अपि ब्रह्मवधं कृत्वा

अपि ब्रह्मवधं कृत्वा प्रायश्चित्तेन शुध्यति।
तदर्थेन विचीर्णेन न कथञ्चित् सुहृद्द्रुहः॥२९८॥
—मित्रभेदः नाम प्रथमे तन्त्रे चण्डरव नाम शृगाल कथा कथा १०
api brahmavadhaṁ kṛtvā prāyaścittena śudhyati|
tadarthena vicīrṇena na kathañcit suhṛddruhaḥ||298||
—mitrabhedaḥ nāma prathame tantre caṇḍarava nāma śṛgāla kathā (kathā 10)
Even after killing a knowledgeable person (or a brāhmaṇa), one might purify by [an appropriate] expiation.
But having gone through that even, there is no pardon for one who betrays a friend.

गवार्थे ब्राह्मणार्थे च

गवार्थे ब्राह्मणार्थे च प्राणत्यागं करोति यः।
सूर्यस्य मण्डलं भित्त्वा स याति परमां गतिम्॥४५३॥
—मित्रभेदः नाम प्रथमे तन्त्रे कथा २३
gavārthe brāhmaṇārthe ca prāṇatyāgaṁ karoti yaḥ|
sūryasya maṇḍalaṁ bhittvā sa yāti paramāṁ gatim||453||
—mitrabhedaḥ nāma prathame tantre kathā 23
For the sake of a cow, or for a brāhmaṇa, One who sacrifices his life.
Having attained the realm of the Sun God, he attains the highest state!

Cf. this with the oft-(mis?)quoted statement of Mahatma Gandhiji, that in self-defence, you can even kill a cow (it is ugly to even type this) that comes to kill you. Cows are among the most sāttvic creatures, and unless brutally provoked, I can’t see why they would turn violent. Of course, they can turn mad, if fed with slaughterhouse waste. Rāmāāāāāāā!!

Isn’t there a limit to how much man can play with nature?

कृतघ्ने नास्ति निष्कृतिः

ब्रह्मघ्ने च सुरापे च चौरे भग्नव्रते शते।
निष्कृतिर्विहिता सद्भिः कृतघ्ने नास्ति निष्कृतिः॥११॥
—लब्धप्रणाशं नाम चतुर्थे तन्त्रे प्रस्तावना-कथा वानरमकरवृत्तान्तः
brahmaghne ca surāpe ca caure bhagnavrate śate|
niṣkṛtirvihitā sadbhiḥ kṛtaghne nāsti niṣkṛtiḥ||11||
—labdhapraṇāśaṁ nāma caturthe tantre prastāvanā-kathā vānaramakaravṛttāntaḥ
For the murderer of a brāhmaṇa, a person who has drunk wine, a thief or for one who has violated a solemn vow;
The learned have prescribed expiation; but for the ungrateful, there is no expiation.

काचः काचो मणिर्मणिः

मणिर्लुटति पादेन काचः शिरसि धार्यते।
यथैवास्तु तथैवास्तु काचः काचो मणिर्मणिः॥
maṇirluṭati pādena kācaḥ śirasi dhāryate |
yathaivāstu tathaivāstu kācaḥ kāco maṇirmaṇiḥ ||
A gem is trodden under foot and a glass is worn on the head.
Even in that state a glass is glass and a gem is a gem.

यत्र धर्मो ह्यधर्मेण

यत्र धर्मो ह्यधर्मेण सत्यं यत्रानृतेन च।
हन्यते प्रेक्षमाणास्तु हतास्तत्र सभासदः॥
yatra dharmo hyadharmeṇa satyaṁ yatrānṛtena ca |
hanyate prekṣamāṇāstu hatāstatra sabhāsadaḥ ||
Where dharma is destroyed by adharma and truth by false,
There the courtiers who witness it become themselves deprived.

भूते पश्यन्ति बर्बराः

राजा पश्यति कर्णाभ्यां धिया पश्यन्ति पण्डिताः।
पशुः पश्यति गन्धेन भूते पश्यन्ति बर्बराः॥
rājā paśyati karṇābhyāṁ dhiyā paśyanti paṇḍitāḥ |
paśuḥ paśyati gandhena bhūte paśyanti barbarāḥ ||
The administrator perceives by his ears, the learned by their intellect;
An animal perceives by scent and fools by the past.

हंसैर्यथा क्षीरमिवाम्बुमध्यात्‌

अनन्तपारं किल शब्दशास्त्रम्
स्वल्पं तथाऽऽयुर्बहवश्च विघ्नाः।
सारं ततो ग्राह्यमपास्य फल्गु
हंसैर्यथा क्षीरमिवाम्बुमध्यात्‌॥
anantapāraṁ kila śabdaśāstram
svalpaṁ tathā”yurbahavaśca vighnāḥ |
sāraṁ tato grāhyamapāsya phalgu
haṁsairyathā kṣīramivāmbumadhyāt ||
Boundless indeed is the science of language,
but life is short and obstacles are numerous.
Hence take what is good and leave what is worthless,
as geese/swan take milk from the midst of water.

भेको बक-बकायते

दिव्यं चूतफलं प्राप्य न गर्वं याति कोकिलः।
पीत्वा कर्दमपानीयं भेको बक-बकायते॥
divyaṁ cūtaphalaṁ prāpya na garvaṁ yāti kokilaḥ |
pītvā kardamapānīyaṁ bheko baka-bakāyate ||
The cuckoo has no pride in the possession of a delicious mango
Whereas a frog will be croaking by a gulp of muddy water.

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?).

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]

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.

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)

वृथा वृष्टिः समुद्रेषु

वृथा वृष्टिः समुद्रेषु वृथा तृप्तेषु भोजनम्।
वृथा दानं धनाढ्येषु वृथा दीपो दिवाऽपि च॥
vṛthā vṛṣṭiḥ samudreṣu vṛthā tṛpteṣu bhojanam|
vṛthā dānaṁ dhanāḍhyeṣu vṛthā dīpo divā’pi ca||
Waste is rain, over the oceans; for one who’s hunger is satiated, food is of no use.
Donations to those who are rich is a waste; so also is lighting a lamp during the day a waste!

[Posted on 04-FEB]

यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते

यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः।
यत्र तास्तु न पूज्यन्ते सर्वास्तत्राफलाः क्रियाः॥
yatra nāryastu pūjyante ramante tatra devatāḥ |
yatra tāstu na pūjyante sarvāstatrāphalāḥ kriyāḥ ||
Where women are respected, there even the Gods rejoice.
Where they are not respected, all actions are fruitless there!

राजा राष्ट्रकृतं पापं

राजा राष्ट्रकृतं पापं राज्ञः पापं पुरोहितः।
भर्ता च स्त्रीकृतं पापं शिष्यपापं गुरुस्तथा॥
rājā rāṣṭrakṛtaṁ pāpaṁ rājñaḥ pāpaṁ purohitaḥ|
bhartā ca strīkṛtaṁ pāpaṁ śiṣyapāpaṁ gurustathā||
The King is responsible for the sins of the country, (i.e. if a country goes astray); for the sins of the king, his advisers are responsible. For the mistakes of a wife, the husband is responsible; and similarly, when a disciple commits a mistake, the guru is responsible.
Note that this is not a ‘blame game’; this just emphasises that if the guiding people are perfect, then mistakes will not occur. It is thus very important that a rājā, purohitaḥ, bhartā and guru should by exemplary in their conduct. Cf. यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठः

पदाम्भोजं शम्भोर्भज

घटो वा मृत्पिण्डोप्यणुरपि धूमोग्निरचलः
पटो वा तन्तुर्वा परिहरति किं घोरशमनं।
वृथा कण्ठक्षोभं वहसि तरसा तर्कवचसा
पदाम्भोजं शम्भोर्भज परमसौख्यं व्रज सुधीः॥६॥
— श्रीमच्छङ्कराचार्यविरचित शिवानन्दलहरी
ghaṭo vā mṛtpiṇḍopyaṇurapi dhūmogniracalaḥ
paṭo vā tanturvā pariharati kiṁ ghoraśamanaṁ|
vṛthā kaṇṭhakṣobhaṁ vahasi tarasā tarkavacasā
padāmbhojaṁ śambhorbhaja paramasaukhyaṁ vraja sudhīḥ||6||
— śrīmacchaṅkarācāryaviracita śivānandalaharī
Whether it is the lump of clay (that is the truth) or the mud-pot, or the atomic fragment of it, whether it is the smoke beyond the mountain (that is the reality) or the fire,
Whether it is the cloth (that is the ultimate) or the threads (of cotton), how does it remove (man’s) suffering?
You are wasting your throat on such questions of logic,
Oh! Man of intellect! Worship the lotus feet of Lord Shambhu and attain the highest bliss!