[neeti-43]
जाड्यं ह्रीमति गण्यते व्रतरुचौ दम्भः शुचौ कैतवंशूरे निर्घृणता मुनौ विमतिता दैन्यं प्रियालापिनि ।तेजस्विन्यवलिप्तता मुखरता वक्तर्यशक्तिः स्थिरेतत्को नाम गुणो भवेत्स गुणिनां यो दुर्जनैर्नाङ्कितः ॥४३॥jāḍyaṃ hrīmati gaṇyate vratarucau dambhaḥ śucau kaitavaṃśūre nirghṛṇatā munau vimatitā dainyaṃ priyālāpini |tejasvinyavaliptatā mukharatā vaktaryaśaktiḥ sthiretatko nāma guṇo bhavetsa guṇināṃ yo durjanairnāṅkitaḥ ||43||
Translation
(HOW THE WICKED PRETEND TO BE GOOD)
Dullness is attributed to the modest, hypocrisy to the pious, deceit to the righteous, cruelty to the brave, foolishness to the sage, sycophancy to the sweet-spoken, arrogance to the spirited, talkativeness to the eloquent, and instability to the steady. What virtue is there among the virtuous that has not been labeled as a defect by the wicked? ॥ 43 ॥