subhashitawisdomnitichanakya

Kshanashah Kanashashchaiva

Kshanashah Kanashashchaiva in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 3× repetitions·🕐 Morning, or at the start of study, work or any saving endeavour·📜 Chanakya-niti (Subhashita)

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

Kshanashah Kanashashchaiva is a celebrated verse from the Chanakya-niti on diligence and the value of small units. It advises gathering knowledge moment by moment and wealth particle by particle, warning that a wasted moment loses knowledge and a wasted particle loses wealth. It is a timeless lesson on how great achievements are built from the careful use of time and resources.

Origin & Story

Chanakya-niti (Subhashita) · Chanakya (Kautilya / Vishnugupta) · Ancient India (c. 4th century BCE; niti compilations later)

The Chanakya-niti is a celebrated collection of practical maxims on ethics, governance and worldly success attributed to the great statesman and teacher Chanakya, architect of the Mauryan empire. Among its many counsels on diligence, this verse urges the steady acquisition of learning and wealth in the smallest units of time and quantity, warning that whatever small portion is wasted is lost forever.

✦ As told in scripture

Generations of students and householders have taken this verse to heart, finding that those who refuse to waste even small moments and small sums quietly accumulate vast learning and lasting prosperity over a lifetime, exactly as Chanakya promised.

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The Mantra

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kṣaṇaśaḥ kaṇaśaś caiva vidyām arthaṁ ca sādhayet। kṣaṇe naṣṭe kuto vidyā kaṇe naṣṭe kuto dhanam॥

Meaning:One should acquire knowledge moment by moment and wealth particle by particle; for if a moment is wasted, how can there be knowledge, and if a particle is wasted, how can there be wealth? The verse teaches that both learning and prosperity are built up by valuing every small unit of time and every small gain.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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kṣaṇaśaḥ🔊moment by moment, instant by instant

kaṇaśaḥ🔊particle by particle, bit by bit

ca eva🔊and indeed, also

vidyām🔊knowledge, learning

artham🔊wealth, money, riches

ca sādhayet🔊and one should acquire, should accomplish

kṣaṇe naṣṭe🔊when a moment is wasted (lost)

kuto vidyā🔊how (from where) can there be knowledge?

kaṇe naṣṭe🔊when a particle (small sum) is wasted

kuto dhanam🔊how (from where) can there be wealth?

Benefits of Chanting Kshanashah Kanashashchaiva

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Teaches the value of every moment in acquiring knowledge

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Instils thrift and care in the building of wealth, bit by bit

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Warns against wasting time and small resources

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Encourages steady, disciplined effort toward learning and prosperity

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A practical guide for students, savers and achievers of every kind

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A short, memorable verse for daily reflection on diligence

How to Chant Kshanashah Kanashashchaiva

Repetitions3times

Best TimeMorning, or at the start of study, work or any saving endeavour

Recite the verse at the beginning of the day, reflecting on how knowledge grows moment by moment and wealth particle by particle. Let it inspire you to use each small unit of time and resource well, knowing that wasted moments and wasted bits never return as learning or riches. It is often quoted to students and young earners as a lesson in disciplined diligence.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Kshanashah Kanashashchaiva written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It is a well-known niti-shloka attributed to the Chanakya-niti tradition of Acharya Chanakya (Kautilya), and it is widely quoted in the Subhashita literature on diligence and the wise use of time and resources.

That knowledge should be gathered moment by moment and wealth particle by particle. Wasting a moment costs one the knowledge it could have brought, and wasting a small sum costs one the wealth it could have grown into — so nothing small should be squandered.

It is a timeless lesson in time-management and saving: use even small spans of time to learn, and even small amounts to build wealth. Great accomplishments are the sum of many well-used small moments and gains.