Shloka 2
Human Nature — Chanakya Niti
गते शोको न कर्तव्यो भविष्यं नैव चिन्तयेत् ।
वर्तमानेन कालेन वर्तयन्ति विचक्षणाः ॥
gate śoko na kartavyo bhaviṣyaṃ naiva cintayet |
vartamānena kālena vartayanti vicakṣaṇāḥ ||
Do not grieve over what has passed, nor brood over the future; the discerning live in accord with the present time.
FAQs
Within the nītiśāstra (ethical and pragmatic counsel) tradition, such verses are commonly situated in courtly and administrative milieus where composure and situational awareness were valued traits for advisors and officials. The emphasis on regulating grief and limiting speculative anxiety aligns with broader classical Indian discussions of kāla (time) and practical conduct in changing political conditions.
The verse frames temporal focus through a threefold contrast: the past (gate) is associated with sorrow (śoka), the future (bhaviṣya) with mental preoccupation (cintā), and the present (vartamāna-kāla) with effective conduct (vartayanti). The formulation presents discernment (vicakṣaṇatā) as an orientation toward present circumstances rather than toward affective fixation on what is no longer alterable or what remains uncertain.
Linguistically, the verse employs concise prohibitive-style constructions (na kartavyaḥ, naiva cintayet) paired with a descriptive generalization about the wise (vicakṣaṇāḥ). Conceptually, kāla functions as a governing category: ‘present time’ is treated as the operative field for action and judgment, a common motif in aphoristic Sanskrit literature where time is an implicit measure of political and personal prudence.