual accumulation, showing how savings can be built. Bees gather honey from many flowers, showing how wealth can be assembled from diverse small efforts. A wise person, seeing these facts of nature, understands the need for principles in a householder’s life: to diligently replenish what is consumed, to patiently accumulate savings, and to actively gather resources. The house is the place where this intelligent management must be practiced.
186 [adm.]
Sayaṁ āyaṁ vayaṁ jaññā, sayaṁ jaññā katākataṁ,
niggaṇhe niggaṇhārahaṁ, paggaṇhe paggaṇhārahaṁ.
One should know one’s health and decline, one should know what is done and not done, one should censure those worthy of censure, and raise up those worthy of being raised up.
First, one must know one’s own state of increase and decrease, in health, wealth, and influence. Second, one must discern what actions should be done and what should be avoided. Third, one must have the courage to censure those who deserve it, such as lazy servants or wayward children. Fourth, one must support and elevate those who are worthy of encouragement. This balanced application of introspection, judgment, discipline, and nurture is the mark of a capable master of any domain.
187 ≈ Ln 112 [stm.]
Ekayāmo narādhippo, dviyāmo paṇḍito naro,
tayāmo ca gharāvāso, catuyāmo ca duggato. The time nominatives in this verse are acting adverbially, with an implied verb (bhavati). The accusatives and the expressed verb in the parallel make the sense clearer.
A king (sleeps) for one watch, a wise man for two watches, a householder for three watches, a poor man for four watches.
A king sleeps for only one watch. His kingdom’s security demands constant vigilance; longer sleep invites conspiracy and ruin. A wise man sleeps two watches, balancing rest with the need for study, meditation and self-cultivation. A householder responsible for family and livelihood sleeps for three watches, needing more rest for physical labor while still rising early for duties. The poor man, having no wealth to protect and no responsibilities to fulfill, sleeps for four watches or for the whole night. The verse is not prescriptive but descriptive: one’s station determines how much wakefulness is required for survival and success. Sleep, like all things, must be appropriate to one’s place in life.
Ln 112
Ekayāmaṁ saye rājā, dviyāmañ ñeva paṇḍito,
gharāvāso tiyāmaṁ va, catuyāmaṁ tu yācako.
A king sleeps for one watch, a wise man for two watches, a householder for three watches, but a beggar for four watches.
188 = Ln 83, Mhn 144; = Cāṇakya-Saptati 6 [stm.]
So bandhu yo hite yutto, so pitā yo ca posako,
taṁ mittaṁ Mhn: so ñāti yatra vissāso; the relative is one where you place trust. yattha vissāso, sā bhariyā yattha nibbuti.
The relative is one who is devoted to your welfare, the father is one who nourishes, the friend is one where you place trust, the wife is one where you find peace.
A true relative is one actively devoted to your welfare. A true father is one who provides nourishment and support. A true friend is one in whom you can place complete trust. A true wife is one in whose presence you find genuine peace. This shifts the emphasis from formal relationships to the substantive emotional and moral support they provide. The ideal household is built with individuals who fulfill these roles effectively, regardless of nominal labels.
Cāṇakya-Saptati 6
Sa bandhur yo hite yuktaḥ, sa pitā yas tu poṣakaḥ,
tan mitraṁ yatra viśvāsaḥ, sā bhāryā yatra nirvṛtiḥ.
189 = Mhn 185 [adm.]
Saddhā pemesu santesu na gaṇe māsakaṁ sataṁ;
saddhā peme asantesu māsakaṁ pi sataṁ gaṇe.
Amongst those with faith and love one must not count a hundred as a penny; (but) amongst those without faith and love one must count even a penny as a hundred.
When dealing with trustworthy individuals who possess faith and genuine goodwill, you should not obsess over exact accounting. A substantial debt can be treated lightly, as their integrity is the real guarantee. However, when dealing with those lacking integrity and care, you must adopt more caution. Their moral deficiency makes every penny a risk. True wisdom in worldly dealings lies in calibrating your vigilance to the trustworthiness of the other person, not to the numerical value of the exchange.
190 ≈ Jātaka 403:2 [adm.]
Yācako appiyo hoti, yācaṁ adadam-appiyo,
tasmā seṭṭhanaro loke dhanaṁ sippaṁ pariggahe.
A beggar is disliked, one who doesn’t give when begged from is disliked, therefore the best man in the world should acquire wealth and skill.
A person who is always begging becomes disliked for their dependency. Conversely, a person who refuses legitimate requests becomes disliked for their stinginess. The solution presented is for the best man to avoid both pitfalls by proactively acquiring two things: wealth and a skill. Wealth allows one to be generous without impoverishment, and a skill ensures one is not forced into the position of a beggar. Self-reliance through legitimate means is the path to maintaining dignity and the ability to be charitable.
Jātaka 403:2
Yācako appiyo hoti, yācaṁ adadam-appiyo,
tasmāhaṁ taṁ na yācāmi: mā me videssanā ahu.
A beggar is disliked, one who doesn’t give when begged is disliked, therefore I do not beg from you (thinking): do not let him have dislike for me.
191 ≈ Vṛddha-Cāṇakya (CV) 1.6 [adm.]
Sabbadā pi dhanaṁ rakkhe, dāraṁ rakkhe dhanaṁ pi ca;
dāraṁ dhanañ-ca attānaṁ rakkhā yeva sadā bhave.
One should guard one’s wealth in every way, one should guard a wife as well as wealth; wife, wealth and oneself should always be guarded.
Wealth must be guarded from loss and theft. A wife must be guarded for her well-being, fidelity, and the harmony of the home, and this protection may require the use of wealth itself. Finally, one must guard oneself, one’s health, reputation, and virtue, from all dangers. The verse implies these three are interconnected: the loss of one jeopardises the others. A guarded self can acquire and guard wealth; that wealth helps guard the wife and home; a secure home supports the self. It is a doctrine of domestic and personal security.
Vṛddha-Cāṇakya (CV) 1.6
Āpadarthe dhanaṁ rakṣed, dārān rakṣed dhanair api,
ātmānaṁ satataṁ rakṣed, dārair api dhanair api.
In case of misfortune one should guard one’s wealth, one should protect one’s wife even with your wealth, one should always guard oneself, together with your wife and wealth.
192–193 = Ja 546:119–120 [adm.]
Na sādhāraṇadār’ assa, na bhuñje sādum ekako,
na seve lokāyatikaṁ, netaṁ paññāya vaḍḍhanaṁ.
Sīlavā vattasampanno, appamatto vicakkhaṇo,
nivātavutti atthaddho, sūrato sakhilo mudu.
One should not share one’s wife, one should not eat delicious food alone, one should not practice materialism, this does not increase wisdom. One should be virtuous, customary, heedful, discerning, modest, pliant, courageous, kindly and gentle.
Sharing one’s wife violates marital trust and creates chaos. Eating food alone fosters selfishness and severs the bonds of generosity. Associating with materialism turns the mind from truth. These actions are not neutral: they actively stunt spiritual growth. A person should embody a comprehensive set of virtues which is not an abstract ideal but a practical description of character forged by right living. It teaches that wisdom is cultivated not only through what one pursues but also through what one consciously avoids.
194 = Ja 546:121 [adm.]
Saṅgahe tāva mittānaṁ saṁvibhāgī vidhānavā,
tappeyya annapānena sadā samaṇabrahmaṇe.
In support of his friends he is supportive and skilful, let him always satisfy ascetics and Brahmins with food and drink.
First, he should be skillful and supportive of his friends, fostering strong, reciprocal bonds. Second he should always satisfy ascetics and Brahmins, representatives of the spiritual life, with food and drink. This regular giving to the virtuous is a primary source of merit, purifies wealth, and ensures the spiritual blessings and guidance of the noble ones. The household is thus a platform for sustaining both social networks and the spiritual community.
195 = Ja 546:122 [adm.]
Dhammakāmo sutādhāro, bhaveyya paripucchako,
sakkaccaṁ payirūpāse sīlavante bahussute.
Loving the Dhamma, learned, let him be one who questions, let him respectfully associate with the virtuous and learned.
The householder should be one who loves the Dhamma, finding joy in it. He should be learned, bearing the teachings he has learned through listening. He should be an active inquirer, seeking clarification of difficult points to deepen understanding. Most importantly, he should respectfully associate with and attend upon those who are virtuous and learned. This active, humble engagement with both the teachings and their living embodiments ensures his continued growth in wisdom while still living a household life.