subhashitawisdomchanakyaniti

Ekena Api Suvrikshena (One Good Tree, One Good Son)

एकेनापि सुवृक्षेण in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 3× repetitions·🕐 Morning reflection, or while contemplating family, parenting and character·📜 Chanakya Niti

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

This much-loved subhashita from Chanakya teaches the timeless principle that quality matters more than quantity. As a single flowering, fragrant tree can perfume a whole forest, a single virtuous child can bring honour and renown to an entire family. It is widely quoted to praise excellence of character and to remind parents that one truly good son or daughter is a greater blessing than many indifferent ones.

Origin & Story

Chanakya Niti · Chanakya (Kautilya / Vishnugupta) · Ancient India (c. 4th–3rd century BCE)

Chanakya, the great teacher of ethics and statecraft, gathered pithy verses of practical wisdom that have been transmitted for over two millennia. This verse, among his most beloved, uses the image of a single fragrant tree scenting an entire forest to teach that one virtuous child brings honour to a whole lineage — a vivid lesson on the supremacy of quality over quantity.

✦ As told in scripture

Wise elders quote this verse to console parents and to praise the worthy, observing that history remembers a family not for the number of its children but for the one whose virtue perfumed its name. It is said that a single life of true goodness can redeem and uplift an entire lineage.

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The Mantra

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ekenāpi suvṛkṣeṇa puṣpitena sugandhinā। vāsitaṁ tad-vanaṁ sarvaṁ suputreṇa kulaṁ yathā॥

Meaning:Just as a single fine tree in full, fragrant bloom fills an entire forest with its sweetness, so a single virtuous son brings honour and fragrance to his whole family. The verse celebrates quality over quantity: one truly good child, like one blossoming tree, is enough to ennoble all around it.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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ekena api🔊by even a single one

suvṛkṣeṇa🔊by a good (fine) tree

puṣpitena🔊that is in bloom, flowering

sugandhinā🔊fragrant, sweet-smelling

vāsitam🔊is made fragrant, is perfumed

tat vanam🔊that forest, that grove

sarvam🔊the whole, the entire

suputreṇa🔊by a good (virtuous) son

kulam🔊the family, the lineage

yathā🔊just as, in the same way

Benefits of Chanting एकेनापि सुवृक्षेण

✦

Teaches the enduring value of quality over mere quantity

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Celebrates virtuous character as the true honour of a family

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Inspires parents and children toward excellence rather than numbers

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A beautiful image linking the fragrance of one tree to the fame of one good child

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Encourages the cultivation of goodness that uplifts everyone around

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A short, memorable verse ideal for reflection on values and character

How to Chant एकेनापि सुवृक्षेण

Repetitions3times

Best TimeMorning reflection, or while contemplating family, parenting and character

Recite the verse calmly, picturing one blossoming, fragrant tree perfuming an entire forest, then carrying that image to a single virtuous child gracing a whole family. Let it inspire the resolve to cultivate genuine goodness, knowing that one life of true character can uplift all around it. It is often quoted in teachings on values and good upbringing.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete एकेनापि सुवृक्षेण 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 celebrated subhashita preserved in the Chanakya Niti, the collection of ethical and worldly aphorisms attributed to Chanakya (Kautilya). It is one of the most quoted verses praising quality over quantity.

That one excellent example outweighs many mediocre ones. Just as a single flowering, fragrant tree can perfume an entire forest, a single virtuous child brings honour to a whole family — so character and quality matter far more than numbers.

Though the verse literally says 'suputra' (a good son), in keeping with its age its spirit applies to any virtuous child or person. Its real lesson is universal: one life of genuine goodness ennobles everyone connected to it.