First, let it be heard
The verse
In plain words
A body is made complete by its limbs, a face by its eyes, a kingdom by justice, and food by salt. In the same way, a life without right conduct does not shine, just as a night without the moon.
If you want to say it
aṅgena gātraṃ nayanena vaktraṃ nyāyena rājyaṃ lavaṇena bhojyam | dharmeṇa hīnaṃ khalu jīvitaṃ ca na rājate candramasā vinā niśā ||
What does it convey?
This verse is about the things that quietly complete something: limbs for a body, eyes for a face, justice for a state, salt for food. It suggests that a life, too, needs right conduct and a sense of what is worth standing by to have its full character. Its opening lines have become familiar again recently through speeches, clips, and memes. That attention can make it easy to stop at the salt or kingdom lines, but the verse is really building toward its final image: a life without right conduct is like a night without the moon.
The beauty of this verse
It makes a large thought feel lived-in.
The verse pairs each thing with what quietly completes it: limbs, eyes, justice, salt. Salt is the unexpected detail—it makes the thought feel lived-in before the final image of a moonless night gives it weight.