Words Well Worth 9: Never Ever A Begging Bowl Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

If moneyed man, go for business,
Just a little, farming I guess,
Service, if none at all,
Never a begging bowl!
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Transliteration of the subhāśhita is given below:

dhanam asti iti vāņijyamkimchit asti iti karśhaņam |
sevā na kimchit asti itibhikśhā na eva na eva cha ||

The verse advises various vocations depending on how much money one has. But one thing is beyond dispute: a begging bawl, never ever. And remember, this was true in olden days.

dhanam: wealth, money, means, resources; asti: (if)there be, (if you)have; iti vāņijyam: that be commerce and investment; kimchit asti: (if you)have a little (money): iti karśhaņam: that be agriculture; farming; sevā: service, a paid job; na kimchit asti iti: if not whatso; bhikśhā: begging for alms; na eva cha na eva cha: and never ever indeed
Topic: money, vocation