subhashitabhartrhariniti-shatakawealth

යස්යාස්ති විත්තං ස නරඃ කුලීනඃ

Yasyasti Vittam Sa Narah Kulinah in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ hindu·📿 3× repetitions·🕐 Anytime for reflection, especially when contemplating values, wealth and society·📜 Niti Shataka of Bhartrhari (Subhashita)

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Englishසිංහල𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

Origin & Story

Niti Shataka of Bhartrhari (Subhashita) · Bhartrhari · Classical Sanskrit literature (c. 5th century CE)

Bhartrhari, according to tradition a king who renounced his throne for the contemplative life, composed three Shatakas — collections of a hundred verses each — on ethics (Niti), love (Shringara) and renunciation (Vairagya). The Niti Shataka gathers his keen observations on human conduct, fate, wealth and wisdom. This verse stands among his most quoted, a withering commentary on a world that confuses gold with greatness.

✦ As told in scripture

Though a worldly observation rather than a devotional hymn, this verse has guided countless readers across the centuries to a single liberating insight — that the soul's true riches are virtue and wisdom, which no amount of gold can buy or counterfeit.

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The Mantra

Tap any line — or the ▶ button — to hear it recited

යස්යාස්ති විත්තං ස නරඃ කුලීනඃ ස පණ්ඩිතඃ ස ශ්රුතවාන් ගුණජ්ඤඃ. ස ඒව වක්තා ස ච දර්ශනීයඃ සර්වේ ගුණාඃ කාඤ්චනමාශ්රයන්ති..

yasyāsti vittaṁ sa naraḥ kulīnaḥ sa paṇḍitaḥ sa śrutavān guṇajñaḥ। sa eva vaktā sa ca darśanīyaḥ sarve guṇāḥ kāñcanam āśrayanti॥

Meaning:The man who has wealth is considered well-born; he is called learned, scripturally wise and a connoisseur of merit; he alone is the eloquent speaker and even the handsome one — for all virtues take refuge in gold. With biting irony, Bhartrhari observes how the world heaps every imagined excellence upon the rich, simply because they are rich.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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යස්ය🔊yasyaof whom, the one who

අස්ති🔊astithere is, possesses

විත්තම්🔊vittamwealth, money, riches

ස නරඃ🔊sa naraḥthat man, he

කුලීනඃ🔊kulīnaḥwell-born, of noble family

පණ්ඩිතඃ🔊paṇḍitaḥlearned, a scholar

ශ්රුතවාන්🔊śrutavānwell-versed in scriptures, knowledgeable

ගුණජ්ඤඃ🔊guṇajñaḥa connoisseur, one who appreciates merit

ස ඒව වක්තා🔊sa eva vaktāhe alone is the eloquent speaker

දර්ශනීයඃ🔊darśanīyaḥhandsome, worth looking at

සර්වේ ගුණාඃ🔊sarve guṇāḥall virtues, all good qualities

කාඤ්චනම්🔊kāñcanamgold, wealth

ආශ්රයන්ති🔊āśrayantitake refuge in, depend upon, cling to

Benefits of Chanting Yasyasti Vittam Sa Narah Kulinah

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Cultivates discernment to judge people by character rather than wealth

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A powerful reminder that virtues attributed to the rich are often illusory

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Sharpens awareness of social hypocrisy and flattery toward the wealthy

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Encourages humility in prosperity and dignity in modest means

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A memorable verse for teaching ethics, value education and critical thinking

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Inspires the seeker to value true merit over outward riches

How to Chant Yasyasti Vittam Sa Narah Kulinah

Repetitions3times

Best TimeAnytime for reflection, especially when contemplating values, wealth and society

Recite the verse slowly, savouring its irony, and reflect on how often the world's praise follows money rather than merit. Read it as a mirror for one's own attitudes — do we respect people for who they are or for what they own? It is best contemplated rather than ritually repeated, used as a daily reminder to honour genuine character over wealth.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Yasyasti Vittam Sa Narah Kulinah written in the Sinhala 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 from the Niti Shataka of Bhartrhari, the celebrated poet-philosopher whose three Shatakas (Niti, Shringara and Vairagya) are masterpieces of Sanskrit didactic poetry. This verse appears among his reflections on wealth and worldly conduct.

It is satire, not praise. Bhartrhari uses irony to expose how society wrongly showers every virtue — nobility, learning, eloquence, even beauty — upon a person merely because they are rich. The closing line, 'all virtues take refuge in gold,' is a critique, urging us to look beyond riches.

That true worth lies in character, knowledge and conduct, not in wealth. The verse warns against the human tendency to flatter the rich and to mistake money for merit.