यदि सत्सङ्गनिरतो भविष्यसि भविष्यसि ।
तथा सज्जनगोष्ठिषु पतिष्यसि पतिष्यसि ॥
- हितोपदेश, मित्रलाभ
Literal Meaning:
If (you) stay in good company, you shall stay. Similarly, if (you) fall off from good company, (you) shall fall.
Commentary:
One's character is immensely influenced by the company he keeps. The more one stays in good company, the better he prospers. That, in turn implies, that when one's company or association is not up to the mark, he shall fall off from the pedestal of character. The company one keeps speaks volumes about his mettle. Someone once said, 'tell me thy friends and I shall tell you thy character'! Such is the profoundness of one's association. The more one keeps good company, the more he grows. The more one moves away from it, the more he regresses. One has to be mindful of this always. It is not a goal to achieve one day and forget all about it! It is a constant process towards progress.
The beauty of the verse, is also in the play of the words. The verse at first shot might seem confusing or even wrong! But punctuation is powerful. There is a ',' between the two bhaviShyasi-s and the two patiShyasi-s! The first bhaviShyasi indicates, being in good company. The second one means, you shall be (as in, survive)! Similarly, the firstpatiShyasi means, fall off from good company. The second one implies, you shall fall (in morality and survival)!!
May each person be good and keep good company, so the entire universe will become a 'company to keep' !!
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