Shloka 6
Power and Prudence — Chanakya Niti
एकोऽपि गुणवान्पुत्रो निर्गुणेन शतेन किम् ।
एकश्चन्द्रस्तमो हन्ति न च ताराः सहस्रशः ॥
eko'pi guṇavān putro nirguṇena śatena kim |
ekaś candraḥ tamo hanti na ca tārāḥ sahasraśaḥ ||
The verse describes a traditional valuation of quality over quantity: even a single son possessing merit is portrayed as more significant than a hundred lacking merit. It further frames this idea through a celestial metaphor, stating that one moon dispels darkness, whereas thousands of stars do not (in the same way).
FAQs
Within the broader niti (didactic-ethical) tradition, such verses commonly reflect elite household and courtly values in which lineage continuity and social reputation were discussed through the idiom of personal merit (guṇa). The framing aligns with aphoristic literature that circulated in pedagogical and advisory settings, where concise analogies supported instruction in character evaluation.
The verse uses guṇa as an evaluative term indicating commendable qualities—often interpreted in niti literature as a blend of character, capability, and socially recognized virtues. Here, guṇa functions as the decisive criterion that outweighs numerical abundance, contrasted with nirguṇa (“lacking guṇa”), without itemizing specific virtues.
The construction juxtaposes quantified terms (eko'pi, śatena, sahasraśaḥ) to foreground the theme of quality versus quantity. The moon–stars metaphor draws on familiar Sanskrit poetic cosmology: the moon is depicted as a singular luminary associated with overcoming darkness, while stars, though numerous, are presented as insufficient for the same effect—an image reinforcing hierarchical efficacy through celestial comparison.