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October 2023

सर्वे गुणाः कांचनमाश्रयन्ते !

By C. N. Vaze, Chartered Accountant
Reading Time 3 mins

Friends, in this series, I have been writing on rich thoughts from Sanskrit literature, succinctly put in Subhashitas (shlokas or verses). These are innumerable. I am choosing only those which are popularly used as ‘proverbs’.

The full text of this shloka is: -

यस्यास्ति वित्तम् स नर: कु लीन: | स पण्डित: स श्रुतवान् गुणज्ञ: | स एव वक्ता स च दर्शनीय: | सर्वे गुणाः कांचनमाश्रयन्ते ||

It is taken from Bhartruhari’s Neeti Shatak (नीतिश तक).

This can be interpreted in two ways. In one sense, it says that certain qualities look more graceful when the person possessing these virtues also possesses wealth. However, it is not usually used in this positive sense. The usage is more in a sarcastic sense. That means if a man is rich, all virtues in the world get automatically attributed to him. With money, one is recognised as a meritorious person.

The literal meaning of the shloka is that –

He who has wealth is described as from a high or reputed family (कुलीन). He is a ‘scholar’, a well-read and knowledgeable

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