व्यालं बालमृणालतन्तुभिः

व्यालं बालमृणालतन्तुभिरसौ रोद्धुं समुज्जृम्भते
छेत्तुं वज्रमणिं शिरीषकुसुमप्रान्तेन सन्नह्यति।
माधुर्यं मधुबिन्दुना रचयितुं क्षाराम्बुधेरीहते
नेतुं वञ्छति यः खलान् पथि सतां सूक्तैः सुधास्यन्दिभिः॥
vyālaṁ bālamṛṇālatantubhirasau roddhuṁ samujjṛmbhate
chettuṁ vajramaṇiṁ śirīṣakusumaprāntena sannahyati|
mādhuryaṁ madhubindunā racayituṁ kṣārāmbudherīhate
netuṁ vañchati yaḥ khalān pathi satāṁ sūktaiḥ sudhāsyandibhiḥ||
To control an elephant with a lotus stem, or trying to cut a diamond with the delicate petals of the shirIsha flower, or sweetening the salty ocean with a drop of honey — these are equivalent to want to reform the wicked with nectar sweet advice.

कीर्तिर्यस्य स जीवति

चलच्चित्तं चलो वित्तं चलज्जीवन यौवनम्‌।
चलाचलमिदं सर्वं कीर्तिर्यस्य स जीवति॥
calaccittaṁ calo vittaṁ calajjīvana yauvanam |
calācalamidaṁ sarvaṁ kīrtiryasya sa jīvati ||
Mind is unstable, wealth is transitory, life and youth are temporary.
[Where] everything is transitory/unstable, he who has acquired name/fame lives [forever].

रामरक्षा स्तोत्रम्

राम शब्दस्य एकवचने सर्वेषु विभक्तिषु प्रयोगः कथम् भवति इति अत्र द्रष्टुम् शक्यते—

रामो राजमणिः सदा विजयते रामं रमेशं भजे
रामेणाभिहता निशाचरचमू रामाय तस्मै नमः।
रामान्नास्ति परायणं परतरं रामस्य दासोस्म्यहम्
रामे चित्तलयः सदा भवतु मे भो राम मामुद्धर॥
rāmo rājamaṇiḥ sadā vijayate rāmaṁ rameśaṁ bhaje
rāmeṇābhihatā niśācaracamū rāmāya tasmai namaḥ|
rāmānnāsti parāyaṇaṁ parataraṁ rāmasya dāsosmyaham
rāme cittalayaḥ sadā bhavatu me bho rāma māmuddhara||

Lord Sri Rama, the jewel among kings, always emerges victorious. I contemplate on Rama, the lord of Ramaa (Lakshmi-Sita Devi).
Rama destroyed the mighty armies of the demons. I salute Him, Lord Rama.
There is no greater refuge than Lord Rama. I am a humble servant of Rama.
Let my mind ever meditate on Rama. O Lord Rama! Kindly grant me salvation.

अभ्यासाद्धार्यते विद्या

अभ्यासाद्धार्यते विद्या कुलं शीलेन धार्यते।
गुणैर्मित्राणि धार्यन्ते अक्ष्णा क्रोधश्च धार्यते॥
abhyāsāddhāryate vidyā kulaṁ śīlena dhāryate|
guṇairmitrāṇi dhāryante akṣṇā krodhaśca dhāryate||
Knowledge is retained by constant practice; a family is held together by virtuous conduct; friendship is kept by good qualities; anger is evident from the knitting of the eyebrows.

आचारसम्भवो धर्मः

आचारसम्भवो धर्मो धर्माद्वेदाः समुत्थिताः।
वेदैर्यज्ञाः समुत्पन्ना यज्ञैर्देवाः प्रतिष्ठिताः॥
ācārasambhavo dharmo dharmādvedāḥ samutthitāḥ|
vedairyajñāḥ samutpannā yajñairdevāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ||

From good conduct is born Dharma, the Veda-s (scriptures) have sprung from Dharma alone; the holy sacrifices are born of (performed with) the Veda-s, the Gods are established (propitiated) by the sacrifices.

गुरुशुश्रूषया त्वेव ब्रह्मलोकं समश्नुते

इमं लोकं मातृभक्त्या पितृभक्त्या तु मध्यमम्।
गुरुशुश्रूषया त्वेव ब्रह्मलोकं समश्नुते॥
imaṁ lokaṁ mātṛbhaktyā pitṛbhaktyā tu madhyamam|
guruśuśrūṣayā tveva brahmalokaṁ samaśnute||
By honouring/worshipping (one’s) mother he gains this world, by honouring one’s father the middle sphere, but by obedience to his Teacher, the World of Brahman.

पतञ्जलिं प्राञ्जलिरानतोऽस्मि

योगेन चित्तस्य पदेन वाचा मलं शरीरस्य च वैद्यकेन।
योऽपाकरोत्तं प्रवरं मुनीनां पतञ्जलिं प्राञ्जलिरानतोऽस्मि॥
yogena cittasya padena vācā malaṁ śarīrasya ca vaidyakena |
yo'pākarottaṁ pravaraṁ munīnāṁ patañjaliṁ prāñjalirānato'smi ||

I offer salutations with folded hands to Patanjali the renowned amongst the sages, who removed the impurity of mind through Yoga, of speech by grammar and of the body by Āyurveda.

विप्रो वृक्षस्तस्य मूलं च सन्ध्या

विप्रो वृक्षस्तस्य मूलं च सन्ध्या वेदाः शाखा धर्मकर्माणि पत्रम्।
तस्मान्मूलं यत्नतो रक्षणीयं छिन्ने मूले नैव शाखा न पत्रम्॥
vipro vṛkṣastasya mūlaṁ ca sandhyā vedāḥ śākhā dharmakarmāṇi patram|
tasmānmūlaṁ yatnato rakṣaṇīyaṁ chinne mūle naiva śākhā na patram||
Vipras (Brahmanas) are like a tree, Sandhya the root, the Vedas its branches and other duties as the leaves.
Therefore, the root must be diligently kept secure, for if the root is severed, there are neither any branches nor any leaves!

असतोऽपि भवति गुणवान्

असतोऽपि भवति गुणवान् सद्भ्योऽपि परं भवन्त्यसद्वृत्ताः।
पङ्कादुदेति कमलं क्रिमयः कमालादपि भवन्ति॥
asato’pi bhavati guṇavān sadbhyo’pi paraṁ bhavantyasadvṛttāḥ|
paṅkādudeti kamalaṁ krimayaḥ kamālādapi bhavanti||
A virtuous person may spring even from a bad source and one of bad conduct even from the virtuous. The (beautiful) lotus springs from (dirty) mud, but worms are seen to spring even from a lotus.

नश्यति प्रज्ञा

अथवा नश्यति प्रज्ञा प्राज्ञस्यापि नरस्य हि।
प्रतिकूले गते दैवे विनाशे समुपस्थिते॥
athavā naśyati prajñā prājñasyāpi narasya hi|
pratikūle gate daive vināśe samupasthite||
The intelligence of even a wise man perishes,
when fate is unfavourable and destruction is imminent.

विनाशकाले विपरीतबुद्धिः
vināśakāle viparītabuddhiḥ

अपमानितोऽपि कुलजो न वदति

अपमानितोऽपि कुलजो न वदति पुरुषं स्वभावदाक्षिण्यात्।
न हि मलयचन्दनतरुः परसुप्रहतः स्रवेत् पूयम्॥
apamānito'pi kulajo na vadati puruṣaṁ svabhāvadākṣiṇyāt|
na hi malayacandanataruḥ parasuprahataḥ sravet pūyam||
One well born (of a high stature), though insulted, does not hit back owing to their innate natural courtest. The sandal tree of the Malaya mountain does not exude filth [even] to the one who cuts it with an axe!

अकीर्तिर्यस्य गीयते

अकीर्तिर्यस्य गीयते लोके भूतस्य कस्यचित्।
पतत्येवाधमाँल्लोकान् यावच्छब्दः प्रकीर्त्यते॥
akīrtiryasya gīyate loke bhūtasya kasyacit|
patatyevādhamāllokān yāvacchabdaḥ prakīrtyate||
Whose ill fame is spoken in the world, he falls to the lower 'worlds' so long as the defamatory words go around.

अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम्।
सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्तिर्मरणदतिरिच्यते॥२-३४॥
—श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता
akīrtiṁ cāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣyanti te'vyayām|
sambhāvitasya cākīrtirmaraṇadatiricyate||2-34||
—śrīmadbhagavadgītā
"People will also pour undying infamy on you; and infamy brought on a man enjoying popular esteem is worse than death."