नीचः श्लाघ्य-पदं प्राप्य स्वामिनं हन्तुमिच्छति । मूषिको व्याघ्रतां प्राप्य मुनिं हन्तुं गतो यथा ॥
nīcaḥ ślāghya-padaṃ prāpya svāminaṃ hantumicchati | mūṣiko vyāghratāṃ prāpya muniṃ hantuṃ gato yathā ||
A base person who reaches an honoured post wants to destroy his master, as the mouse, made a tiger, set out to kill the sage.
नीच व्यक्ति ऊँचा पद पाकर अपने ही स्वामी को मारना चाहता है, जैसे बाघ बना चूहा उस मुनि को मारने चला।
"Base" means base in conduct, never in birth, caste or humble origins; this is not a reason to keep anyone from rising.
"नीच" का अर्थ आचरण से नीच है, जन्म, जाति या साधारण पृष्ठभूमि से कभी नहीं; यह किसी को आगे बढ़ने से रोकने का कारण नहीं है।
Meaning today and contextआज के लिए अर्थ और संदर्भ
People raised beyond their character sometimes turn on whoever knows where they came from; the mouse-tiger was ashamed of his past, not grateful for it. When promoting someone, look at their character, not only their ability; and if you have been raised up, don't resent those who helped you.
जो लोग अपने चरित्र से बढ़कर ऊँचाई पा लेते हैं, वे कभी-कभी उसी पर पलट जाते हैं जो उनका अतीत जानता है; बाघ बना चूहा कृतज्ञ नहीं, अपने अतीत से लज्जित था। किसी को आगे बढ़ाते समय योग्यता के साथ चरित्र भी देखें; और अगर आपको किसी ने ऊपर उठाया है, तो उससे बैर न रखें।
Dūradarśin continues: the base should never be put in the seat of the great. He tells of the mouse a sage turned into a cat, a dog and a tiger, which then tried to kill the sage so no one would remember it had been a mouse.