render help to others when possible, but never harm

 

शक्योपकारः कर्तव्यो नापकारः कथं च न।

नोपकारात्परो धर्मः नापकाराच्च पातकम्॥

इन्दिश्चे स्प्रूचे ५०४९ संस्कृतपाठोपकारकः

śakyopakāraḥ kartavyo nāpakāraḥ kathaṁ ca na|

nopakāraatparo dharmaḥ nāpakārācca pātakam||

indiśce sprūce 5049 saṁskṛtapāṭhopakārakaḥ

This is a quote from a nineteenth century Sanskrit Primary text. However, the message is simple, crisp and ever relevant

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩, 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬—𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞. Besides, 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨t 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫.

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐞. 𝐍𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧. 𝐍𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.

𝐊 𝐯 𝐚

शक्यः whenever, wherever, in whatever manner possible उपकारः help, assistance, कर्तव्यः should be done, extended अपकारः harm, deeds that would cause sorrow, damage, distress कथं च न not in any way कर्तव्यः should be done उपकारात् परः better than help, assistance to others धर्मः virtuous deed न अस्ति not there अपकारात् causing damage, destruction directly or indirectly परं more than that पातकं grave sin, अपि न too अस्ति can be there