रामं दशरथं विद्धि

रामं दशरथं विद्धि मां विद्धि जनकात्मजाम्।
अयोध्यामटवीं विद्धि गच्छ तात यथासुखम्॥४०-९॥
—श्रीमद्वाल्मीकिरामायणे अयोध्याकाण्डम्
rāmaṁ daśarathaṁ viddhi māṁ viddhi janakātmajām|
ayodhyāmaṭavīṁ viddhi gaccha tāta yathāsukham||40-9||
—śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇe ayodhyākāṇḍam
Regard Rāma as Daśaratha (your father), Sīta as me (your mother).
The forest, as Ayodhyā, and go cheerfully, O son!
Sumitra, thus cheerfully urges Lakṣmaṇa to accompany Rama to the forest and do his bidding!

विद्याहीना न शोभन्ते

रूपयौवनसम्पन्ना विशुद्धकुलसम्भवाः।
विद्याहीना न शोभन्ते निर्गन्धा इव किंशुकाः॥
rūpayauvanasampannā viśuddhakulasambhavāḥ |
vidyāhīnā na śobhante nirgandhā iva kiṁśukāḥ ||
Even though one may be beautiful or handsome, young and may be from a good family,
The unlearned cannot shine, like  the kiṁśukā flowers, which are beautiful but no fragrance.

नारायणं निराकारम्‌

नारायणं निराकारं नरवीरं नरोत्तमम्‌।
नृसिंहं नागनाथं च तं वन्दे नरकान्तकम्‌॥
nārāyaṇaṁ nirākāraṁ naravīraṁ narottamam |
nṛsiṁhaṁ nāganāthaṁ ca taṁ vande narakāntakam ||
I salute to the great Lord Nārāyaṇa who is formless, valorous, best among men,
Nṛsiṁha, who suppressed the dreadful snake  Kāliya and killed Narakāsura.

What a nice alliteration!

तृष्णां छिन्धि भज क्षमाम्

तृष्णां छिन्धि भज क्षमां जहि मदं पापे रतिं मा कृताः
सत्यं ब्रूह्यनुयाहि साधु पदवीं सेवस्व विद्वज्जनम्‌।
मान्यान्मानय विद्विशोऽप्यनुनय प्रख्यापय प्रश्रयं
कीर्तिं पालय दुःखिते कुरु दयामेतत्सतां चेष्टितम्॥
tṛṣṇāṁ chindhi bhaja kṣamāṁ jahi madaṁ pāpe ratiṁ mā kṛtāḥ
satyaṁ brūhyanuyāhi sādhu padavīṁ sevasva vidvajjanam |
mānyānmānaya vidviśo’pyanunaya prakhyāpaya praśrayaṁ
kīrtiṁ pālaya duḥkhite kuru dayāmetatsatāṁ ceṣṭitam ||
Curbing the desire, practicing patience, giving up pride, not interested in committing a sin,
Speaking the truth, following the footsteps of the good, serving the scholars,
Respecting the honourable, pleasing even enemies, being modest,
Protecting fame and kind towards the distressed. These are the actions of the good.

[Thanks to sanskritdocuments.org]

मूर्खस्य नास्त्यौषधम्‌

शक्यो वारयितुं जलेन हुतभुक्‌ छत्रेण सूर्यातपः
नागेन्द्रो निशिताङ्कुशेण समदो दन्तेन गौर्गर्दभः।
व्याधिः भेषजसङ्ग्रहैश्च विविधैर्मन्त्रप्रयोगैर्विषम्
सर्वस्यौषधमस्ति शास्त्रविहितं मूर्खस्य नास्त्यौषधम्‌॥
śakyo vārayituṁ jalena hutabhuk chatreṇa sūryātapaḥ
nāgendro niśitāṅkuśeṇa samado dantena gaurgardabhaḥ |
vyādhiḥ bheṣajasaṅgrahaiśca vividhairmantraprayogairviṣam
sarvasyauṣadhamasti śāstravihitaṁ mūrkhasya nāstyauṣadham ||
It is possible to prevent fire with water, heat of the sun with an umbrella,
A strong elephant with a sharp goad, a bull or donkey with a stick,
A disease with a concotion of medicines, and poison by the use of various mantras.
For everything there is a remedy provided in the scriptures but there is no remedy for a fool.

[Thanks to sanskritdocuments.org]

जयोऽस्तु पाण्डुपुत्राणाम्

जयोऽस्तु पाण्डुपुत्राणां येषां पक्षे जनार्दनः।
यतः कृष्णस्ततो धर्मो यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः॥
jayo’stu pāṇḍuputrāṇāṁ yeṣāṁ pakṣe janārdanaḥ |
yataḥ kṛṣṇastato dharmo yato dharmastato jayaḥ ||
Success be to the sons of Pāṇḍu (Pāṇḍavās), on whose side is Janārdana.
Where Krishna is, there is dharma and where dharma is, there is victory.

[Thanks to sanskritdocuments.org]

मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वम्

मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः।
यत्क्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकम् अवधीः काममोहितम्॥२-१४॥
—श्रीमद्वाल्मीकिरामायणे बालकाण्डे
mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṁ tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ |
yatkrauñcamithunādekam avadhīḥ kāmamohitam ||2-14||
—śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇe bālakāṇḍe
O hunter! You will not come to glory till the end of eternity.
For you have killed one from a pair of krauncha (heron?) birds, enraptured in love.

गुणिर्गुणं वेत्ति

गुणिर्गुणं वेत्ति न वेत्ति निर्गुणः
बलिर्बलं वेत्ति न वेत्ति निर्बलः।
पिको वसन्तस्य गुणं न वायसः
करि च सिंहस्य बलं न मूषिकः॥
guṇirguṇaṁ vetti na vetti nirguṇaḥ
balirbalaṁ vetti na vetti nirbalaḥ |
piko vasantasya guṇaṁ na vāyasaḥ
kari ca siṁhasya balaṁ na mūṣikaḥ ||
The virtuous appreciate virtues but not the bad;
The strong appreciate strength but not the weak.
[just like] The cuckoo [which] feels the influence of the spring but not the crow;
[and] The elephant [that] values the strength of the lion but not the mouse.

न च विद्यासमो बन्धुः

न च विद्यासमो बन्धुर्न च व्याधिसमौ रिपुः।
न चापत्यसमः स्नेहो न च दैवात्परं बलम्‌॥
na ca vidyāsamo bandhurna ca vyādhisamau ripuḥ |
na cāpatyasamaḥ sneho na ca daivātparaṁ balam ||
There is no relative (well-wisher) equal to knowledge, no enemy as bad as disease;
No affection is equal to that for a child and  there is no power greater than that of God (destiny?).

यो यस्य हृद्यो न हि तस्य दूरः

गिरौ कलापि गगने पयोधौ लक्ष्यान्तरेऽर्कश्च जलेषु पद्मम्‌।
इन्दुर्द्विलक्षे कुमुदस्य बन्धुर्यो यस्य हृद्यो न हि तस्य दूरः॥
girau kalāpi gagane payodhau lakṣyāntare’rkaśca jaleṣu padmam |
indurdvilakṣe kumudasya bandhuryo yasya hṛdyo na hi tasya dūraḥ ||
The peacock is in the mountain and the clouds in the sky; the sun is at the distance of a thousand thousand yojanas and the lotus is in the water,
The moon is two hundred thousand yojanas away from its friend, the lily; what is dear to
one’s heart is not far away.

[Thanks to sanskritdocuments.org]

ललाटलेखा न पुनः प्रयाति

लब्धव्यमर्थं लभते मनुष्यो देवोऽपि तं वारयितुं न शक्तः।
अतो न शोचामि न विस्मयो मे ललाटलेखा न पुनः प्रयाति॥
labdhavyamarthaṁ labhate manuṣyo devo’pi taṁ vārayituṁ na śaktaḥ |
ato na śocāmi na vismayo me lalāṭalekhā na punaḥ prayāti ||
Man obtains wealth he is to obtain, even God (Deva) is not able to prevent it.
Therefore, I neither grieve nor get surprised as the writing on the forehead never fails.

[Thanks to sanskritdocuments.org]

सुन्दरे किं न सुन्दरम्

सुन्दरे सुन्दरो रामः सुन्दरे सुन्दरी कथा
सुन्दरे सुन्दरी सीता सुन्दरे सुन्दरं वनम्।
सुन्दरे सुन्दरं काव्यं सुन्दरे सुन्दरः कपिः
सुन्दरे सुन्दरं मन्त्रं सुन्दरे किं न सुन्दरम्॥
sundare sundaro rāmaḥ sundare sundarī kathā
sundare sundarī sītā sundare sundaraṁ vanam|
sundare sundaraṁ kāvyaṁ sundare sundaraḥ kapiḥ
sundare sundaraṁ mantraṁ sundare kiṁ na sundaram||
In the sundara kāṇḍa, or the beautiful chapter, beautiful is Rāma, beautiful is the story;
Beautiful is Sītā Devī, beautiful is the Aśoka vanam;
Beautiful is the poem; beautiful is the kapi Hanumān;
Beautiful is the mantra; what is not beautiful in Sundara Kāṇḍam?

I first heard this quoted by Shri Velukkudi Krishnan, in his upanyāsam of the Sundara Kāṇḍam.

महतां मण्डनमिदम्‌

करे श्लाघ्यस्त्यागः शिरसि गुरुपादप्रणयिता
मुखे सत्या वाणी विजयि भुजयोः वीर्यमतुलम्‌।
हृदि स्वच्छवृत्ति श्रुतमधिगतं च श्रवणयोः।
विनाऽप्यैश्वर्येण प्रकृति महतां मण्डनमिदम्‌॥
kare ślāghyastyāgaḥ śirasi gurupādapraṇayitā
mukhe satyā vāṇī vijayi bhujayoḥ vīryamatulam |
hṛdi svacchavṛtti śrutamadhigataṁ ca śravaṇayoḥ |
vinā’pyaiśvaryeṇa prakṛti mahatāṁ maṇḍanamidam ||
Ornaments of great people are entirely different. They are all natural.
Praise-worthy charity, for the hand; submission at the feet of the elders, for the head;
Truthful speech, for the mouth; matchless ever victorious strength, for the arms;
Purity of thought, for the heart and acquired knowledge of the holy scriptures, for the ears.
These are the worthy ornaments of the great by nature (despite the absence of worldly riches.)

[Thanks to sanskritdocuments.org]

दौर्मन्त्र्यान्नृपतिः विनश्यति

दौर्मन्त्र्यान्नृपतिः विनश्यति यतिः सङ्गात् सुतः लालनात्‌
विप्रोऽनध्ययनात् कुलं कुतनयाच्छीलं खलोपासनात्‌।
ह्रीः मद्यादनवेक्षणादपि कृषिः स्नेहः प्रवास आश्रयात्‌
मैत्री चाप्रणयात् समृद्धिरनयात् त्यागात् प्रमादाद्धनम्‌॥
daurmantryānnṛpatiḥ vinaśyati yatiḥ saṅgāt sutaḥ lālanāt
vipro’nadhyayanāt kulaṁ kutanayācchīlaṁ khalopāsanāt |
hrīḥ madyādanavekṣaṇādapi kṛṣiḥ snehaḥ pravāsa āśrayāt
maitrī cāpraṇayāt samṛddhiranayāt tyāgāt pramādāddhanam ||
A king is ruined because of bad counsel; an ascetic, by attachment (to worldly pleasures); a son -by pampering;
A brahmana, by not reciting the holy scriptures; the family, by a wicked son;
Modesty, by wine; character, by association with the wicked;
Agriculture, by not taking proper care; affection, due to separation (distance);
Friendship, due to lack of affection; prosperity,  due to unlawful methods and wealth, due to indiscretion.

[Thanks to sanskritdocuments.org]

विप्राणां ज्ञानतो जैष्ठ्यं

विप्राणां ज्ञानतो जैष्ठ्यं क्षत्रियाणां तु वीर्यतः।
वैश्यानां धान्य-धनतः शूद्राणामेव जन्मतः॥
viprāṇāṁ jñānato jaiṣṭhyaṁ kṣatriyāṇāṁ tu vīryataḥ |
vaiśyānāṁ dhānya-dhanataḥ śūdrāṇāmeva janmataḥ ||
Among brāhmaṇas, seniority is considered by knowledge, among kṣatriyas, by valour.
Among vaiśyas, by grain and money and among śūdras alone, by birth.

ऐश्वरस्य विभूषणं सुजनता

ऐश्वरस्य विभूषणं सुजनता शौर्यस्य वाक्संयमः
ज्ञानस्योपशमः श्रुतस्य विनयो वित्तस्य पात्रे व्ययः।
अक्रोधः तपसः क्षमा प्रभवितुः धर्मस्य निर्व्याजता
सर्वेषामपि सर्वकारणमिदं शीलं परं भूषणम्‌॥
aiśvarasya vibhūṣaṇaṁ sujanatā śauryasya vāksaṁyamaḥ
jñānasyopaśamaḥ śrutasya vinayo vittasya pātre vyayaḥ |
akrodhaḥ tapasaḥ kṣamā prabhavituḥ dharmasya nirvyājatā
sarveṣāmapi sarvakāraṇamidaṁ śīlaṁ paraṁ bhūṣaṇam ||
Nobility is the ornament of greatness; restraint over speech, of courage;
Calmness, of knowledge; obedience, of learning; wise spending of wealth;
Control of one’s anger, of penance; patience, of efficiency, straight-forwardness, of dharma;
Good character is the base for all the above qualities and is the greatest ornament of all.

अटनेन महारण्ये

अटनेन महारण्ये सुपन्थाः जायते शनैः।
वेदाभ्यासात् तथा ज्ञानं शनैः पर्वतलङ्घनम्‌॥
aṭanena mahāraṇye supanthāḥ jāyate śanaiḥ |
vedābhyāsāt tathā jñānaṁ śanaiḥ parvatalaṅghanam ||
The right path will gradually be found in a forest by wandering in it.
Similarly wisdom too will be gradually acquired by study of the holy
scriptures, as a mountain is slowly crossed.
[Thanks to sanskritdocuments.org]

गुणदोषौ बुधौ गृह्णन्

गुणदोषौ बुधौ गृह्णन्निन्दुक्ष्वेलाविवेश्वरः।
शिरसा श्लाघ्यते पूर्वं परं कण्ठे नियच्छति॥
guṇadoṣau budhau gṛhṇannindukṣvelāviveśvaraḥ |
śirasā ślāghyate pūrvaṁ paraṁ kaṇṭhe niyacchati ||
A wise man deals with merits and demerits as Lord Shiva dealt with the moon and the poison.
He praises the former with his head and keeps the latter in his throat.

कर्ता कारयिता चैव

कर्ता कारयिता चैव प्रेरकश्च अनुमोदकः।
सुकृते दुष्कृते चापि चत्वारः समभागिनः॥
kartā kārayitā caiva prerakaśca anumodakaḥ|
sukṛte duṣkṛte cāpi catvāraḥ samabhāginaḥ||
The doer, helper, inspirer and approver;
[In] Good and bad deeds, all these four get an equal share

[Thanks to Shri K V Sarma on viprasamhitha googlegroup]

भावोपहतानि कल्कः

तपो न कल्कोऽध्यननं न कल्कः स्वाभाविको वेदविधिर्न कल्कः।
प्रसह्य वित्ताहरणं न कल्कस्तान्येव भावोपहतानि कल्कः॥
— श्रीमद्महाभारते आदिपर्वणि
tapo na kalko’dhyananaṁ na kalkaḥ svābhāviko vedavidhirna kalkaḥ|
prasahya vittāharaṇaṁ na kalkastānyeva bhāvopahatāni kalkaḥ||
— śrīmadmahābhārate ādiparvaṇi

Tapa is innocent, study is harmless, the ordinance of the Vedas prescribed for all the tribes (varNas?) are harmless, the acquisition of wealth by exertion is harmless; But when they are abused in their practices it is then that they become sources of evil.
(Translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)