Wisdom through Local Proverbs and Sanskrit Sayings.
Culture 101: Everyday Truths that Still Matter!
Literal Saying: Elephant’s of Teeth, Eating Of Different, Showing Of Different
Elephant’s Teeth: One Set for Eating, Another for Show!
Meaning: A Hindi proverb referring to how elephants have tusks for display, and hidden molars for chewing. It implies a strategy of not disclosing one’s hand.
Usage: May be given as advice to others, or used to describe a strategy used in war, business, or politics. It may be employed to outwit a person or situation, or to gain time, or simply to smartly navigate a complex environment. Sometimes, it also carries a note of caution, hinting at manipulation or deceit.
Literal Saying: Upside Down, Thief, Policeman To Scolds
Inversely: A thief scolds the policeman.
Meaning: A popular Hindi proverb used to indicate that someone who has committed a wrong is accusing the very person whose duty it is to hold them accountable. Akin to “the pot calling the kettle black”—except here, the accused is clearly innocent or is the authority figure (like a policeman) whose job is to bring the truth to light.
Usage: To highlight projection or deflection—when the guilty accuse others of their own misdeeds. Sometimes used in jest, especially when protesting an unfair accusation.
Sanskrit Sayings
Literal Saying:
Foreign Land In, Wealth, Education;
Adversity In, Wealth, Wise Mind;
Heaven In, Wealth, Dharma (Righteousness);
Character Though, Everywhere, Always Wealth.
Wealth is knowledge in a foreign land, intelligence during adversity, righteous conduct (Dharma) in heaven. But character ? That is wealth everywhere!
Context: This is from the famed Sanskrit treatise1 of Chanakya, a renowned strategist, (375–283 BCE), which was lost for centuries until its fortuitous discovery in 1905. Through his strategy and military counsel, Chanakya enabled the rise of one of the largest unified empires across India—the Mauryan Empire—long before British rule. Read more in my previous post.
Meaning: Philosophies across cultures uphold character, integrity, and truth as essential human values.
Usage: Not generally used in daily life, but it illustrates the shared philosophy found in ancient stories.
Literal Saying:
Bends, Fruit-laden Tree;
Bow, Good-Character People.
Dry Wood, Fools-
Not Bow, Ever.
A good person and a fruit-bearing tree both bow under the weight of their character (wisdom) and produce - but fools and dry wood never bend.
Meaning: This offers a contrast: wise are always humble,2 while fools remain rigid.
Usage: Reminds one that the more accomplished a person, the greater the humility. Common wisdom echoed in stories from the Panchatantra, Hitopadesha,3 etc.
In one story from the Hitopadesha, translated by Charles Wilkins in 1886, we find this cautionary lesson: “Skilful men make falsehood look like truth; and those acquainted with the painter's art, make an even surface appear uneven.”
True through the centuries?
Enjoyed this curation? Read more in the wisdom series.
Intended as a guide for rulers in the third century on matters of state, military strategy, diplomacy, and administration, it stands as one of the earliest known treatises of its kind in the world.
The Sanskrit word used is ‘goo-nee-no’ - meaning one who has good traits or character, or is virtuous and wise.
A text similar to the Panchatantra, believed to be by a different author, using stories of animals to convey wisdom similar to Aesop’s fables - perhaps a topic for a future post!