Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Mahabharata or The Mahabharata NULL

Traditionally, authorship of The Mahabharata is attributed to Vyasa, it is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana

"This is the sum of all true righteousness: deal with others as thou wouldst thyself be dealt by. Do nothing to thy neighbor which thou wouldst not have him do to thee hereafter."

"The making of a gift is superior to the acceptance of a gift."

"He that hath faith hath wisdom; he that hath wisdom hath peace. He that hath no wisdom and no faith, whose soul is one of doubt, is destroyed."

"Revenge is not always better, but neither is forgiveness; learn to know them both, son, so that there be no problem. Son, a man who is always forgiving finds many things wrong; his servants despise him, and so do outsiders. No creatures ever bow to him, and that is why the learned criticize being always forgiving."

"In joy and sorrow, in pleasure and pain, one should act towards others as one would have them act toward oneself."

"Contentment is the highest happiness."

"One should forgive, under any injury. It hath been said that the continuation of the species is due to man’s being forgiving. Forgiveness is holiness; by forgiveness the universe is held together. Forgiveness is the might of the mighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is the might of the mighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is quiet of mind. Forgiveness and gentleness are the qualities of the Self-possessed. They represent eternal virtue."

"Do nothing to others which, if done to you, would cause you pain."

"‘Tis not for gain, for fame, from fear That righteous men injustice shun, And virtuous men hold virtue dear: An inward voice they seem to hear, Which tells them duty must be done."

"A bad man is as much pleased as a good man is distressed to speak ill of others."

"A gray head does not make an elder. The Gods know him to be an elder who knows, be he a child. Not by years, not by gray hairs, not by riches or many relations did the seers make the Law: "He is great to us who has learning.""

"A man should never despise himself, for brilliant success never attends on the man who is condemned by himself."

"A King should never disregard even the weakest of enemies, for a tiny spark can become the cause of a devastating forest fire."

"A man should avoid these six like a leaking boat in the ocean: a teacher who does not teach, a priest who has not studied, a king who fails to protect, a wife who is abusive, a cowherd who wants a village, and a barber who wants a forest."

"A wound made by an arrow will cicatrize and heal; a forest felled by the axe will spring up again in new growth; but a wound made by the tongue will never heal."

"All this has Time for its root. Time, is indeed the seed of the universe, O Dhanajaya. It is time again, that withdraws everything at its pleasure."

"A true holy bath consists in washing the mind clean of all impurities."

"All this is rooted in Time, to be or not to be, to be happy or not to be happy."

"A wound inflicted by arrows heals, a wood cut down by an axe grows, but harsh words are hateful, a wound inflicted by them does not heal. Arrows of different sorts can be extracted from the body, but a word-dart cannot be drawn out, for it is seated in the heart."

"An elevated person should know for certain that the only cause for fear is unrighteousness . No material condition, not even death can check one’s Spiritual progress. Only sinful life has the power to degrade one."

"Arjun chose Krishna, though Krishna had vowed to lay down his arms on the battlefield ... ... Krishna asked: "Why did you pick me, knowing I would not fight?" "I can handle the soldiers myself, O Krishna, if I have your presence to give me moral support. Some of your glory will surely rub off on me.""

"An evil-minded man is quick to see His neighbor’s faults, though small as mustard seed; But when he turns his eyes towards his own, Though large as bilva fruit, he none descries."

"At the expiration of the yuga, all visible things of the creation – animate and inanimate – will be again reduced (to its source in the seed form)… And just as the (cycle of) seasons with their fruits & characteristics visible until the end (of their respective time) come in succession, so do the (cycle of) yugas arrive repeatedly… Thus the wheel of time, without beginning and without end, is the cause of destruction of all things."

"Be he ever so wise and strong, wealth confounds a man. In my view, anyone living in comfort fails to reason."

"Brahma said: Well, I shall now tell you somehing more. With even a thousand (explanations), one that has a bad understanding succeeds not in acquiring knowledge. One, however, that is endured with intelligence succeeds in attaining happiness, through only a fourth share (of explanations)."

"Discontent is the root of fortune."

"Cleverness does not always lead to gain nor stupidity to poverty."

"Contentment is the highest happiness."

"Do naught to others which, if done to thee, would cause thee pain: this is the sum of duty."

"Death comes, and makes a man his prey, a man whose powers are yet unspent; Like one on gathering flowers intent, Whose thoughts are turned another way. Begin betimes to practice good, Lest fate surprise thee unawares Amid thy round of schemes and cares; To-morrow’s task to-day conclude.*"

"Do not do to another what is disagreeable to yourself: this is the summary Law."

"Enjoy thou the prosperity of others, although thyself unprosperous; noble men take pleasure in their neighbors’ happiness."

"Everyday men see thousands of entities die, but those who live think that they will not die. What can be more astonishing than this?"

"Entangled in a hundred worldly snares, Self-seeking men, by ignorance deluded, Strive by unrighteous means to pile up riches. Then, in their self-complacency, they say, ‘This acquisition I have made to-day, That will I gain to-morrow, so much pelf is hoarded up already, so much more remains that I have yet to treasure up. This enemy I have destroyed, him also, And others in their turn, I will despatch. I am a lord; I will enjoy myself; I’m wealthy, noble, strong, successful, happy; I’m absolutely perfect; no one else In all the world can be compared to me. Now will I offer up a sacrifice, Give gifts with lavish hand, and be triumphant.’ Such men, befooled by endless vain conceits, Caught in the meshes of the world’s illusion, Immersed in sensuality, descend Down to the foulest hell of unclean spirits.*"

"Heaven’s gate is narrow and minute, It cannot be perceived by foolish men, Blinded by vain illusions of the world. E’en the clear-sighted, who discern the way and seek to enter, find the portal barred And hard to be unlocked. Its massive bolts Are pride and passion, avarice and lust."

"Good words, good deeds, and beautiful expressions A wise man ever culls from every quarter, E’en as a gleaner gathers ears of corn."

"Five Persons should be carefully avoided as much as a leaky boat at sea – a guru that does not speak , a priest that does not know the scriptures , a king or a ruler that cannot grant one protection, and a wife that speaks disagreeably."

"I do not blame you, Maharaja, for hitting an innocent man. For, cruelty comes quick to the powerful."

"In youth a man is deluded by other ideas than those which delude him in middle life, and again in his decay he embraces other ideas."

"If one is too intimate with his dependents , they will hesitate to execute his orders, they will divulge his secrets , they will request things that should not be asked for, and they will appropriate the food that is intended for him."

"He is a fool that practices truth without knowing the difference between truth and falsehood."

"It is a fact that good persons sometimes externally resemble those that are wicked, and evil persons sometimes adopt the garb of piety. For this reason, careful scrutiny is required to find out the truth. First appearances can be deceptive."

"Let none with scorn a suppliant meet, Or from the door untended spurn A dog; an outcast kindly treat; And so thou shalt be blest in turn."

"Just as the track of birds that cleave the air Is not discovered, nor yet the path of fish That skim the water, so the course of those Who do good actions is not always seen."

"It is exceedingly disagreeable to me to learn that thou didst not, from folly, receive what I imparted. The recollection of all that I told thee on that occasion will not come to me now."

"Janaka said: Unlimited is my wealth. At the same time I have noting. If the whole of (my Kingdom) Mithila be consumed in a conflagration, I shall incur no loss of wealth."

"Morality is even so difficult of being understood."

"Man is not the master of destiny, but a wooden doll that is strung on a string ..."

"Mortification is not dregs, Vedic study is not dregs, and the nature-given rules of the Veda are not dregs, the vigorous acquisition of wealth is not dregs - but that is what they become when they are beaten by the beings."

"Of what avail is the praise or censure of the vulgar, who make a useless noise like a senseless crow in a forest’"