Shloka 16
Self-Discipline — Chanakya Niti
प्रभूतं कार्यमल्पं वा यन्नरः कर्तुमिच्छति ।
सर्वारम्भेण तत्कार्यं सिंहादेकं प्रचक्षते ॥
prabhūtaṃ kāryam alpaṃ vā yan naraḥ kartum icchati |
sarvārambheṇa tat kāryaṃ siṃhād ekaṃ pracakṣate ||
Whether the task is great or small, if a man wishes to do it, he should begin it with full effort—like a lion’s single decisive charge.
FAQs
Within the broader nītiśāstra tradition, such verses function as compact statements on conduct and efficacy, reflecting social environments where decisive initiative was culturally valorized in administrative, martial, and courtly settings. The lion metaphor aligns with older South Asian political and literary symbolism in which the lion signifies concentrated power, resolve, and dominance.
The verse frames initiative (ārambha) as comprehensive or total (sarva-), implying that an undertaking—regardless of scale—is described in terms of the intensity and completeness of its beginning rather than merely its size.
The expression “siṃhād ekaṃ” employs a compressed simile: the lion’s ‘single’ onset evokes an image of concentrated, undivided action. The verbal form “pracakṣate” signals reported characterization (“they describe/call it”), indicating a proverbial or traditional register rather than a personal command.