Shloka 14
Strategy and Survival — Chanakya Niti
दह्यमानाः सुतीव्रेण नीचाः परयशोऽग्निना
अशक्तास्तत्पदं गन्तुं ततो निन्दां प्रकुर्वते ।
दरिद्रता धीरतया विराजतेकुवस्त्रता शुभ्रतया विराजते
कदन्नता चोष्णतया विराजते कुरूपता शीलतया विराजते ॥
dahyamānāḥ sutīvreṇa nīcāḥ parayaśo'gninā |
aśaktās tatpadaṃ gantuṃ tato nindāṃ prakurvate ||
The low-minded are fiercely scorched by the “fire” of another’s fame; unable to reach that station, they turn to disparagement. Poverty shines with fortitude; poor clothing with cleanliness; plain food with warmth; ugliness with good conduct.
FAQs
In the Nīti-Śāstra tradition, social life is frequently framed through competition for status, patronage, and reputation. This verse reflects a common classical motif in South Asian didactic literature: envy toward public renown and the social practice of undermining rivals through speech.
The verse attributes disparagement (nindā) to a combination of incapacity to attain a desired rank (tatpadaṃ gantuṃ aśaktāḥ) and the psychological irritation produced by another’s fame, metaphorically represented as a burning fire.
The compound parayaśo'gninā (“by the fire of another’s fame”) uses agni as a conventional metaphor for intense inner affliction. The term nīcāḥ is ethically evaluative within the genre, marking a character-type rather than a legal category.