Sanskrit" Sukti sloka

1. परो अपि हितवान् बन्धु: ,बन्धु: अपि अहित: पर: |

अहित: देहज: व्याधि: , हितम् आरण्यम् औषधम् ||

हितोपदेश

The person with whom we have no relation, but who helps us in our difficult times is our Real relative/brother. In contrast the person who may be our relative/brother (With whom we have blood relations) but who always does bad things for us should not be considered as our relative/brother. Just like a disease which is in our own body does so much harm to us while the medicinal plant which grows in forest far off does so much of good to us!

2. परस्परविरोधे तु वयं पंचश्चते शतम् |

परैस्तु विग्रहे प्राप्ते वयं पंचाधिकं शतम् ||

While fighting with each other, we are five and they are hundred. While fighting with others (enemy) we are hundred plus five.

This are words of yudhishthir (dharmarAja). In araNyaparva (i.e. when pANDava were in vanawasa i.e. in jungle for 12 yrs), pandava got a news that kaurava are under attack from gandharvas and were loosing the battle. In fact gandharvas had defeated Kauravas and imprisoned them. That time, bhIma's opinion was, not to help Kaurava, because they were paNDava's enemy. bheema was happy that their job was done by gandharvas. That time yudhiShThIr said that even if Kaurava were enemies, they were their brothers, and paNDava must help them in that crisis.

This is an excellent example laid by yudhiShThIr before us. If we turn our pages of history, many places we find that our rajas were fighting with each other, and they even helped outside invaders to knock down other Indian rajas. And that was major cause of success of invaders.

In todays contex, we must know who is "ours" and who is not.

3. व्यसने मित्रपरीक्षा शूरपरीक्षा रणाङ्गणे भवति |

विनये भॄत्यपरीक्षा दानपरीक्षाच दुर्भिक्षे ||

Friendship of a friend is tested in our bad times, the warrior's heroism is tested in a war, a servant's test lies in his good attitude towards the owner and a donor's test is at the time of drought. The point explained here is that the person who donates wealth/food even at the time of a drought, i.e. at the times when the food is a scarcity, is a real donor. If we do not live up to our expectations at the tough times then there is no use of what we stand for.

4. अधमा: धनमिच्छन्ति धनं मानं च मध्यमा: |

उत्तमा: मानमिच्छन्ति मानो हि महताम् धनम् ||

An inferior person's desire is money. An average person will desire money and respect. A great person desires respect (and not Money). Respect is superior to money.