नापृष्टः कस्यचिद् ब्रूयात् न चान्यायेन पृच्छतः

नापृष्टः कस्यचिद् ब्रूयात् न चान्यायेन पृच्छतः।

जानन्नपि हि मेधावी जडवल्लोक आचरेत्॥

मनुस्मृति

nāpṛṣṭaḥ kasyacid brūyāt na cānyāyena pṛcchataḥ|

jānannapi hi medhāvī jaḍavalloka ācaret||

manusmṛti

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A very poignant and pointed remark by Sage Manu is his monumental Manusmriti.. Relevant for any person of any eon.

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A wise person should never give any advise or even enter into a conversation with somebody unless he is asked first.

A wise person should never care to answer a query which is improper and impolite and is made without any sense of justice

A wise person should remain in this world as if he is ignorant or even immobile or dead for all practical purposes even if he is well aware of all the happenings ( He should be active only if he is requested to be so)

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If we study any ancient texts like vedas, upanishads, tantras, puranams etc it would be seen that the contents are being narrrated only after people all around make very polite entreaties to the one who knew. Ramayana for example is given by Sage Narada to Valmiki only in responce to many submissions by the latter

Our social media culture and media activism seem to have turned things topsy turvy..

Wise or unwise everyone shouts everywhere

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word analysis

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मेधावी a wise person

न not

अपृष्टः without being aksed

कस्यचिद् to anyone

न ब्रूयात् should not tell

अन्यायेन without propriety in an unruly manner

पृच्छतः one who asks

अपि न ब्रूयात् should not reply too

सः He

जानन् अपि even if he has great knowldege

लोके in this world

जडवत् like an inanimate thing

हि आचरेत् should behave

Regards

K v ananthanarayanan