1.2.6 The Utterance of Pleasant Words
91. Pleasant words are words with all pervading love that burn; Words from his guileless mouth who can the very truth discern. Sweet words are those which imbued with love and free from deceit flow from the mouth of the virtuous.
92. A pleasant word with beaming smile’s preferred, even to gifts with liberal heart conferred. Sweet speech, with a cheerful countenance is better than a gift made with a joyous mind.
93. With brightly beaming smile, and kindly light of loving eye, And heart sincere, to utter pleasant words is charity. Sweet speech, flowing from the heart (uttered) with a cheerful countenance and a sweet look, is true virtue.
94. The men of pleasant speech that gladness breathe around, through indigence shall never sorrow’s prey be found. Sorrow-increasing poverty shall not come upon those who use towards all, pleasure-increasing sweetness of speech.
95. Humility with pleasant speech to man on Earth, Is choice adornment; all besides is nothing worth. Humility and sweetness of speech are the ornaments of man; all others are not (ornaments).
96. Who seeks out good, words from his lips of sweetness flow; In him the power of vice declines, and virtues grow. If a man, while seeking to speak usefully, speaks also sweetly, his sins will diminish and his virtue increase.
97. The words of sterling sense, to rule of right that strict adhere, To virtuous action prompting, blessings yield in every sphere. That speech which, while imparting benefits ceases not to please, will yield righteousness (for this world) and merit (for the next world).
98. Sweet kindly words, from meanness free, delight of heart, In world to come and in this world impart. Sweet speech, free from harm to others, will give pleasure both in this world and in the next.
99. Who sees the pleasure kindly speech affords, why makes use of harsh, repellent words? Why does he use harsh words?
100. When pleasant words are easy, bitter words to use, is, leaving sweet ripe fruit, the sour unripe to choose. To say disagreeable things when agreeable are at hand is like eating unripe fruit when there is ripe.
1.2.7 The Knowledge of Benefits Conferred: Gratitude
101. Assistance given by those who ne’er received our aid, Is debt by gift of heaven and earth but poorly paid. (The gift of) heaven and earth is not an equivalent for a benefit which is conferred where none had been received.
102. A timely benefit, -though thing of little worth, The gift itself, -in excellence transcends the earth. A favour conferred in the time of need, though it be small (in itself), is (in value) much larger than the world.
103. Kindness shown by those who weigh not what the return may be: When you ponder right its merit, ‘Tis vaster than the sea. If we weigh the excellence of a benefit which is conferred without weighing the return, it is larger than the sea.
104. Each benefit to those of actions’ fruit who rightly deem, though small as millet-seed, as palm-tree vast will seem.
105. The kindly aid’s extent is of its worth no measure true. The benefit itself is not the measure of the benefit; the worth of those who have received it is its measure.
106. Forsake thou never friends who were thy stay in sorrow sore! Forsake not the friendship of those who have been your staff in adversity. Forget not be benevolence of the blameless.
107. Friendship of those who wiped on earth, the tears of sorrow from their eyes. (The wise) will remember throughout their seven-fold births the love of those who have wiped away their affliction.
108. ‘This never good to let the thought of good things done thee pass away; of things not good, ’tis good to rid thy memory that very day. It is not good to forget a benefit; it is good to forget an injury even in the very moment (in which it is inflicted).
109. Effaced straightway is deadliest injury, by thought of one kind act in days gone by.
110. Who ‘benefit’ has killed, that man shall ne’er ‘scape free! He who has killed every virtue may yet escape; there is no escape for him who has killed a benefit.
1.2.8 Impartiality
111. If justice, failing not, its quality maintain, Giving to each his due, -’tis man’s one highest gain. That equity which consists in acting with equal regard to each of (the three) divisions of men [enemies, strangers and friends] is a pre-eminent virtue.
112. The just man’s wealth un-wasting shall endure, and to his race a lasting joy ensure. The wealth of the man of rectitude will not perish, but will bring happiness also to his posterity.
113. Though only good it seem to give, yet gain By wrong acquired, not even one day retain! Forsake in the very moment (of acquisition) that gain which, though it should bring advantage, is without equity.
114. Who just or unjust lived shall soon appear: By each one’s offspring shall the truth be clear. The worthy and unworthy may be known by the existence or otherwise of good off-springs.
115. The gain and loss in life are not mere accident; Just mind inflexible is sages’ ornament. Loss and gain come not without cause; it is the ornament of the wise to preserve evenness of mind (under both).
116. Let him whose mind departing from equity commits sin well consider thus within himself, “I shall perish.”
117. The great will not regard as poverty the low estate of that man who dwells in the virtue of equity.
118. To incline to neither side, but to rest impartial as the even-fixed scale is the ornament of the wise.
119. Freedom from obliquity of speech is rectitude, if there be (corresponding) freedom from bias of mind.
120. The true merchandize of merchants is to guard and do by the things of others as they do by their own.