May 20th

Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
मित्रद्रोही कृतघ्नश्च यश्च विश्वासघातकः ।
ते नरा नरकं यान्ति यावच्चन्द्रदिवाकरौ ॥
- पञ्चतन्त्र, मित्रभेद

Transliteration:
mitradrohī kṛtaghnaśca yaśca viśvāsaghātakaḥ ।
te narā narakaṃ yānti yāvaccandradivākarau ॥
- pañcatantra, mitrabheda

Meaning of the subhAShita:

He who is treacherous to a friend; he who is ungrateful for rendered benefactions; he who is a traitor (slays trust—these people attain hell for as long as the sun and moon shall exist. 

Commentary:

A friend is meant to pull one out of tough times, not push them into them. When someone confides in a friend, they lower their defenses and reveal their most vulnerable self. Betraying that trust is not just a moral failure; it is a direct violation of dharma. Backstabbing a friend who has placed faith in you is indefensible and unjustifiable.

In times of need, we pray for help, but it is unethical to forget that help and later prey on those who offered it. When someone extends a helping hand in a moment of crisis, the debt of gratitude is immeasurable and lifelong. No act can fully repay the kindness of timely aid. Forgetting such help and showing ingratitude should not even be considered an option. When an action is inherently wrong, how can it align with dharma?

Trust is the delicate thread that holds the world together. Without it, life would grind to a halt. If trust didn’t exist, we wouldn't rely on the farmer’s grain, the gardener’s fruit, or even our own abilities and the support of nature. Trust is the foundation of coexistence, and breaking it is no trivial matter. As someone wisely said, "I am not upset that you lied to me, but because I can no longer believe you." Breaking trust doesn’t just damage the current relationship; it casts a shadow over all future interactions with that person. The act of shattering trust—this essential thread of life—can never be in alignment with dharma.

Actions that contradict dharma are always punishable. Whether one likes it or not, they must face the consequences of their deeds. The poet warns that those who betray trust and commit adharma are destined for hell so long as the Sun and Moon exist and this law holds good so long as the Sun and Moon shine in the sky.  Hell is not necessarily a physical place, but any state where one is deprived of happiness and peace. Betrayal of trust creates a living hell for the perpetrator, where guilt and broken bonds haunt them.

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” Be trustworthy, for trust is the essence of a meaningful and harmonious life.

pada vigrahaH:
मित्र-द्रोही कृतघ्नः च यः च विश्वास-घातकः ।
mitra-drohī kṛtaghnaḥ ca yaḥ ca viśvāsa-ghātakaḥ ।

ते नराः नरकं यान्ति यावत् चन्द्र-दिवाकरौ ॥
te narāḥ narakaṃ yānti yāvat candra-divākarau ॥

Alternate Transliteration:
mitradrohI kRutaghnashcha yashcha vishvaasaghaatakaH ।
te naraa narakaM yaanti yaavachchandradivaakarau ॥
- pa~nchatantra, mitrabheda

mitra-drohI kRutaghnaH cha yaH cha vishvaasa-ghaatakaH ।

te naraaH narakaM yaanti yaavat chandra-divaakarau ॥