Shloka 19
Dharma and Wealth — Chanakya Niti
अनालोक्य व्ययं कर्ता अनाथः कलहप्रियः ।
आतुरः सर्वक्षेत्रेषु नरः शीघ्रं विनश्यति ॥
anālokya vyayaṁ kartā anāthaḥ kalahapriyaḥ |
āturaḥ sarvakṣetreṣu naraḥ śīghraṁ vinaśyati ||
One who spends without forethought, lacks support, loves quarrel, and is restless in every undertaking perishes quickly.
FAQs
Within nītiśāstra literature, such verses are commonly framed as compact observations about causes of personal and social failure, reflecting an environment where economic prudence (vyaya), patronage or protection networks (anātha), and avoidance of factional conflict (kalaha) were treated as significant factors in sustaining household and political stability in early Indian social and courtly settings.
Financial imprudence is represented by the compound idea anālokya vyayaṁ kartā—someone who commits to spending without examination or foresight. In the verse’s logic, this trait functions as one element in a cluster of destabilizing behaviors that are portrayed as leading toward rapid ruin.
The verse uses a cumulative characterization: multiple nominative descriptors (kartā, anāthaḥ, kalahapriyaḥ, āturaḥ) build a profile of vulnerability. The term kṣetra (in sarvakṣetreṣu) is metaphorical in Sanskrit usage, extending from “field” to “domain/sphere of activity,” suggesting that agitation or rashness is pervasive across contexts rather than limited to a single circumstance.