Five Kleshas
The monastery has commissioned Suresh Muthukulam of Kerala, India, to paint ten works of art for a book we plan to publish next year. It is Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami's own commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. We thought you would enjoy seeing them now and then as they come in. This one is a blissful yogi on a flying carpet hovering above Siva's Mount Kailas in radiant blessedness. His carpet is held up by a gust of wind created by Vayu, Lord of the Wind.
Tirukural – Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Testing and Trusting Men
Verse 501
In choosing a partner, this businessman is studying whether one candidate deals virtuously with four situations. Not well, he finds, for the man is seen cheating at cards, carousing, indulging his appetites and failing to accept the natural passing of a relative.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 501
Pick that man who passes a four-fold test:
how he handles virtue, wealth, pleasure and loss of life.
Verse 502
Place trust in a man of good family, free from faults,
with a modest nature that dreads reproach.
Verse 503
Even faultless, deeply learned men, when closely examined,
are rarely found to be entirely free from ignorance.
Verse 504
Weigh a man's merits and weigh his faults,
then judge him according to the greater.
Verse 505
The touchstone that discloses a man's greatness
or smallness is simply this: his deeds.
Verse 506
Beware of trusting men who have no kin.
Unattached to people, they are unashamed of misdeeds.
Verse 507
When a man employs a know-nothing out of affection,
he engages all kinds of foolishness.
Verse 508
To trust a stranger without investigation invites troubles
so endless that even descendants must endure them.
Verse 509
Without investigation, trust no one. Having investigated,
entrust a man with matters for which he is trustworthy.
Verse 510
To trust a man who has not been tested and to suspect a man
who has proven trustworthy lead alike to endless ills.
Merging With Siva Now Available in Tamil!
Jai Ganesha!
Today we announce the initial release of a digital edition of Gurudeva's Merging With Siva in the Tamil Language.
The translation was done Ram Prasad Lakshmana Rao in Chennai. It was begun in September of 2020 and completed in July, 2021. Shanthi Suresh from Los Angeles proof read the work. As a close shishya of our parampara, she expressed that Ram did very well in rendering Gurudeva's teachings into Tamil. Currently you can download a PDF or EPUB (without images) here: himalayanacademy.com/view/merging-with-siva-tamil_ta and in the near future a web view version will be also be made available.
Aum Namah Sivaya
Tirukural – Chapter 50
Chapter 50: Understanding the Right Place
Verse 495
A seasoned old crocodile has found safety from a hunter in deep water. A callow youth has moved onto the bank where the hunter may slay him.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 491
Neither ridicule the opposition nor initiate an offensive
until you possess a strategic place from which to strike.
Verse 492
In battle, a fortified position yields plentiful advantages,
even to those already possessing power and prowess.
Verse 493
Even the weak may prevail if they pick the right field of action,
establish good defenses and then fight well.
Verse 494
When an attacker lays siege from a strategic location,
his enemy's thoughts of conquest become unthinkable.
Verse 495
In a river's depths the crocodile is unconquerable,
but others may defeat him if he leaves those waters.
Verse 496
A massive chariot with mighty wheels cannot sail the sea;
nor can an ocean-going ship traverse the land.
Verse 497
Fearlessness is the only friend one needs,
if he relentlessly ponders from which place to pounce.
Verse 498
Even a small army, if well-entrenched, can repel
the power of a large army, forcing it to retreat.
Verse 499
Even if they are without firm forts and inferior in force,
a people defending their own soil are difficult to defeat.
Verse 500
The fearless elephant may slaughter a multitude of warriors,
yet be slain by a single jackal if his legs sink in muddy marsh.
Tirukural – Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Understanding Timeliness
Verse 486
A muscular man stands patiently as a weaker man digs his heels into the ground, refusing to budge. The restraint of the stronger man is a noble virtue.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 481
During the day, a crow can overcome the more powerful owl.
Desiring to defeat his enemy, a king must pick the proper time.
Verse 482
A man may tightly bind himself to prosperity
by the tether called timely action.
Verse 483
Is there any task too difficult for the man who acts
at the right time and with the proper means?
Verse 484
One may aim to acquire the whole world and succeed,
if actions target the right time and place.
Verse 485
Those who aim to own the world
must wait, unruffled, for the fitting hour.
Verse 486
The powerful man's patient restraint is like the drawing back
of the fighting ram before he strikes the stunning blow.
Verse 487
When irate, clear-minded men never show it then and there.
Holding it within, they watch for an opportune moment.
Verse 488
Bow ever so humbly when meeting an enemy.
His own head will hang humiliated when, in time, he meets defeat.
Verse 489
When a rare opportunity comes your way, do not hesitate
to swiftly accomplish otherwise impossible tasks.
Verse 490
There are times to stay still as a stalking heron.
There are times to move swiftly as a heron strikes.
Tirukural – Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Understanding Strength
Verse 476
A careless man has climbed a tree. In reaching for the fruits, he has gone too far and risks having the branch break. His companion, seeing the precariousness of his situation, warns him to be safe and go no farther.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 471
The prudent man acts after weighing the strength a deed demands,
his own strength and the strengths of allies and opposition.
Verse 472
Nothing is impossible for those who perceive the nature and means
of their task and proceed with determination.
Verse 473
Ignorant of their strengths, many plunge zealously
into projects, only to miscarry midway.
Verse 474
How swiftly men who praise themselves perish, unappraised of
their real measure, unable to live in peace with others.
Verse 475
Load too many of them, and even peacock feathers
would break a sturdy cart's axle.
Verse 476
He who has climbed out to the tip of a tree branch
and attempts to climb farther will forfeit his life.
Verse 477
Know the measure of your capacity to give, then give accordingly;
such clarity is the way wealth is preserved.
Verse 478
A small income is no cause for failure,
provided expenditures do not exceed it.
Verse 479
Prosperous as his life may appear, unless a man
measures well his wealth, it will disappear without a trace.
Verse 480
How swiftly a generous man's riches dwindle and die,
if he does not evaluate the limits of his means.
Tirukural – Chapter 47
Chapter 47: Deliberate Before Acting
Verse 462
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 461
When action is needed, ponder what is to be gained,
what lost, and what ultimately achieved, then proceed.
Verse 462
There is nothing too difficult for a man who, before he acts,
deliberates with chosen friends and reflects privately.
Verse 463
The wise never undertake an enterprise that rashly risks
existing capital to reach for potential profits.
Verse 464
Those who dread ridicule and disgrace
will not commence any task that is unclear.
Verse 465
To sally forth without a well-conceived plan
is one way to cultivate an enemy's strength.
Verse 466
Doing what should not be done will bring ruin,
and not doing what should be done will also bring ruin.
Verse 467
Embark upon an action after careful thought. It is folly to say,
"Let us begin the task now and think about it later."
Verse 468
Any task not methodically performed may go awry,
though men in multitudes support it.
Verse 469
Even in doing good deeds a man may err
if he does not consider the recipient's unique nature.
Verse 470
Having made his plans, let a man keep his actions above blame.
The world will never approve of acts that are beneath him.
Tirukural – Chapter 46
Chapter 46: Avoidance of Base Company
Verse 454
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 451
Men of greatness dread base company,
while the low-minded consider them kinsmen.
Verse 452
As water changes according to the soil through which it flows,
so a man assimilates the character of his associates.
Verse 453
By knowing his thoughts, a man's mind is discovered.
By knowing his associates, his character is revealed.
Verse 454
Wisdom, appearing to originate in a man's mind,
has its source in his companions.
Verse 455
Purity of mind and purity of conduct--these two
depend upon the purity of a man's companions.
Verse 456
Praiseworthy progeny come to pure-minded men
whose pure companions keep impure deeds away.
Verse 457
Wealth will be bestowed on good-minded men,
and all renown will be granted by good company.
Verse 458
Even perfect men, possessing the mind's full goodness,
are fortified by pious fellowship.
Verse 459
Goodness of mind leads to bliss in the next world,
and even that is secured by the company of good men.
Verse 460
There exists no greater aid than virtuous fellowship,
and no greater affliction than evil fraternity.
Tirukural – Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Gaining Support from the Great
Verse 443
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 441
If men fathom what it means to have virtuous and wise friends,
they will find the means to procure such friendships.
Verse 442
There are men who allay today's trials and avert
tomorrow's troubles. Befriend and look after them.
Verse 443
To cherish and befriend men of greatness
is the rarest of all rare things.
Verse 444
A man's greatest strength is meriting friendship
with those greater than himself.
Verse 445
Knowing that they function as a monarch's eyes,
a king looks at ministers meticulously before engaging them.
Verse 446
A man's foes are rendered ineffective
if he can live in fellowship with the worthy.
Verse 447
Who can destroy the man who enjoys the friendship
of aides who will not hesitate to admonish him?
Verse 448
With no one to reprove and thus protect him,
a king will be destroyed, though no one seeks his destruction.
Verse 449
Profit is not for those who have no capital; nor is stability
for those who lack the support of faithful friends.
Verse 450
While it is perilous to make a multitude of foes,
it is ten times worse to give up the friendship of the worthy.
Tirukural – Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Guarding Against Faults
Verse king
stands before mirror, humbly checking himself for possible faults. Only after removing his own flaws will he turn to examine the weaknesses in his ministers who wait outside.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 431
Those who are free from vanity, vulgarity and venomousness
will prosper in deserving dignity.
Verse 432
Avarice, arrogance and crude amusements are flaws
in the character of an unfit king.
Verse 433
Though their fault be as small as a millet seed,
to those who dread disgrace it will appear as large as a palm tree.
Verse 434
One's own faults are one's mortal enemies.
It follows that to guard against them is life's gravest concern.
Verse 435
The good fortune of a man who does not guard against failings
before they manifest will perish like a stack of straw before a fire.
Verse 436
What fault remains in a king who expunges his own faults
before examining the faults in others?
Verse 437
The wealth of him who, out of avarice, fails to do what
should be done will vanish without the slightest vestige.
Verse 438
When all faults are reckoned, one remains unrivaled:
the greedy grasping known as avarice.
Verse 439
Never indulge in admiring yourself.
Never be drawn toward deeds that do not benefit others.
Verse 440
Delighting in life's pleasures in guarded privacy
nullifies the conspiring schemes of enemies.
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
