Chapter 23
स्तेयं हिंसानृतं दम्भ: काम: क्रोध: स्मयो मद: । भेदो वैरमविश्वास: संस्पर्धा व्यसनानि च ॥ १८ ॥ एते पञ्चदशानर्था ह्यर्थमूला मता नृणाम् । तस्मादनर्थमर्थाख्यं श्रेयोऽर्थी दूरतस्त्यजेत् ॥ १९ ॥
Transliteration
steyaṁ hiṁsānṛtaṁ dambhaḥ kāmaḥ krodhaḥ smayo madaḥ bhedo vairam aviśvāsaḥ saṁspardhā vyasanāni caete pañcadaśānarthā hy artha-mūlā matā nṛṇām tasmād anartham arthākhyaṁ śreyo-’rthī dūratas tyajet
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
steyam — theft; hiṁsā — violence; anṛtam — lying; dambhaḥ — duplicity; kāmaḥ — lust; krodhaḥ — anger; smayaḥ — perplexity; madaḥ — pride; bhedaḥ — disagreement; vairam — enmity; aviśvāsaḥ — lack of faith; saṁspardhā — rivalry; vyasanāni — the dangers (coming from women, gambling and intoxication); ca — and; ete — these; pañcadaśa — fifteen; anarthāḥ — unwanted things; hi — indeed; artha-mūlāḥ — based on wealth; matāḥ — are known; nṛṇām — by men; tasmāt — therefore; anartham — that which is undesirable; artha-ākhyam — wealth, spoken of as if desirable; śreyaḥ-arthī — one who desires the ultimate benefit of life; dūrataḥ — at a great distance; tyajet — should leave.
Translation
“Theft, violence, speaking lies, duplicity, lust, anger, perplexity, pride, quarreling, enmity, faithlessness, envy and the dangers caused by women, gambling and intoxication are the fifteen undesirable qualities that contaminate men because of greed for wealth. Although these qualities are undesirable, men falsely ascribe value to them. One desiring to achieve the real benefit of life should therefore remain aloof from undesirable material wealth.”