Acharya Chanakya is remembered as one of India's greatest thinkers, economists and strategists, and his book Chanakya Niti is filled with observations on life, relationships and success. In it, he explains that while most bonds in life can weaken or break depending on time and circumstances, there are exactly three things that never desert a person.
What Chanakya says about friendship
Chanakya Niti states that no bond is as beautiful as true friendship. Even when blood relatives step back during hard times, a genuine friend comes forward to help. But Chanakya also warns that if a friend turns out to be selfish, that same relationship can become a source of trouble. This is why he singles out three things that behave like the truest of friends. According to him, anyone who possesses all three can be counted among the richest people in the world, because such a person can pull themselves out of even the biggest crisis with ease.
The first companion: saved wealth
Chanakya Niti holds that money is a person's most dependable companion. Someone who has wealth automatically earns respect in society, and their relationships tend to stay intact. In difficult times, it is this saved wealth that helps resolve even the toughest problems. Chanakya notes that most of the world's troubles are, in one way or another, tied to money, which is why every person should set aside a portion of their earnings. That savings, he says, stands by a person like the truest friend when times get hard.
The second companion: close, trusted people
Chanakya Niti further advises that a person should always keep their close and trusted people near them. These are the ones who do not walk away during hard times and who help pull a person out of trouble. According to Chanakya, these close relationships are a person's real wealth. On the other hand, if someone makes enemies of these very people, they risk being left completely alone in life.
The third companion: good health
Finally, Chanakya Niti describes good health as the greatest form of wealth, citing the scriptures on this point. A person with good health, he says, is the happiest person in the world, which is why he advises everyone to take care of their health without fail. With good health, a person can achieve almost anything in the world, while poor health brings a host of difficulties along with it.
The takeaway
The overall message of Chanakya Niti is simple: relatives, friends and acquaintances can change with time, but saved wealth, close trusted people and good health never do. That is precisely why Chanakya calls these three things a person's truest friends and their greatest riches.
