Chanakya Niti — Family and Relationships, Shloka 4
एकोदरसमुद्भूता एकनक्षत्रजातकाः ।
न भवन्ति समाः शीले यथा बदरकण्टकाः ॥
ekodarasamudbhūtā ekanakṣatrajātakāḥ |
na bhavanti samāḥ śīle yathā badarakāṇṭakāḥ ||
एकोदरसमुद्भूताः एकनक्षत्रजातकाः । न भवन्ति समाः शीले यथा बदरकण्टकाः ॥
FAQs
In the Nītiśāstra tradition, such verses function as observational maxims used in courts and pedagogical settings to discuss variability in human disposition. The reference to nakṣatra reflects the presence of astral/horoscopic concepts in pre-modern South Asian social thought, without requiring that the text be read as a technical astrological claim.
Here śīla is presented as a differentiating quality that may vary even among those sharing close biological and social origins. The verse frames śīla as an empirically noticeable trait (conduct/disposition) rather than something guaranteed by birth circumstances.
The compound ekodara-samudbhūta emphasizes shared maternity, while eka-nakṣatra-jātaka adds a culturally salient marker of shared timing/fate. The simile badara-kāṇṭakāḥ draws on a familiar botanical image: thorns on a jujube tree are not uniform, serving as a concrete analogy for non-uniformity of temperament among those otherwise closely related.