Shloka 12
Virtue and Vice — Chanakya Niti
किं तया क्रियते लक्ष्म्या या वधूरिव केवला । या तु वेश्येव सामान्या पथिकैरपि भुज्यते ॥
kiṃ tayā kriyate lakṣmyā yā vadhūr iva kevalā | yā tu veśyeva sāmānyā pathikair api bhujyate ||
What use is wealth that sits secluded like a cloistered bride? But wealth that is common like a courtesan is enjoyed even by passing travelers.
FAQs
Within niti-style literature, wealth is frequently discussed in relation to public recognition, patronage, and circulation. This verse reflects a historical rhetorical strategy: using socially legible domestic and sexualized metaphors to comment on whether wealth is effective (i.e., able to generate alliances, support, or visible benefit) versus inert or inaccessible.
The verse characterizes wealth in functional terms—its value is associated with being usable, distributable, or socially operative. Wealth that remains confined or unavailable is portrayed as producing little outcome, while wealth that is broadly accessible is depicted as generating enjoyment or benefit for many, including outsiders.
The contrast hinges on paired similes: वधूरिव केवला (“like a bride, merely/secluded”) versus वेश्येव सामान्या (“like a courtesan, common/accessible”). The diction suggests an opposition between guarded exclusivity (kevalā) and public availability (sāmānyā). The verb भुज्यते (“is enjoyed/consumed”) reinforces a pragmatic, transactional framing typical of aphoristic niti discourse.