Written by London swaminathan

Date: 28 APRIL 2017

Time uploaded in London:- 14- 09

Post No. 3859

Pictures are taken from various sources; thanks.

contact; swami_48@yahoo.com

 

Good Thoughts Calendar, May, 2017

 

Festival Days: 1 May-May Day; 10 Chitra Purnima, Buddha Purnima

Full Moon-10

New Moon-25

Ekadasi-6,21

Auspicious Days- May 7, 12, 17, 18, 29

In the March and April calendars I have given over 60 quotes from the Book of Pancha Tantra; here are 31 more quotes:

1 May Monday

Intelligence and Perseverance

What is impossible if you have intelligence?

What is unachievable if your will is firm?

Who will not fall prey to sweet and smooth tongue?

What is unattainable if you persevere?

 

2 May Tuesday

Fort

Not a thousand elephants,

and not 10,000 horses

can furnish kings with power

that a single fortress can.

 

3 May Wednesday

Impatience

To rush headlong in rash impatience

before measuring one’s own strength and power

against the other’s is to court disaster

like the moth that plunges into a blazing fire

 

4 May Thursday

Fate

Fortune is surely his who constantly strives

it is cowards who wail, O,my fate, it is my fate.

 

5 May Friday

Effort

When men are determined, gods come through for them

as Vishnu, his discus and his divine mount

came at the weaver’s call to help him in his fight (Panchatantra story)

6 May Saturday

Beauty and Virtue

Where beauty is, there virtues dwell

so poets say, neither true, nor well.

 

7 May Sunday

Happiness

Those lost in themselves – they never find happiness

blest are they who desire the happiness of others

 

8 May Monday

Friend

He is friend whom you can trust

as you can trust your mother

what are others but mere acquaintances

 

9 May Tuesday

Grief and Relief

The man who discloses his grief

to a faithful wife, a loyal servant,

a sincere friend, or sensitive master

is bound to find relief

 

10 May Wednesday

Daughter

A daughter is born- start of world of worries

Find the fittest bridegroom – the biggest problem of all;

once wed, will she be happy, or will she weep

Father of a girl – just another name for grief.

11 May Thursday

Daughters- Disasters

No sooner born than her mother’s heart she steals;

growing up she brings pain to loving hearts

given in marriage, she can still bring dishonour

Daughters! Unavoidable disasters

 

12 May Friday

Love for Body

Who in the world does not love his body

however tainted by defects it might be;

once dear, a person remains always dear,

no matter what offences he is guilty of

 

13 May Saturday

Sage and Scoundrel

Does a scoundrel require provocation to fly into a great rage?

Or a saint need kindness to make him calm?

Isn’t it just the same with lime and sugarcane?

it is inherent nature of each

to produce its own flavour distinctive

 

14 May Sunday

Dog’s Tail

Try your very best to honour a rogue

he will still remain true to his nature

You may have a dog sweated,

or rubbed with musk if you choose,

his tail still remains curled

 

15 May Monday

Favours

Even small favours shown to men

richly blessed with a wealth of merits, look great;

The moon’s rays are enhanced, indeed

when they shine over the peaks of Snow Mountain

 

16 May Tuesday

Fools and Dull witted

Lost are a hundred kindness shown to the base;

Lost are a hundred wise maxims spoken to fools

Lost are a hundred words of advice on the incorrigible

Lost are a sage observations on the dull-witted

 

17 May Wednesday

Don’t Talk to fools

A cry in the wilderness

rubbing perfume on a corpse;

planting lotuses on dry ground

incessant rain over salt marshes

adorning the faces of the blind

like these is speaking good sense to fools

 

18 May Thursday

Ungrateful

The slayer of a Brahmana, a drunkard

an impotent man, a breaker of vows

a traitor- for all these the wise prescribe

rites of atonement – for the ungrateful none.

 

19 May Friday

Guests are welcome

Fire is most revered by Brahmnas

Brahmanas are the most revered of all classes

the husband is the only one revered by women

a guest is most revered by the whole world

 

20 May Saturday

Deliberation

 

he who has no time and palace

and of what is right and proper;

who does not know a thing beyond himself

who acts without deliberation

he is fool who reaps no reward.

 

21 May Sunday

Asylum

However angry, we must not spurn

one who has fallen at our feet;

in so doing we scorn all these gods

Brahma, Vishnu, Siva

 

22 May Monday

Living Death

Five endure living death

so sage Vyasa declares;

poor man, sick man, fool, exile and he

who  in perpetuity serves king

 

23 May Tuesday

Right Time, Right Place

Is it right time? is it right place?

Who are friends? what is he cost, and what’s the gain?

And what am I? And what my power and strength?

Time and again, one should ponder over these.

 

24 May Wednesday

How can one not dread a villain’s fierce hate

manifest; like a deadly snake’s venom,

it constantly drips from his lips as words

vicious, beyond all human endurance

 

25 May Thursday

Virtuous

The best of men endowed with virtue

whose rectitude remains unbroken

bear in mind only acts good and well done

and forgets offences and oversight

 

 

26 May Friday

Friendship

I need your friendship; and right now and here;

with great reverence cultivate it I shall

Even what is sullied gains purity

when it touches Ganga’s holy waters

 

27 May Saturday

Bad Friend

A man should shun the friend

who slanders him behind his back

while flattering him to his face;

for he is a jar of poison with milk on top

 

28 May Sunday

Marriage

Where wealth matches wealth and lineage is equal

there marriage or friendship works well

 

29 May Monday

Qualities-Foes

The branches of the great lords of the forest

bend low from the wealth of fruit they bear;

the peacock’s gait is slow and indolent

from the proudly swelling plumage he trails;

in persons endowed with qualities most admirable

most often, those qualities themselves become their worst foes

 

30 May Tuesday

Safety of Life-Asylum

No gift of cows, no gift of land,

nor any gift of food holds pre-eminence;

of all the gifts in the world, say the wise,

the foremost is the gift of safety of life.

 

31 May Wednesday

Forbidden Food

As the breath of life struggles in the throat

even then the wise refrain from forbidden food

and what a trifling mouthful too at that –

for fear of losing both the worlds.

 

–Subham–