Chapter 103: Advancing the Community

Verse 1021
We see a man in several scenes as he works industriously through the day. Clearly he is laboring with all of his heart to advance himself, his family and his community. He awakens to worship Lord Ganesha; then bathes, then feeds and milks the cows, then plows his fields. In the late afternoon he kneels to worship before a temple, and finally sleeps deeply, having exerted himself productively all day long.

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Verse 1021

No greater dignity exists than when a man resolutely declares,
“I will never cease in laboring to fulfill my karmas.”

Verse 1022

One prolongs his clan by prolonged exertion in
both perseverance and sound understanding.

Verse 1023

When a man vows to advance his community,
God Himself will wrap His robes and lead the way.

Verse 1024

When a man’s effort to raise his community high is unremitting,
his work will prosper on its own, even if he makes no plans.

Verse 1025

The world will surround and befriend him
who, without fault, lives to advance his community.

Verse 1026

It is said that true manliness consists in becoming
head and provider of the clan one was born into.

Verse 1027

As on a battlefield the burden falls upon the brave,
in the community weight is carried by the most competent.

Verse 1028

Those seeking to improve their clan await no season,
for delays and undue regard for dignity will destroy it.

Verse 1029

When a man shields his family from every suffering,
doesn’t his body become a vessel filled with their afflictions?

Verse 1030

Without good men to hold it up, the family home will fall
the moment misfortune’s axe comes down.

Chapter 102: Possession of Modesty

Verse 1015
A man stands handcuffed before a judge who is deciding his fate.A friend in the foreground is waiting for the judgment, sad because he sympathizes with his friend’s sorrowful situation. A Goddess places her hand on the friend’s head, honoring his modesty and compassion.

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 1011

For fair-faced maidens, modesty means bashfulness,
but the deeper modesty shies away from shameful karmas.

Verse 1012

Food, clothing and such do not differ much among people;
what distinguishes good men from others is modesty.

Verse 1013

All life clings to a body;
perfect goodness clings to all that is modest.

Verse 1014

Is not modesty a jewel adorning perfect men?
Without it, is not their strut an awful blemish to behold?

Verse 1015

The world decrees that men who are as ashamed
by others’ disgrace as by their own are modesty’s fondest home.

Verse 1016

The great would rather hold themselves behind
modesty’s barricade than breach it to acquire the vast world.

Verse 1017

Those who prize unpretentiousness will forsake life to preserve it.
But they never forsake modesty for the sake of life.

Verse 1018

If a man does not feel ashamed of what makes others feel ashamed,
virtue itself will be ashamed of him.

Verse 1019

Failing to observe good conduct, one sets his family on fire.
Living in shamelessness, he incinerates everything good.

Verse 1020

The movements of men devoid of modesty mock life,
like wooden puppets suspended on a string.

Chapter 101: Wealth That Benefits No One

Verse 1009
A man has chosen a lonely life so that he might acquire a great storehouse of wealth. This he has done, but now he must protect his treasure, and so he locks himself in a vault. He is alone, without close friends or family. Despite his efforts, two thieves are walking away with his belongings.

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Verse 1001

He who has amassed great wealth but does not enjoy it
is reckoned as dead, like his unused heap.

Verse 1002

Believing wealth is everything, yet giving away nothing,
the miser himself will be possessed by a miserable birth.

Verse 1003

The mere sight of men who lust after wealth,
caring nothing for renown, is a burden to the Earth.

Verse 1004

What could a man, unloved by even a single soul,
imagine he might leave to posterity?

Verse 1005

Amid millions heaped high, a man remains poor
if he neither gives away his wealth nor enjoys it himself.

Verse 1006

Vast wealth can be a wretched curse to one who
neither gladdens himself in its worth nor gives to the worthy.

Verse 1007

The wealth of a greedy man who gives nothing to the needy
is like the beauty of a maiden growing old unwed.

Verse 1008

The wealth of a man whom no heart loves
is like fruits on a poisonous tree in the heart of a village.

Verse 1009

He who casts out love and dharma and chooses self-denial
so wealth can pile high will see it seized by strangers.

Verse 1010

The short-lived poverty of a benevolent rich man
is like the temporary dryness of a bountiful rain cloud.

Chapter 100: Possession of Courtesy

Verse 999
It's a lovely day and one man enjoys the sky, the mountains and a nearby temple. Nature’s beauties bring a smile to his face and a joy in his heart. Another man has blindfolded himself with discontent, and his day is anything but bright. He cannot smile, and his world is nothing but darkness.

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Verse 991

They say if a man is easily accessible to everyone,
the virtue of courtesy will be easily accessible to him.

Verse 992

Loving kindness and birth in a good family--
these two are said to confer on one a gracious manner.

Verse 993

Resemblance among humans is not that their bodies look alike.
Real similarities come from similar traits of courtesy.

Verse 994

The world commends the civility of those
who combine fruitful effort and kindly benevolence.

Verse 995

Disparaging words are painful even when uttered in jest.
Hence, knowers of human nature are courteous even to enemies.

Verse 996

The world exists because civilized men exist.
Without them, it would collapse into mere dust.

Verse 997

Though their minds are as sharp as a wood rasp,
men without human decency are as wooden as a tree.

Verse 998

It is disgraceful to be discourteous towards others,
even to unfriendly fellows who treat you unjustly.

Verse 999

To those who cannot smile in joy, this wide world
lies engulfed in darkness, even in broad daylight.

Verse 1000

Great wealth amassed by men who lack sweet courtesy
is like good milk turned sour in an unclean vessel.

Chapter 99: Perfect Goodness

Verse 989
A massive storm has struck the seashore causing waves and winds that have destroyed a man's home. Even amid this tragedy and loss, he stands firmly on the ground, his legs apart as he faces the storm with profound courage and stoic acceptance.

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Verse 981

It is said that all good things are natural to those
who know their duty and walk the path of perfect goodness.

Verse 982

Perfect men hold as good their own good character.
They count no other goodness so genuinely good.

Verse 983

Love, modesty, propriety, a kindly eye and truthfulness--
these are the five pillars on which perfect goodness rests.

Verse 984

Penance is the goodness that refrains utterly from killing.
Perfection is the goodness that refuses to utter others' faults.

Verse 985

Humility is the strength of the strong
and the instrument the wise use to reform their foes.

Verse 986

The touchstone of perfect character is
accepting with dignity defeat from one's inferiors.

Verse 987

Of what gain is perfect goodness if it does not do good to all,
even to those who have done painful things to others?

Verse 988

Deprived of all else, one remains undisgraced
if still endowed with strength of character.

Verse 989

Destiny's last days may surge with oceanic change,
yet perfectly good men remain, like the shore, unchanged.

Verse 990

Should the perfect virtue of perfect men ever diminish,
this mighty Earth would bear our burdensome weight no more.

Chapter 98: Greatness

Verse 972
Here we see nine vignettes of life experiences which determine the greatness or the meanest of a man. From top to bottom there is a student studying diligently, a man working hard in the field, a lazy fellow, a priest who is worshiping in the temple, a farmer tilling his rice fields, a thief breaking into another person’s home, scholar teaching his students, a father mediating an argument with his neighbors and, finally, a criminal who has been imprisoned.

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Verse 971

The aspiration for glorious achievement is the light of life.
Disgrace is the dark thought that says, "I can live without it."

Verse 972

All men who live are alike at birth.
Diverse actions define their distinction and distinctiveness.

Verse 973

Lowly men are never high, even when elevated.
High souls are never low, even when downtrodden.

Verse 974

Like chastity in a woman, greatness is guarded
by being true to one's own self.

Verse 975

A man possessing greatness possesses the power
to effectively perform uncommonly difficult deeds.

Verse 976

"We will befriend great men and become like them."
Such thoughts seldom intrude upon small minds.

Verse 977

When small-minded men do achieve some distinction,
it only serves to augment their arrogance.

Verse 978

Greatness is always humbly self-effacing,
while pettiness adorns itself with words of praise.

Verse 979

Greatness abides in the absence of arrogance.
Smallness proudly parades its fulsome haughtiness.

Verse 980

Greatness conceals by silence the weaknesses of others.
Pettiness promptly proclaims such things to all.

Chapter 97: Honor

Verse 970
A man has been brought to a judge in a secure courthouse. The judge finds him guilty and offers him two choices of punishment, shown by the two fingers he holds up. The accused does not see honor in either of those choices, and he holds up a third finger on his hand to indicate he is choosing death instead of dishonoring his innocence.

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Verse 961

Shun any actions that will diminish honor,
even if they are vital for the preservation of life.

Verse 962

Those who honorably pursue glory never act ingloriously,
even if glorious fame is to be gained.

Verse 963

Cultivate modesty in the midst of good fortune,
but in times of adversity preserve your dignity.

Verse 964

Honorable men fallen from high status
are like useless hair fallen from the head.

Verse 965

Unworthy acts, though mustard-seed small, will bring down
a man, though he towers like a mountain.

Verse 966

It offers neither Earth's renown nor Heaven's refuge,
so why do men run after and stand by those who revile them?

Verse 967

Better to die right where you stand, the saying goes,
than to live running after those who despise you.

Verse 968

Will any medicine preserve the body of the high-born man
whose honor has already perished?

Verse 969

Shorn of its hair, the yak will refuse to live.
Such men do exist who prefer death to the loss of honor.

Verse 970

The world will extol and exalt honorable men
who exult in death rather than endure dishonor.

Appendix

The Qualities of People

Chapter 96: Nobility

Verse 960
An accomplished artist, whose masterpiece is behind him, has just received a trophy and monetary awards for his achievement. He is enjoying the accolades of the crowd who have come to the event. He shows his nobility by pressing his hands together and honoring all present in true humility.

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Verse 951

An innate sense of right and shying away from wrong
are found together only in the nobly born.

Verse 952

Men of noble birth will never fall away from these three:
correct conduct, truthfulness and modesty.

Verse 953

Four traits define the true gentleman: a smiling face,
a generous hand, a courteous demeanor and kindly words.

Verse 954

Though millions upon millions could be gained by it,
men nobly born would never commit a demeaning deed.

Verse 955

Though their means of charitableness may be cut off,
venerable families will never be severed from propriety.

Verse 956

Those committed to their family's flawless fame
dare not commit deceitful, dishonorable deeds.

Verse 957

In high-born men, blemishes are clearly seen,
just as the moon's elevation makes it more visible.

Verse 958

When a man with good background lacks loving affection,
doubts arise whether he arose from that family.

Verse 959

The nature of a soil is known by the seedlings it sprouts.
The nature of a man's family is known by the words he speaks.

Verse 960

Those desiring greatness must desire modesty. Those seeking
their family's honor must seek to be respectful to all.