Words Well Worth 24: Wicked Wife And Vile Friend Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

Wicked wife and vile friend,
Servants scorn my command,
Amidst such fires to douse,
A snake lurks in the house;
What else? Death, doubt can't stand.
__________________________________________________
Transliteration of the subhāśhita along with the meanings of Sanskrit words is given as under:

duśhţā bhāryā shaţham mitram bhŗtyah cha uttara-dāyakah |
sa-sarpe cha gŗhe vāsah mŗtyuh eva na samshayah ||

Between devil and deep sea there is sure death, this Subhashita tells us:
duśhţā: wicked, cruel; bhāryā: wife; shaţham: cunning, fraudulent, cheating; mitram: friend; bhŗtyah cha: and a servant; uttara-dāyakah: answering back (instead of doing his work): sa-sarpe cha: and a snake-infested; gŗhe: in the house; vāsah: a stay, shelter; mŗtyuh eva: only but death (there can ultimately be): na samshayah: (there's)no doubt (whatsoever) .

Topic: wife, friend, house, death