CHARUCHARYA Part XIII

 

प्रभुप्रसादे सत्याशं न कुर्यात्‌ स्वप्नसंनिभे | नन्देन मन्त्री निहितः शकटालो हि बन्धने ॥ ५५ ॥ prabhu-prasāde satyāśaṁ na kuryāt svapna-sannibhe |
nandena mantrī nihitaḥ śakaṭālo hi bandhane || 55 ||

Translation:

One should not place firm trust in the favor of a ruler, for it is like a dream. King Nanda imprisoned his own minister Śakaṭāla.

Explanation:

Royal favor can be sweet — but it is unstable, like a dream that fades at dawn. Today there is praise, tomorrow punishment.

In the court of Mahapadma Nanda, his minister Śakaṭāla once enjoyed influence and proximity to power. Yet the same king later cast him into prison.

The lesson is sharp: - Power is unpredictable. Do not build your security upon the changing mood of authority. Stability must come from character, not from borrowed favor.

न लोकायतवादेन नास्तिकत्त्वेऽर्पयेद्‌ धियम्‌ । हरिर्हिरण्यकशिपुं जघान स्तम्भनिर्गतः ॥ ५६ ॥

na lokāyata-vādena nāstikatve 'rpayet dhiyam |
harir hiraṇyakaśipuṁ jaghāna stambha-nirgataḥ || 56 ||

Translation:

One should not surrender the mind to atheism influenced by materialistic doctrines. Lord Hari slew Hiraṇyakaśipu after emerging from a pillar.

Explanation:

The verse warns against extreme materialism — the belief that only what is seen exists. The ancient Lokāyata (Cārvāka) school rejected the unseen and the divine.

Hiraṇyakaśipu arrogantly declared that God did not exist. To shatter that pride, Narasimha emerged from a pillar and destroyed him.

The symbolism is powerful: - Reality is not limited to what our senses perceive. Arrogant denial of higher principles leads to downfall.

The deeper teaching: - Intellectual skepticism is healthy — but blind arrogance toward the unseen can destroy wisdom.

अत्युन्न्तपदारूढः पूज्यान्नैवावमानयेत् । नहुषः शक्रतामेत्य च्युतोऽगस्त्यावमननात् ॥ ५७ ॥

atyunnata-padārūḍhaḥ pūjyān naivāvamānayet |
nahuṣaḥ śakratām etya cyuto 'gastyāvamananāt || 57 ||

Translation:

One who rises to a high position must never insult the venerable.
Nahusha, after becoming Indra, fell because he insulted Sage Agastya.

Explanation:

Power often intoxicates. A person who climbs high may forget humility.  King Nahusha once attained the throne of Indra. But pride entered his heart. He disrespected the great sage Agastya, and as a result, he fell from heaven.

This is a timeless warning: - The higher the position, the greater the need for humility.

True greatness is not reaching the summit - it is remaining humble while standing there.

All three verses warn against false security born from arrogance:

Weakness	Example	Result
Trust in unstable power	Nanda & Śakaṭāla	Imprisonment
Arrogant denial of divinity	Hiraṇyakaśipu	Destruction
Pride after elevation	Nahusha	Fall from heaven

Deeper Message:
External elevation — royal favor, intellectual pride, or high office — is fragile.
Character, humility, and inner wisdom alone provide stability.