Shloka 3
Learning and Knowledge — Chanakya Niti
सन्तोषामृततृप्तानां यत्सुखं शान्तिरेव च ।
न च तद्धनलुब्धानामितश्चेतश्च धावताम् ॥
santoṣāmṛta-tṛptānāṃ yat sukhaṃ śāntir eva ca |
na ca tad dhana-lubdhānām itaś cetaś ca dhāvatām ||
Those filled with the “nectar” of contentment know happiness and peace; the greedy for wealth, whose minds run here and there, do not find that joy.
FAQs
In the broader niti-śāstra tradition, such verses are commonly situated in didactic compilations circulated for ethical and pragmatic instruction, including courtly and household settings. The contrast between inner tranquility and acquisitive restlessness reflects a recurring theme in classical Indian moral-psychological discourse, where governance, personal discipline, and social stability are discussed through the management of desire and mental agitation.
Contentment (santoṣa) is presented metaphorically as “nectar” (amṛta) that produces satiety (tṛpti). In this formulation, contentment functions as an internal condition associated with sukha (happiness) and śānti (tranquility), rather than as an external circumstance dependent on wealth.
The compound santoṣāmṛta-tṛptānām (“of those satisfied by the nectar of contentment”) employs amṛta as a figurative substance conferring enduring satisfaction, a common Sanskrit trope for an ideal, stabilizing good. The phrase itaś cetaś ca dhāvatām (“of those whose minds run here and there”) uses motion imagery to depict mental dispersion, reinforcing a psychological contrast between steadiness (śānti) and restless acquisitiveness (dhana-lobha).