Chanakya Niti — Right Conduct, Shloka 6
न दुर्जनः साधुदशामुपैति
बहुप्रकारैरपि शिक्ष्यमाणः ।
आमूलसिक्तः पयसा घृतेन
न निम्बवृक्षो मधुरत्वमेति ॥
na durjanaḥ sādhudaśāmupaiti
bahuprakārair api śikṣyamāṇaḥ |
āmūlasiktaḥ payasā ghṛtena
na nimba-vṛkṣo madhuratvam eti ||
Orang jahat tidak akan mencapai martabat orang baik, walau diajar dengan pelbagai cara. Seperti pokok neem, disiram hingga ke akar dengan susu dan minyak sapi pun tetap tidak menjadi manis.
FAQs
In the broader Chanakya-nīti tradition, such verses function as didactic aphorisms associated with courtly ethics and pragmatic social observation in pre-modern South Asia. The statement reflects a common literary topos: skepticism about the reformability of certain character types, expressed in compact, memorable imagery suitable for oral transmission and pedagogical use.
The verse presents character as relatively stable: the ‘durjana’ is depicted as not reaching ‘sādhu-daśā’ even under extensive instruction. This is framed as an observation about limits of education or training when contrasted with ingrained disposition (svabhāva), a recurrent theme in Sanskrit nīti and subhāṣita literature.
The simile hinges on ‘svabhāva’ (inherent nature) using the neem tree (nimba), culturally associated with bitterness, as an emblem of enduring taste/quality. The hyperbolic image ‘watered at the roots with milk and ghee’ intensifies the point: even exceptionally favorable inputs do not alter an essential property, aligning moral psychology with naturalized botanical metaphor.