a drop of honey versus a ton of gall

यदीच्छसि वशीकर्तुं जगदेकेन कर्मणा।

परापकारसस्येभ्यः गां चरन्तीं निवIरय॥

चाणक्यनीतिसूत्राद्

yadīcchasi vaśīkartuṁ jagadekena karmaṇā|

parāpakārasasyebhyaḥ gāṁ carantīṁ nivaraya||

cāṇakyanītisūtrād

If you are genuinely interested in befriending others in the world, the one and only method is that you should prevent your cows from grazing in the fields which are lush with scandals.

 The allegory is taken from the primordial job of human race, that of a cowherd. 

 Scandals and unfounded libels about colleagues and friends will be aplenty in the air like the lush growth of fodder in the uncultivated fields. 

 If our cow has a feast of relish on such fields and is chewing the cud, the scandals become repeatedly spread causing its damage far and wide.

For a moment let us forget the cow and the field. 

 Most of us are very enthusiastic about spreading scandals and tidings of misfortunes of others, often adding a thin coat of sweet lip sympathy. 

 Instead we should take it as our duty to douse the fires of scandal and show real solidarity with the friend when his character is being assassinated. 

Otherwise we are unfit to call ourselves human beings. 

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