जाति-मात्रेण किं कश्चिद्वध्यते पूज्यते क्वचित् । व्यवहारं परिज्ञाय वध्यः पूज्योऽथवा भवेत् ॥
jāti-mātreṇa kiṃ kaścidvadhyate pūjyate kvacit | vyavahāraṃ parijñāya vadhyaḥ pūjyo'thavā bhavet ||
Is anyone ever to be killed or honoured merely for what he was born as? Only after knowing his conduct should one be punished or honoured.
क्या कोई केवल अपनी जाति (जन्म) के कारण मारा जाए या पूजा जाए? उसके व्यवहार को जानकर ही वह दंड के योग्य या सम्मान के योग्य होता है।
Meaning today and contextआज के लिए अर्थ और संदर्भ
Judge people by what they do, not by where they come from, their community or their label. In the story the cat turns out false, which is exactly the point: watch the conduct, not the claims.
लोगों को उनके कर्मों से आँकें, उनके मूल, समुदाय या पहचान से नहीं। कथा में बिल्ली झूठी निकलती है, और यही बात है: दावों को नहीं, आचरण को देखें।
The cat, ordered away by the vulture, pleads to be heard before being judged; he means to deceive, but the maxim he quotes is sound.