SUPPLEMENT   TO VOLUME  8

TRANSLATIONS

These Sayings from the Mahabharata appeared in the daily 
Bande Mataram of September 1, 1906. They are given here 
as probably from Sri Aurobindo's pen.

 

Sayings from the Mahabharata

                             IN THAT inexhaustible treasure-house of wisdom, the Mahabharata, sayings of profoundest wisdom are scattered with a lavish hand. Some are worldly-wise, others show how highly Truth was valued, others again for tenderness and the spirit of forgiveness would compare favourably with the wise sayings of any language in the world. As specimens we translate a few at random:-

            Men full of guile and guileless people, good and bad men, may all become friends; therefore, friendship is no measure of equality.

    Desire is endless; contentment is the best happiness.

    Death is to me less fearful than the Untruth.

    The four Vedas carefully studied are equal to a single Truth. 

    The earth and the sky are full of life; there is no space in which living creatures are not.

    The control of the senses is a wholesome fast.

    Ignorant people mistake anger for strength; he who keeps himself free from all anger is, of a truth, strong.

    If spent ceaselessly even the Himalayas would be exhausted. 

    Doubt is the source of all mischief; all work undertaken without any hesitation or doubt is crowned with success. 

    If a man kill another by whom he has been deceived and goes to hell for his sin, even hell is to him as welcome as heaven. 

    Gather wisdom from the ravings of the insane and the babble of children even as gold is gathered from rocky ore.

    He who is aware of his own faults and is ashamed of them is qualified to be the teacher of the world.

    As age deprives woman of her beauty so the absence of humility deprives man of his attractiveness.

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    If one man were to possess all the grain, all the gold, all the cattle and all the women in the world yet he would not be content.

    Error is death and freedom from error is life.

    As dogs fight over meat so kings fight for the possession of the world. 

    The wise mourn neither the living nor the dead.

    So long as a man's good deeds are remembered on earth, so long is he esteemed in heaven.

    Each separate burning brand emits smoke, but when put together they burst into a blaze.

    Anger towards children, the old, and the suffering should be controlled. 

    If one who is the lord of wealth happen to be the stave of his senses he and his wealth soon part company.

    Jealousy is the strength of the wicked, punishment of evil-doers is the strength of kings, ministration to suffering is the strength of women, and forgiveness is the strength of the wise. 

    When the wealth, beauty, heroism, birth, happiness, good fortune, and hospitality of one man excite the envy of another the pain and trouble of the envious man are endless. 

     The seeker after pleasure must abandon knowledge and the seeker after knowledge must abandon pleasure. 

     It is in the nature of men to fancy that they are respected by all men.

      No one can quench indolence by sleep, fire by fuel, and thirst by wine.

     What can be more wonderful than the fact that in spite of deaths happening every day before their eyes the survivors think that for them there is no death!

     There are many gateways of religion. In whatsoever manner the path of religion is earnestly followed it always leads to the same result.

     The man who applies sandal-paste to my right hand and he who cuts off my left hand with an axe are equal in my eyes.

  Bande Mataram, September 1, 1906

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