19. Ñātabbo
To Be Known
(8 Verses)
249 = Ln 52 [stm.]
Mātāhīnassa dubbhāsā, pitāhīnassa dukriyā,
ubho mātā pitā hīnā dubbhāsā ca dukkiriyā.
One having a base mother has bad speech, one having a base father, bad conduct, one having both a base mother and father has both bad speech and conduct.
A child raised by a base or ignoble mother is said to develop bad speech: harsh, untruthful, or vulgar language learned through imitation and lack of correction. A child of a base father develops bad conduct: unethical or foolish actions, lacking a proper male role model. If both parents are base, the child inherits the full spectrum of deficiency: corrupted speech and conduct. While not accounting for individual effort, this verse underscores the profound responsibility of parents and the heavy inheritance of familial culture.
250 = Ln 53 [stm.]
Mātāseṭṭhassa subhāsā, pitāseṭṭhassa sukriyā,
ubho mātā pitā seṭṭhā subhāsā ca sukiriyā.
One having an excellent mother has good speech, one having an excellent father, good conduct, one having both an excellent mother and father has both good speech and conduct.
An excellent mother, through her gentle, truthful and wise speech, instills good speech in her child. An excellent father, through his righteous and disciplined actions, models good conduct. When both parents are exemplary, the child receives the complete inheritance of nobility: eloquent speech and virtuous behavior. Family is the primary school of character. A child’s moral and social worth is not accidental but is made known through the quality of the parents who shaped them.
251 = Mhn 83; = Vyāsa-subhāṣita-saṁgraha 95 [stm.]
Atidīgho mahāmuḷho, majjhimo ca vicakkhaṇo,
Vāsudevaṁ purekkhitvā, sabbe vāmanakā saṭhā.
One too tall is a great fool, one of medium height is discerning, after placing Vāsudeva at the fore, all dwarfs are deceitful.
This is folk-wisdom, and should be not be taken as truly defining character. An excessively tall person was thought to be clumsy, slow and lacking acuity. A person of medium height is deemed discerning and well-proportioned in mind and body. The reference is to Vāmana, the fifth avatar of Viṣṇu, who used deception to humble the demon king Mahābali. Appearing as a dwarf Brahmin, he requested only three paces of land, yet expanded these to cosmic proportions, measuring the earth and heavens in two steps, and placing his third on Bali’s head.
Vyāsa-subhāṣita-saṁgraha 95
Atidīrgho mahāmūrkho, madhyamaś ca vicakṣaṇaḥ,
Vāsudevam puraskṛtya, sarve vāmanakāḥ śaṭhāḥ.
252 = Mhn 220; = Cāṇakya-rāja-nīti-śāstra 8.77 [stm.]
Ācāro kulam-akkhāti, Mhn uses the Sanskritic form ākhyāti throughout. desam-akkhati bhāsitaṁ,
sambhavo The Sanskrit has: agitation makes known affection. It may be we should read sambhama in the Pāḷi, giving the same meaning. pemam-akkhāti, deham-akkhāti bhojanaṁ.
Conduct makes known the family, speech makes known the district, generation makes known love, the body makes known the food.
A person’s conduct, their manners, ethics, and daily habits, discloses the quality of their family upbringing. Their speech, including accent and vocabulary, reveals their native district or region. Their lineage or social origin reveals the depth of genuine affection others hold for them. Finally, their physical body including its health, stature, and appearance reveals the quality and quantity of the food they have consumed. Nothing is hidden; every aspect of a person tells a story of their past.
Cāṇakya-rāja-nīti-śāstra 8.77
Ācāraḥ kulam ākhyāti, deśam ākhyāti bhāṣitam,
sambhramaḥ sneham ākhyāti, vapur ākhyāti bhojanam.
253 ≈ Pratyayaśatakaya 33 [ana., stm.]
Jalappamāṇaṁ kumudanāḷaṁ,
kulappamāṇaṁ karaṇakammaṁ,
paññāpamāṇaṁ kathitavākyaṁ,
bhūmippamāṇaṁ tajjalatiṇaṁ. Bechert and Braun mark this verse as impossible to reconstruct, but do not say why. Probably it is because the metre is unknown, in the sense of not being named anywhere, but its structure is coherent internally. The metre of the parallel is Triṣṭubh.
The measure of water is the lotus stalk, the measure of families is actions and deeds, the measure of wisdom is talk and speech, the measure of the land is the grass and water there.
The length of a lotus stalk reveals the depth of the water it grows in. The actions and deeds of individuals are the true measure of their family’s worth, not mere lineage. The content and quality of a person’s talk and speech are the measure of their actual wisdom, not their claims. The types of grasses and availability of water are the measure of the land’s fertility. In each case, the tangible, observable effect is the proof of the hidden cause or condition.
Pratyayaśatakaya 33
Jalapramāṇaṁ kumudasya nālaṁ,
kulapramāṇaṁ vinayopacāraḥ,
śāstrapramāṇaṁ guruśiṣyavākyaṁ,
tṛṇāni bhūmeḥ kathayanti sāraṁ.
The measure of water is the lotus stalk, the measure of families is discipline and conduct, the measure of the texts is dialogue between teacher and pupil, grasses speak about the essence of the land.
254 = Ln 62, Ja 515:31 [ana., stm.]
Javena bhadraṁ jānanti, balibaddhaṁ ca vāhiye, Ln: vāhanā; by its carraige.
dohena dhenuṁ jānanti, bhāsamānañ-ca paṇḍitaṁ.
They know a good (horse) by its speed, and a draught animal by its load, they know a cow by its milk, and a wise one by his speech.
A good horse is known by its speed, not its looks. A strong draught animal is known by the load it can pull. A good cow is known by the quantity of milk it gives. By analogy, a wise person is known by his speech. Not by silence or reputation, but by what he says when he speaks: its truth, benefit, depth and timeliness. The essence of each being is revealed through its characteristic function. For a human, that highest function is intelligent, purposeful communication.
255 = Ln 82, Mhn 183; ≈ Cāṇakya-sāra-saṁgraha 1.72 [stm.]
Jāneyya pesane bhaccaṁ, bandhavaṁ pi bhayāgame,
byasane ca tathā mittaṁ, Ln, Mhn line c: āpadāsu tathā mittaṁ; with same meaning. dārañ-ca vibhavakkhaye.
You can know a dependent in his service, a relative at the approach of danger, likewise a friend in misfortune, and a wife in the destruction of wealth.
A dependent’s loyalty is known when given an errand; will he be diligent or deceitful? A relative’s affection is known when danger approaches; will he help or flee? A friend’s worth is known in misfortune; will he stand by you or abandon you? A wife’s true nature is known when wealth is destroyed; will she remain devoted or seek to leave? These are the crucibles that separate pretense from genuine bonds. Love and loyalty are actions, visible only when tested.
Cāṇakya-sāra-saṁgraha 1.72
Jñātavyaṁ presaṇe bhṛtyān, bāndhavān vyasanāgame,
āpatkāle tathā mitraṁ, bhāryāṁ ca vibhavakṣaye.
You can know a dependent in his service, a relative at the approach of misfortune, likewise a friend in time of distress, and a wife in the destruction of wealth.
256 [stm.]
Vinā satthaṁ na jānanti kālaṁ sabbe pi jotikā—
kukkuṭā pana jānanti, tato rukkhā tato bhvāpā.
Deprived of all their treatises astrologers do not know the time—but cocks know, and trees and aquatic creatures.
Astrologers, despite their elaborate treatises, cannot accurately tell the time without their instruments and charts. Yet, the cock knows dawn instinctively. Trees sense seasonal changes. Aquatic creatures respond to tidal and lunar cycles. Theoretical knowledge, when disconnected from direct perception and natural wisdom, is inferior to innate, embodied understanding. It mocks hollow scholarship and praises the unerring knowledge born of direct, living connection with the world.