न द्रष्टव्यं धनाढ्यस्य भ्रूभङ्गकुटिलं मुखम्

 

वरं हालाहलं पीतं सद्यः प्राणहरं विषम्।

न द्रष्टव्यं धनाढ्यस्य भ्रूभङ्गकुटिलं मुखम्॥

सुभाषितरत्नाकरे सुभाषितरत्नभाण्डागारे शार्ङ्गधरपद्धत्याम्

varaṁ hālāhalaṁ pītaṁ sadyaḥ prāṇaharaṁ viṣam|

na draṣṭavyaṁ dhanāḍhyasya bhrūbhaṅgakuṭilaṁ mukham||

subhāṣitaratnākare subhāṣitaratnabhāṇḍāgāre śārṅgadharapaddhatyām

People usually become vain and arrogant when they are fairly rich. And they derive unreasonbly great pleasure when they look down upon people who do not have money sufficient even to fulfil their own bare and urgent ncessities. If, by some chance an unfortunate person stuck with poverty approaches an affluent person seeking some lttle loan or gift, the rich fellow would show his dislike for the one who has sought help by arching his bows very deep and in an extremely ugly manner, reevaling the rich fellows contempt for the poor one and also his reluctance to render any help.

In the couplet quoted above the poet is describing the situation vividly.

He says..”It is by far mor pfreferable togulp the deathly venom Halahalam itself (and perhaps succumb to it) than approaching an arrognat, stinkingly rich person asking for some assitance and then seeing the ugly curve of the rich man’s cotmptuously arched brows.”

Of course the rich fellow would only arach his brows would never part with any cash. That is a different matter.

kva

प्राण हरं that would take away the very life विषं venom हालाहलं Halahalam पीतं consumed वरं is rather better परन्तु however धनाढ्यस्य of the stinkingly rich and matchingly arrogant and contemptuous भ्रूभङ्ग arching of brow कुटिलं made ugly by curving मुखं face न द्रष्टव्यं should not be seen