1. Om. Salutations to Lord Ganesha who has one tusk and three eyes. Cast your blessings upon the devotees.
2. We bow to you next auspicious Goddess Sharada, the Mother of the Vedas and the daughter of Brahma. Oh bestower of Grace, dwell in the heart in the form of inspiration.
3. Touching the Sadguru’s feet, and remembering the name of Lord Rama, I will now tell the signs of a fool that are to be abandoned.
4. One type of fool is simply a fool, and another is a "learned fool." Listeners should give thought to both with attentiveness and discernment.
5. The signs of "learned fools" are explained in a later sub-chapter. Remain alert and discerning, and listen to what follows now.
6. Now, I will present some thoughts about the many signs of fools. Please pay attention to them as you listen.
7. I shall describe now the attributes of people who are attached to the householder’s life, those who have no Self-realization, and people who are simply ignorant.
8. One who opposes his mother in whose womb he was born, and considers only his wife close to his heart, is a fool.
9. One who breaks off all relations and lives under the control of his wife, and tells all the secrets of his mind to her, that one is a fool.
10. One who loves somebody else's wife, who stays in his father-in-law’s house, or who marries a girl who does not come from a good family, is a fool.
11. One, who out of pride, considers oneself equal to those who are more competent, or who without proper qualifications tries to dominate, that one is foolish.
12. One who praises himself, one who faces thousands of problems in his own country, and one who brags about his ancestors’s fame, is a fool.
13. One who laughs without reason, one who does not use discrimination even after having been told to do so, and one who has many enemies, is a fool.
14. One who keeps away from his own people and makes friends with strangers, or who blames others after the day is finished, he is a fool.
15. One who sleeps where many people are awake, or who eats excessively in a stranger's house, he is a fool.
16. One who speaks arrogantly regardless of whether somebody respects or insults him, or who is addicted to various bad habits such going to prostitutes, gambling, stealing, etc., he is a fool.
17. One who expects help from others and gives up his own efforts, or who takes satisfaction in being lazy, is a fool.
18. One who understands everything at home, but in public meetings is afraid to even speak a word, he is a fool.
19. One who tries to be intimate with his superior, or who dislikes good advice, he is a fool.
20. One who teaches those who do not listen to him, or one who shows off in front of wise elders, or one who deceives good people, is a fool.
21. One who impulsively and passionately overindulges in sensual activity, and who crosses his limits and behaves in a shameless manner, is a fool.
22. One who does not take medicine when sick, or who does not take care with regard to his food, or one who is not satisfied with the things that come to him, he is a fool.
23. One who goes to a foreign land without any companionship, or who makes friends with a person without knowing them, or who jumps into a flooded river, is a fool.
24. One who goes again and again to a place where he is praised by others, but does not protect his own self respect, he is a fool.
25. When a servant becomes wealthy and the master starts serving him, the master is foolish, or when one is constantly doubting with a restless mind, that one is foolish.
26. When one does things without considering the outcome, or punishes someone who has not committed any offense, or when one is a miser for even small things, that one is a fool.
27. One who always blames God and one's ancestors, who acts without the proper authority, or who speaks using foul language, he is a fool.
28. One who gets angry at home, but is meek and shy when outside, or one who acts mad and stupid, is a fool.
29. One who keeps the company of lowly people, or who likes the intimate company of another’s woman, or who continues eating even after getting up from a meal, is a fool.
30. One who does not help anybody, or does not know how to act properly if someone helps him, or who talks a lot but does very little, he is a fool.
31. One who is hot tempered, greedy, lazy, or crafty, or who has no courage, he is a fool.
32. One who has no knowledge, no prosperity, no wealth, no goal in life, or no strength or respect, or has nothing, yet who still carries on pridefully in vain, he is truly a fool.
33. One who is deceitful, fraudulent, cunning, ill-behaved, and crafty, or who is excessively fond of sleep, he is a fool.
34. One who changes his clothes in an open exposed place, or who sits to go to the toilet on the street, or who is seen naked all the time, he is a fool.
35. One whose teeth, eyes, ears, hands, clothes and feet are dirty all the time, he is a fool.
36. One who sets out on a journey at inauspicious or ill-advised times ignoring bad omens only to go on ahead and meet with ruin, he is a fool.
37. One whose intellect strays with anger and insults, one who commits suicide, and one whose intellect is unstable, is a fool.
38. One who brings a lot of pain and sorrow to close relatives, one who does not even utter a word of kindness, or one who bows before lowly people, he is a fool.
39. One who constantly cares for and protects the body by any and all means, one who disrespects someone who has surrendered, and one who believes he will always have wealth, he is a fool.
40. One who considers his sons, wife and family as his only support while forgetting God, he is a fool.
41. One who does not understand that he obtains results according to what his actions are, is a fool.
42. Women have been given a gift from God of being eight times more passionate than men. One who marries many such women is a fool.
43. One who behaves badly going beyond his limits based on the advice of bad people, or who does all sorts of wrong things even in the day time, is a fool.
44. One who is hostile towards God, guru, mother, father, or a brahmin (priest), is a fool.
45. One who is happy to see others' sorrow, or feels sorrow when seeing others happy, or who laments over lost belongings, he is a fool.
46. One who speaks disrespectfully, one who becomes a witness without being asked, or who adopts bad habits, he is a fool.
47. One who puts down others by his speech, who strays from a good path in life, or who makes friends with poorly behaved people, is a fool.
48. One who cannot keep his respectability, one who is always joking around, or one who feels irritated and wants to start a fight if somebody laughs at him, he is a fool.
49. One who makes foolish bets, who indulges in worthless talk, or who does not speak when required, he is a fool.
50. One who is not well groomed, one who has no knowledge but occupies a high place, or one who places too much trust in his close relatives, is a fool.
51. One who gives the thief all of his personal information, one who demands everything he sees, and one who brings harm to himself because of anger, he is a fool.
52. One who behaves in the same manner as lowly people, one who keeps arguing and reacts aloud, or one who eats with the left hand, he is a fool.
53. One who is jealous of great men, who envies what he cannot have, or who steals in one’s own home, he is a fool.
54. One who does not have faith in the Lord of the Universe and relies only on human beings, and who spends his years without doing anything fulfilling or worthwhile, he is fool.
55. One who upon facing the sorrows of worldly life curses God, or who talks about the shortcomings of a friend, is a fool.
56. One who cannot forgive small offenses of others, one who is always strict to everyone, and one who betrays others, is a fool.
57. One who is not liked in the minds of great people, one whose presence spoils meetings, and one whose moods change from one moment to the next, he is a fool.
58. One who removes servants who have been with him for a long time, and replaces them with someone new, and one who holds meetings without keeping order, he is a fool.
59. One who accumulates wealth wrongfully, one who gives up proper conduct, good principles and justice, or one who breaks association with close friends, he is a fool.
60. One who frequents the house of other women even though he has a wife, and one who accepts food that has already been tasted by many others, is a fool.
61. One who gives one’s wealth away, yet still desires the wealth of others, or one who gets involved in transactions with lowly people, is a fool.
62. One who wears out the patience of a guest, one who lives in a village with a bad reputation, and one who worries all the time, he is a fool.
63. When two people are talking, and another person sits idly by as a third person and scratches his head with both hands, he is a fool.
64. One who gargles and spits it into good water, and one who serves people but has no morals, he is a fool.
65. One who becomes too intimate with women and children, one who sits close to someone possessed by a ghost, or who raises a dog but does not control it, he is a fool.
66. One who quarrels with another's woman, one who beats dumb animals cruelly, and one who keeps company with fools, he is a fool.
67. One who stands by when seeing a quarrel and does nothing to try to resolve it, or one who accepts something as true even though he knows it is false, is a fool.
68. One who upon acquiring wealth forgets his past acquaintances, and one who thinks that he is superior to gods and priests, is a fool.
69. One who remains humble only as long as his own selfish interest is not fulfilled, but afterwards does not do any work, he is a fool.
70. One who reads and omits words or inserts things in his own way, or who does not take proper care of books, he is a fool.
71. One who does not read at anytime, nor gives any books to others for reading, but instead keeps them locked away, he is a fool.
72. Such are the signs of a fool. Upon listening to them one acquires wisdom. The wise will give thoughtful consideration to what has been said.
73. The signs of the fool are many, and I have told but a few according to my capacity so that they may be discarded by the listeners. Please excuse any shortcomings.
74. Adopt the best qualities, and drop the attributes of the fool. In the next sub-chapter the best qualities are explained.