One should never become a miser. On seeing a miserly rich man who does not give any charity to anyone, an expert Sanskrit-poet composed the following poem:
bhakte dveṣo jaḍe prītir
arucir guru-laṅghanam
mukhe kaṭukatā nityaṁ
dhanināṁ jvariṇām iva
arucir guru-laṅghanam
mukhe kaṭukatā nityaṁ
dhanināṁ jvariṇām iva
Translation:
The miser and the fever-afflicted person have the following common faults in them:
1) bhakte dveṣa — Resentment towards a bhakta (The term 'bhakta' means 'servant', and the term 'bhakta' also means 'rice'. The miser shows resentment towards his servants and the fever-afflicted person shows resentment towards eating rice.)
2) jaḍe prīti — Affection towards 'jaḍa' (The term 'jaḍa' means 'object of material enjoyment'. It also means 'water'*. The miser shows affection towards objects of material enjoyment whereas the fever-afflicted person has affection only for drinking water, for he cannot digest anything else.)
3) aruci — The miser has aruci (disinterest in anything else besides money) and the fever-afflicted soul has aruci (lack of taste in eating anything).
4) guru-laṅghanam — The term 'guru-laṅghanam' means 'contempt towards one's seniors such as father, mother etc.'. Another meaning for the term 'guru-laṅghanam' is 'fasting for a long time'. The miser has contempt for one's seniors, whereas the fever-afflicted person fasts for a long time. In this way, both exhibit guru-laṅghanam.
5) mukhe kaṭukatā nityam — The miser always has his mouth filled with harsh words (mukhe kaṭukatā) whereas the fever-afflicted soul always has his mouth filled with a bitter taste (mukhe kaṭukatā).
— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, dhana-nindā, page 64, verse 4)
* — 'jaḍa' changes to 'jala' by the grammar rule — 'ḍa-la-yor abhedaḥ'.
(Originally posted on Facebook on 30-March-2015).
The miser and the fever-afflicted person have the following common faults in them:
1) bhakte dveṣa — Resentment towards a bhakta (The term 'bhakta' means 'servant', and the term 'bhakta' also means 'rice'. The miser shows resentment towards his servants and the fever-afflicted person shows resentment towards eating rice.)
2) jaḍe prīti — Affection towards 'jaḍa' (The term 'jaḍa' means 'object of material enjoyment'. It also means 'water'*. The miser shows affection towards objects of material enjoyment whereas the fever-afflicted person has affection only for drinking water, for he cannot digest anything else.)
3) aruci — The miser has aruci (disinterest in anything else besides money) and the fever-afflicted soul has aruci (lack of taste in eating anything).
4) guru-laṅghanam — The term 'guru-laṅghanam' means 'contempt towards one's seniors such as father, mother etc.'. Another meaning for the term 'guru-laṅghanam' is 'fasting for a long time'. The miser has contempt for one's seniors, whereas the fever-afflicted person fasts for a long time. In this way, both exhibit guru-laṅghanam.
5) mukhe kaṭukatā nityam — The miser always has his mouth filled with harsh words (mukhe kaṭukatā) whereas the fever-afflicted soul always has his mouth filled with a bitter taste (mukhe kaṭukatā).
— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, dhana-nindā, page 64, verse 4)
* — 'jaḍa' changes to 'jala' by the grammar rule — 'ḍa-la-yor abhedaḥ'.
(Originally posted on Facebook on 30-March-2015).
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