Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 2.djvu/385

 December, 1873.] THE NALADIYAR. 347 giving alms to those who desire of ns, is not modesty. Nor is the shame which one feels every day who flees from battle, modesty. Bnt true modesty is that shame which will not suffer us to declare the wrongs inflicted on us by our onemies in the day of our distress. 10. The tiger of the forest having slain an elk, will not eat it, but will leave it if it fall on the left side. In like manner, could the excellent by a sacrifice of principle obtain all the wealth that exists under the wide-extended heavens, they would not even desire it. Chapter 31.—Dread of mendicity. Will those who possess clear understanding follow after such men as constantly revile them, saying, These poor men will become rich through our means ; they cannot acquire wealth of themselves ? 2. Does not a man’s death and his birth take place (frequently) in the twin¬ kling of an eye ? Is it, therefore, a reproach to a man if he starve and keep his integrity in¬ violate, rather than fill his stomach by the disgraceful practice of mendicity ? 3. There are none who, using poverty as a pretext, venturing on beggary, do not go to others for assistance in tho way of meanness. Will tho excellent then go for alms to any others but to those who will embrace them and say, Come to ray house and eat ? 4. Though Lakshmi with¬ draw from them and God be angry, the excel¬ lent will not stand with bended neck before the ignorant who bury their money in the earth, and who contemplate not heavenly things with constant minds. 5. Living without begging from friends, strong in affection and who are like the apple of our eyes, who withhold not their assistance from us, is life indeed. Since one's mind melts with anguish when one re¬ flects on a life of mendicity, what must their feelings be who receive alms ! 6. Since it is a means of removing the affliction of poverty for one to beg for himself, then lot affliction be my portion, and let precious wealth depart from me. Of what use is it for him to ask alms of his neighbour with a mind racked with covetous de¬ sires and eyes dimmed with tears ? 7. O lord of the mountains from whose sides fall Btreams which throw up gold ! though a person be born again and again in the world who will not allow himself to reproach beggars, yet (so few are such persons) it must be said he belongs not to this world. 8. If a person being torment¬ ed with poverty, rejecting true wisdom and al¬ lowing ignorance to abide in his mind, goes to a person and says, Give me alms, and if the per¬ son so asked refuse to give, will he not die from very shame at that moment ? 9. Is the gently walking in the way of asceticism more grievous than the saying to others, Give me at least some¬ thing, thus debasing one’s dignity of the cus¬ tom of doing homage to others, to whom he has attached himself by making their acquaintance ? 10. Let a person, on the ground of old ac¬ quaintance, do that benevolence which is fitting in the way of affection to others if they be un¬ worthy of that benevolence. A fire unquench¬ able pressed down in their minds will consume them (till they perish). Chapter 32.—Experience in (conducting of) assemblies. 1. Before the learned men who are confused in mind, who conduct themselves according to their so-called wisdom, smiting with their hands, reiterating again and again their foolish observations, and who disturb the proper order of the assembly, gently desist from uttering words of wisdom. 2. The eminently wise will not consort with the evil poet who comes into the assembly as if he were a learned man, reciting some poem of another’s which he has learned ; that evil poet entering into the assembly will re¬ proach the people who are there, or if not, to disgrace them, will smite his own shoulder and rise up to commence strife. 5. There are many men who speak many words, who love to com¬ mence strife with others, esteeming their own w’ords unanswerable (or overpowering in speech), who understand not how to argue convincingly with their opponents, and who know not (how to acknowledge themselves) beaten. 4. The sim¬ pleton, not being able to acquire any learning for himself, goes into the assembly of the learned, and reciting as his own a stanza which he has learned from some schoolboy, exposes thereby his own ignorance. 5. Those who rise up to show the wisdom or the power of their words, and consort with angry persons who, opposing others with wrathful minds, receive not what is truth, but contend alone for victory, like wild beasts, shall see their own teeth, like the seeds of the gourd, in their hands. 6. When the ignorant recite a poem without understanding its meaning, speak anger-exciting words, the excellent of imperishable renown, being greatly ashamed of