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.

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.

आत्मार्थे पृथिवीं त्यजेत्

त्यजेदेकं कुलस्यार्थे ग्रामस्यार्थे कुलं त्यजेत्।
ग्रामं जनपदस्यार्थे आत्मार्थे पृथिवीं त्यजेत्॥३८६॥
— विष्णुशर्मणः पञ्चतन्त्रम् - मित्रभेदः
tyajedekaṁ kulasyārthe grāmasyārthe kulaṁ tyajet|
grāmaṁ janapadasyārthe ātmārthe pṛthivīṁ tyajet||386||
— viṣṇuśarmaṇaḥ pañcatantram - mitrabhedaḥ
“Sub ordinate (neglect) the interest of an individual for the sake of the family, of the family to sub-serve the interest of the village, of the village in the interest of the state; [give up] all wordly interest in order to attain eternal bliss (Atman)”

एकः स्वादु न भुञ्जीत

एकः स्वादु न भुञ्जीत नैकः सुप्तेषु जागृयात्।
एको न गच्छेदध्वानं नैकश्चार्थान्प्रचिन्तयेत्॥
पञ्चतन्त्रम् - अपरीक्षितकारकम्-९५ कथा १३
ekaḥ svādu na bhuñjīta naikaḥ supteṣu jāgṛyāt|
eko na gacchedadhvānaṁ naikaścārthānpracintayet||
pañcatantram - aparīkṣitakārakam-95 (kathā 13)

"One should not eat a sweet thing alone;
one should not wake up alone while others are sleeping;
One should not go on a journey alone;
and one should not think of gaining wealth alone."
(M. R. Kale translation: MLBD ISBN 81-208-0219-5). Lakshman liked this one particularly from the good ol' school days!

सत्यं परित्यजति मुञ्चति बन्धुवर्गं

सत्यं परित्यजति मुञ्चति बन्धुवर्गं
शीघ्रं विहाय जननीमपि जन्मभूमिम्।
संत्यज्य गच्छति विदेशमभीष्टलोकं
चिन्ताकुलीकृतमतिः पुरुषोत्र लोके॥
पञ्चतन्त्रम् - अपरीक्षितकारकम्-२७ कथा २
satyaṁ parityajati muñcati bandhuvargaṁ
śīghraṁ vihāya jananīmapi janmabhūmim|
saṁtyajya gacchati videśamabhīṣṭalokaṁ
cintākulīkṛtamatiḥ puruṣotra loke||
pañcatantram - aparīkṣitakārakam-27 (kathā 2)

"In this world, a man whose mind is perplexed with anxiety disregards truth, leaves off the multitude of his relations and abandoning even his mother and leaving his motherland, quickly repairs to a foreign land, the people whereof he likes."
(M. R. Kale translation: MLBD ISBN 81-208-0219-5)

(posted on 25th Sep)