Containing 9 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
न वा उ॑ दे॒वाः क्षुध॒मिद्व॒धं द॑दुरु॒ताशि॑त॒मुप॑ गच्छन्ति मृ॒त्यवः॑ उ॒तो र॒यिः पृ॑ण॒तो नोप॑ दस्यत्यु॒तापृ॑णन्मर्डि॒तारं॒ न वि॑न्दते
"THE Gods have not ordained hunger to be our death: even to the well-fed man comes death in varied shape. The riches of the liberal never waste away, while he who will not give finds none to comfort him."
य आ॒ध्राय॑ चकमा॒नाय॑ पि॒त्वोऽन्न॑वा॒न्त्सन्र॑फि॒तायो॑पज॒ग्मुषे॑ स्थि॒रं मनः॑ कृणु॒ते सेव॑ते पु॒रोतो चि॒त्स म॑र्डि॒तारं॒ न वि॑न्दते
"The man with food in store who, when the needy comes in miserable case begging for bread to eat, Hardens his heart against him-even when of old he did him service-finds not one to comfort him."
स इद्भो॒जो यो गृ॒हवे॒ ददा॒त्यन्न॑कामाय॒ चर॑ते कृ॒शाय॑ अर॑मस्मै भवति॒ याम॑हूता उ॒ताप॒रीषु॑ कृणुते॒ सखा॑यम्
"Bounteous is he who gives unto the beggar who comes to him in want of food and feeble. Success attends him in the shout of battle. He makes a friend of him in future troubles."
न स सखा॒ यो न ददा॑ति॒ सख्ये॑ सचा॒भुवे॒ सच॑मानाय पि॒त्वः अपा॑स्मा॒त्प्रेया॒न्न तदोको॑ अस्ति पृ॒णन्त॑म॒न्यमर॑णं चिदिच्छेत्
"No friend is he who to his friend and comrade who comes imploring food, will offer nothing. Let him depart-no home is that to rest in-, and rather seek a stranger to support him."
पृ॒णी॒यादिन्नाध॑मानाय॒ तव्या॒न्द्राघी॑यांस॒मनु॑ पश्येत॒ पन्था॑म् ओ हि वर्त॑न्ते॒ रथ्ये॑व च॒क्रान्यम॑न्य॒मुप॑ तिष्ठन्त॒ रायः॑
"Let the rich satisfy the poor implorer, and bend his eye upon a longer pathway. Riches come now to one, now to another, and like the wheels of cars are ever rolling."
मोघ॒मन्नं॑ विन्दते॒ अप्र॑चेताः स॒त्यं ब्र॑वीमि व॒ध इत्स तस्य॑ नार्य॒मणं॒ पुष्य॑ति॒ नो सखा॑यं॒ केव॑लाघो भवति केवला॒दी
"The foolish man wins food with fruitless labour: that food -I speak the truth- shall be his ruin. He feeds no trusty friend, no man to love him. All guilt is he who eats with no partaker."
कृ॒षन्नित्फाल॒ आशि॑तं कृणोति॒ यन्नध्वा॑न॒मप॑ वृङ्क्ते च॒रित्रैः॑ वद॑न्ब्र॒ह्माव॑दतो॒ वनी॑यान्पृ॒णन्ना॒पिरपृ॑णन्तम॒भि ष्या॑त्
"The ploughshare ploughing makes the food that feeds us, and with its feet cuts through the path it follows. Better the speaking than the silent Brahman: the liberal friend outyalues him who gives not."
एक॑पा॒द्भूयो॑ द्वि॒पदो॒ वि च॑क्रमे द्वि॒पात्त्रि॒पाद॑म॒भ्ये॑ति प॒श्चात् चतु॑ष्पादेति द्वि॒पदा॑मभिस्व॒रे स॒म्पश्य॑न्प॒ङ्क्तीरु॑प॒तिष्ठ॑मानः
"He with one foot hath far outrun the biped, and the two-footed catches the three-footed. Four-footed creatures come when bipeds call them, and stand and look where five are met together."
स॒मौ चि॒द्धस्तौ॒ न स॒मं वि॑विष्टः सम्मा॒तरा॑ चि॒न्न स॒मं दु॑हाते य॒मयो॑श्चि॒न्न स॒मा वी॒र्या॑णि ज्ञा॒ती चि॒त्सन्तौ॒ न स॒मं पृ॑णीतः
"The hands are both alike: their labour differs. The yield of sister milch-kine is unequal. Twins even diffier in their strength and vigour: two, even kinsmen, differ in their bounty."