Vaisampayana said: Kind
Dhritarashtra endued with great wisdom (then) said to the orderly in
waiting, ‘I desire to see Vidura. Bring him here without delay.’
Despatched by Dhritarashtra, the
messenger went to Kshatri and said: O (thou) of great wisdom, our
lord the mighty king desires to see you.
Thus addressed, Vidura (set out and)
coming to the palace, spoke unto the orderly: Apprise Dhritarashtra
of my arrival.
Thereupon the orderly went to
Dhritarashtra and said: O foremost of kings, Vidura is here at thy
command. He wishes to behold thy feet. Command me as to what he is
to do.
Thereupon Dhritarashtra said: Let
Vidura of great wisdom and foresight enter. I am never unwilling or
unprepared to see Vidura.
The orderly then went out and spoke
unto Vidura: O Kshatri, enter the inner apartments of the wise king.
The king says that he is never unwilling to see you.
Vaisampayana continued: Having
entered Dhritarashtra’s chamber, Vidura said with joined hands unto
that ruler of men who was then plunged in thought: O thou of great
wisdom, I am Vidura, arrived here at thy command. If there is
anything to be done, here I am, command me!
Dhritarashtra said: O Vidura,
Sanjaya has come back. He has gone away after rebuking me. Tomorrow
he will deliver, in the midst of the court, Ajatashatru’s message. I
have not been able today to ascertain what the message is of the
Kuru hero. Therefore, my body is burning, and that has produced
sleeplessness. Tell us what may be good for a person that is
sleepless and burning. Thou art, O child, versed in both
religion and profit. Ever since Sanjaya has returned from the
Pandavas, my heart knows no peace. Filled with anxiety about what he
may deliver, all my senses have been disordered.
Sleeplessness
Vidura said: Sleeplessness overtakes
thief, a lustful person, him that has lost all his wealth, him that
has failed to achieve success, and him also that is weak and has
been attacked by a strong person. I hope, O king, that none of these
grave calamities have overtaken thee. I hope, thou dost not grieve,
coveting the wealth of others.
Dhritarashtra said: I desire to hear
from you words that are beneficial and fraught with high
morality. In this race of royal Rishis thou alone are reverenced
by the wise.
Vidura replied: King Yudhishthira,
graced with every virtue, is worthy of being the sovereign of the
three worlds; yet, O Dhritarashtra, however worthy of being kept by
thy side, he was exiled by thee. Thou art, however, possessed of
qualities which are thy very reverse of those possessed by him.
Although virtuous and versed in morality, thou hast yet no right to
share in the kingdom owing to thy loss of sight. [Note: King
Dhritarashtra was blind]. In consequence of his inoffensiveness and
kindness, his righteousness, love of truth and energy, and his
remembering the reverence that is due to thee, Yuthishthira
patiently bears innumerable wrongs. Having bestowed on Duryodhana
and Suvala’s son and Karna, and Dussasana the management of the
empire, how canst thou hope for prosperity?
Mark of Wisdom
He that is not served from the high
ends of life by the aid of self-knowledge, exertion, forbearance and
steadiness in virtue, is called wise. These again are the marks of a
wise man, viz., adherence to acts, worthy of praise and rejection of
what is blameable, faith, and reverence. He whom neither anger nor
joy, nor pride, nor false modesty, nor stupefaction, nor vanity, can
draw away from the high ends of life, is considered as wise. He
whose intended acts, and proposed counsels remain concealed from
foes, and whose acts become known only after they have been done, is
considered wise. He whose proposed actions are never obstructed by
heat or cold, fear of attachment, prosperity or adversity, is
considered wise.
He whose judgment dissociated from
desire, follows both virtue and profit, and who disregarding
pleasure chooses such ends as are serviceable in both worlds, is
considered wise. They that exert to the best of their might, and act
also to the best of their might, and disregard nothing as
insignificant, are called wise. He that understands quickly, listens
patiently, pursues his objects with judgment and not from desire and
spends not his breath on the affairs of others without being asked,
is said to possess the foremost mark of wisdom. They that do not
strive for objects that are unattainable, that do not grieve for
what is lost and gone, that do not suffer their minds to be clouded
amid calamities, are regarded to possess intellects endued with
wisdom.
He who strives, having commenced
anything, till it is completed. Who never wastes his time, and who
has his soul under control, is regarded wise. They that are wise, O
bull of the Bharata race, always delight in honest deeds, do what
tends to their happiness and prosperity, and never sneer at what is
good. He who exults not at honours, and grieves not at slights, and
remains cool and unagitated like a lake in the course of Ganga
(Ganges), is reckoned as wise. That man who knows the nature of all
creatures (viz., that everything is subject to destruction), who is
cognisant also of the connections of all acts, and who is proficient
in the knowledge of the means that man may resort to (for attaining
their objects), is reckoned as wise. He who speaks boldly, can
converse on various subjects, knows the science of argumentation,
possesses genius, and can interpret the meaning of what is writ in
books, is reckoned as wise. He whose studies are regulated by
reason, and whose reason follows the scriptures, and who never
abstains from paying respect to those that are good, is called a
wise man.
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The Foolish
He, on the other hand, who is
ignorant of scriptures yet vain, poor yet proud, and who resorts to
unfair means for the acquisition of his objects, is a fool. He who,
forsaking his own, concerns himself with the objects of others, and
who practises deceitful means for serving his friends, is called a
fool. He, who wishes for those things that should not be desired,
and forsakes those that may legitimately be desired, and who bears
malice to those that are powerful, is regarded to be a foolish soul.
He who regards his foe as his
friend, who hates and bears malice to his friend, and who commits
wicked deeds, is said to be a person of foolish soul. O bull of the
Bharata race, he who divulges his projects, doubts in all things,
and spends a long time in doing what requires a short time, is a
fool. He who does not perform the Sraddha for the Pitris (oblations
offered to the manes), nor worships the deities, nor acquires
noble-minded friends, is said to be a person of foolish soul. That
worst of men who enters a place uninvited, and talks much without
being asked, and reposes trust on untrustworthy wights, is a fool.
That man who being himself guilty
casts the blame on others, and who though impotent gives vent to
anger, is the most foolish of men. That man, without knowing his own
strength and dissociated from both virtue and profit, desires an
object difficult of acquisition, without again adopting adequate
means, is said to be destitute of intelligence. O king, he who
punishes one that is undeserving of punishment, pays homage to
persons without their knowledge, and waits upon misers, is said to
be of little sense.
But he that, having attained immense
wealth and prosperity or acquired (vast) learning, does not bear
himself haughtily, is reckoned as wise.
Heartless
Who again, is more heartless than
he, who, though possessed of affluence, eats himself and wears
excellent robes himself without distributing his wealth among his
dependents? While one person commits sins, many reap the advantage
resulting there from; (yet in the end) it is the doer alone to whom
the sin attaches while those that enjoy the fruit escape unhurt.
When a bowman shoots an arrow, he may or may not succeed in slaying
even a single person, but when an intelligent individual applies his
intelligence (viciously), it may destroy an entire kingdom with the
king.
Discriminating the two by means of
the one, bring under thy subjection the three by means of four, and
also conquering the five and knowing the six, and abstaining from
the seven, be happy.
The One
Poison slays but one person, and a
weapon also but one; wicked counsels, however, destroy an entire
kingdom with king and subject. Alone one should not partake of any
savoury viand, nor alone reflect on concerns of profit, nor alone go
upon a journey, nor alone remain awake among sleeping companions.
That Being who is One without a
second, and whom, O king, thou has not been able to comprehend, is
Truth’s self, and the way to heaven, even like a boat in the ocean.
Forgiveness
There is one only defect in
forgiving persons, and not another; that defect is that people take
a forgiving person to be weak. That defect however, should not be
taken into consideration, for forgiveness is a great power.
Forgiveness is a virtue of the weak, and an ornament of the strong.
Forgiveness subdues (all) in this world; what is there that
forgiveness cannot achieve? What can a wicked person do unto him who
carries the sabre of forgiveness in his hand? Fire falling on a
grassless ground is extinguished of itself. And unforgiving
individual defiles himself with many enormities. Righteousness is
the one highest good; and forgiveness is the one supreme peace;
knowledge is one supreme contentment; and benevolence, one sole
happiness.
These Two
Even as a serpent devours animals
living in holes, the earth devours these two, viz., a king who is
incompetent to fight, and a Brahmana (Brahmin) who does not sojourn
to holy places. A man may attain renown in this world by doing two
things, viz., by refraining from harsh speech, and by disregarding
those that are wicked. O tiger among men, these two have not a will
of their own, viz., those women who covet men simply because the
latter are coveted by others of their sex, and that person who
worships another simply because the latter is worshipped by others.
These two are like sharp thorns afflicting the body, viz., the
desires of a poor man, and the anger of the impotent. These two
persons never shine because of their incompatible acts, viz., a
householder without exertion, and a beggar busied in schemes.
These two, O king, live (as it were)
in a region higher than heaven itself, viz., a man of power endued
with forgiveness, and poor man that is charitable. Of things
honestly got, these two must be looked upon as misuse, viz., making
gifts to the unworthy and refusing the worthy.
These two should be thrown into the
water, tightly binding weights to their necks, viz., a wealthy man
that does not give away, and a poor man that is proud. These two, O
tiger among men, can pierce the orb itself of the sun, viz., a
mendicant accomplished in Yoga, and a warrior that has fallen in
open fight.
O bull of the Bharata race, persons
versed in the Vedas have said that men’s means are good, middling
and bad. Men also, O king, are good, indifferent and bad. They
should, therefore, be respectively employed in that kind of work for
which they may be fit.
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These Three
These three, O king, cannot have
wealth of their own, viz., the wife, the slave, and the son, and
whatever may be earned by them would be his to whom they belong.
Great fear springs from these three
crimes, viz., theft of other’s property, outrage on other’s wives,
and breach with friend. These three, besides, being destructive to
one’s own self, are the gates of hell, viz., lust, anger, and
covetousness. Therefore, every one should renounce them. [Note:
Compare from The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, verse 21. The Blessed
Lord said: "Triple is the gate of this hell, destructive of the self
– lust, anger and greed; therefore one should abandon these three."]
These three should never be forsaken
even in imminent danger, viz., a follower, one who seeks protection,
saying: ‘I am thine’, and lastly one who has come to your abode.
Verily, O Bharata, liberating a foe from distress, alone amounts in
point of merit, to these three taken together, viz., conferring a
boon, acquiring a kingdom and obtaining a son.
These Four
Learned men have declared that a
king, although powerful, should never consult with these four, viz.,
men of small sense, men that are procrastinating, men that are
indolent, and men that are flatterers. O sire, crowned with
prosperity and leading the life of a householder, let these four
dwell with thee, viz., old consanguineous relatives, high-born
persons fallen into adversity, poor friends, and issueless sisters.
On being asked by the chief of the
celestials, Vrihaspati, O mighty king, declared four things capable
of fructifying or occurring within a single day, viz., the resolve
of the gods, the comprehensions of the intelligent persons, the
humility of learned men, and the destruction of the sinful. These
four that are calculated to remove fear, bring on fear when they are
improperly performed, viz., the Agni-hotra (sacred fire ceremony),
the vow of silence, study, and sacrifice (in general).
These Five
O bull of the Bharata race, these
five fires should be worshipped with regard by a person, viz.,
father, mother, fire (proper), soul and preceptor. By serving these
five, men attain great fame in this world, viz., the gods, the
Pitris, men, beggars, and guests. These five follow thee wherever
you go, viz., friends, foes, those that are indifferent, dependants,
and those that are entitled to maintenance.
Of the five senses beholding to man,
if one springs a leak, then from that single hole runs out all his
intelligence, even like water running out from a perforated leathern
vessel.
These Six
These six faults should be avoided
by a person who wishes to attain prosperity, viz., sleep,
drowsiness, fear, anger, indolence and procrastination. These six
should be renounced like a splitting vessel in the sea, viz., a
preceptor that cannot expound the scriptures, a priest that is
illiterate, a king that is unable to protect, a wife that speaks
disagreeable words, a cow-herd that does not wish to go to the
fields, and a barber that wishes to renounce a village for the
woods. Verily those six qualities should never be forsaken by men,
viz., truth, charity, diligence, benevolence, forgiveness and
patience. These six are instantly destroyed, if neglected, viz.,
kine (cow), service, agriculture, a wife, learning, and the wealth
of a Sudra. These six forget those who have bestowed obligations on
them, viz., educated disciples, their preceptors; married persons,
their mothers; persons whose desires have been gratified, women;
they who have achieved success, they who had rendered aid; they who
have crossed a river, the boat (that carried them over); and
patients that have been cured, their physicians.
Health, unindebtedness (being debt
free), living at home, companionship with good men, certainty as
regards the means of livelihood, and living without fear, these six,
O king, conduce to the happiness of men.
These six are always miserable,
viz., the envious, the malicious, the discontented, the irascible,
the ever suspicious and those depending upon the fortunes of others.
These six, O king, comprise the happiness of men, viz., acquirement
of wealth, uninterrupted health, a beloved and a sweet-speeched
wife, an obedient son, and knowledge that is lucrative. [Note: the
sixth item was inadvertently omitted by the translator.]
He that succeeds in gaining the
mastery over the six that are always present in the human heart,
being thus the master of his senses, never commits sin, and
therefore, suffers calamity. These six may be seen to subsist upon
other six, viz., thieves, upon persons that are careless;
physicians, upon persons that are ailing; women, upon persons
suffering from lust; priests, upon them that sacrifice; a king, upon
persons that quarrel; and lastly, men of learning, upon them that
are without it.
These Seven
A king should renounce these seven
faults that are productive of calamity, inasmuch as they are able to
effect the ruin of even monarchs firmly established; these are
women, dice, hunting, drinking, harshness of speech, severity of
punishment, and misuse of wealth.
These Eight
These eight are the immediate
indications of a man destined to destruction, viz., hating the
Brahmanas (Brahmins), dispute with Brahmanas, appropriation of a
Brahmana’s possessions, taking the life of a Brahmana, taking a
pleasure in reviling Brahmanas, grieving to hear the praises of
Brahmanas, forgetting them on ceremonious occasions, and giving vent
to spite when they ask for anything. These transgressions a wise man
should understand and understanding, eschew.
These eight, O Bharata, are the very
cream of happiness, and these only are attainable here, viz.,
meeting with friends, accession of immense wealth, embracing a son,
union for intercourse, conversation with friends in proper time, the
advancement of persons belonging to one’s own party, the acquisition
of what had been anticipated, and respect in society.
These eight qualities glorify a man,
viz., wisdom, high birth, self-restraint, learning, prowess,
moderation in speech, gift according to one’s power, and gratitude.
[The link bar feature is not available in this web]Nine
This house has nine doors, three
pillars, and five witnesses. It is presided over by the soul. That
learned man who knows all this is truly wise.
These Ten
O Dhritarashtra, these ten do not
know what virtue is, viz., the intoxicated, inattentive, the raving,
the fatigued, the angry, the starving, the hasty, the covetous, the
frightened, and the lustful. Therefore, he that is wise must eschew
the company of these. In this connection is cited the old story
about what transpired between Suyodhana and Prahlad, the chief of
the Asuras in relation to the latter’s son. That king who renounces
lust and anger, who bestows wealth upon proper recipients, and is
discriminating, learned, and active, is regarded as an authority of
all men. Great prosperity attends upon that king who knows how to
inspire confidence in others, who inflicts punishment on those whose
guilt has been proved, who is acquainted with the proper measure of
punishment, and who knows when mercy is to be shown.
He is a wise person who does not
disregard even a weak foe; who proceeds with intelligence in respect
of a foe, anxiously watching for an opportunity; who does not desire
hostilities with persons stronger than himself; and who displays his
prowess in season. That illustrious person, who does not grieve when
a calamity has already come upon him, who exerts with all his senses
collected, and who patiently bears misery in season, is certainly
the foremost of persons, and all his foes are vanquished.
He who does not live away from hope
uselessly, who does not make friends with sinful persons, who never
outrages another’s wife, who never betrays arrogance, and who never
commits a theft or shows ingratitude or indulgence in drinking is
always happy. He who never boastfully strives to attain the three
objects of human pursuit, who when asked, tells the truth, who
quarrels not even for the sake of friends, and who never becomes
angry though slighted, is reckoned as wise.
He who bears not malice towards
others but is kind to all, who being weak disputes not with others,
who speaks not arrogantly, and forgets a quarrel, is praised
everywhere.
That man who never assumes a haughty
mien, who never censures others praising himself the while, and
never addresses harsh words to others for getting himself, is ever
loved by all.
He who rakes not up old hostilities,
who behaves neither arrogantly nor with too much humility, and who
even when distressed never commits an improper act, is considered by
respectable men a person of good conduct. He who exults not at his
own happiness, nor delights in another’s misery, and who repents not
after having made a gift, is said to be a man of good nature and
conduct. He who desires to obtain a knowledge of the customs of
different countries, and also the languages of different nations,
and of the usages of different orders of men, knows at once all that
is high and low; and wherever he may go, he is sure to gain an
ascendancy over even those that are glad.
The intelligent man who relinquishes
pride, folly, insolence, sinful acts, disloyalty towards the king,
crookedness of behaviour, enmity with many, and also quarrels with
men that are drunk, mad and wicked, is the foremost of his species.
The very gods bestow prosperity upon him who daily practises
self-restraint, purification, auspicious rites, worship of the gods,
expiatory ceremonies, and other rites of universal observance. The
acts of that learned man are well conceived and well applied who
forms matrimonial alliances with persons of equal positions and not
with those that are inferior, who place those before him that are
more qualified, and who talks, behaves and makes friendships with
persons of equal position.
He who eats frugally after dividing
the food amongst his dependants, who sleeps little after working
much, and who, when solicited gives away even unto his foes, has his
soul under control, and calamities always keep themselves aloof from
him. He whose counsels are well kept and well carried out into
practice, and whose acts in consequence thereof are never known by
others to injure men, succeeds in securing even his most trifling
objects.
He who is intent upon abstaining
from injury to all creatures, who is truthful, gentle, charitable,
and pure in mind, shines greatly among his kinsmen like a precious
gem of the purest ray having its origin in an excellent mine. That
man, who feels shame even though his faults are not known to any
save himself, is highly honoured among all men. Possessed of a pure
heart and boundless energy and abstracted within himself, he shines
in consequence of his energy like the very sun.
King Pandu consumed by a Brahmana’s
curse, had five sons born unto him in the woods that are like five
Indras (king of gods). O son of Ambika, thou hast brought up those
children and taught them everything. They are obedient to thy
commands. Giving them back their just share of the kingdom, O sire,
filled with joy, be thou happy with thy sons. Then, O monarch, thou
shalt inspire confidence in both the gods and men.
Dhritarashtra said: Tell me what may
be done by a person that is sleepless and burning with anxieties,
for thou alone amongst us, O child, art versed in both religion and
profit. Advise me wisely, O Vidura, O thou of magnanimous heart,
tell me what is thou deemest to be beneficial for Ajatasatru and
what is productive of good to the Kurus. Apprehending future evils,
I look back only on my previous guilt. I ask thee with anxious
heart, O learned one, tell me what is exactly in Ajatasatru’s mind.
Acts
Vidura said: Even if unasked, one
should speak truly, whether his words be good or bad, hateful or
pleasing, unto him whose defeat one does not wish. I shall,
therefore, say, O king, what is for the good of the Kurus. I shall
say what is both beneficial and consistent with morality. Listen to
me. Do not, O Bharata, set the heart upon means of success that are
unjust and improper. A man of intelligence must not grieve if any
purpose of his does not succeed, notwithstanding the application of
fair and proper means. Before one engages in an act, one should
consider the competence of the agent, the nature of the act itself,
and its purpose, for all acts are dependent on these. Considering
these one should begin an act, and not take it up on a sudden
impulse.
He that is wise should either do an
act or desist from it fully considering his own ability, the nature
of the act, and the consequence also of success. The king who knows
not the proportion or measure as regards territory, gain, loss,
treasury, population, and punishment, cannot retain his kingdom
long. He, on the other hand, who is acquainted with the measures of
these as prescribed in treatises, being necessarily possessed of the
knowledge of religion and profit, can retain his kingdom.
[The link bar feature is not available in this web]Subdue
the Senses
As the stars are affected by the
planets, so is this world affected by the senses, when they are
directed, uncontrolled, to their respective objects. Like the moon
during the lighted fortnight, calamities increase in respect of him
who is vanquished by the five senses in their natural state, which
ever lead him towards various acts. He who wishes to control his
counsellors before controlling his own self, or to subdue his
adversaries before controlling his counsellors, at last succumbs
deprived of strength. He, therefore, who first subdues his own self
regarding it as a foe, never fails to subdue his counsellors and
adversaries at last. Great prosperity waits upon him who has subdued
his senses, or controlled his soul, or who is capable of punishing
all offenders, or who acts with judgment or who is blessed with
patience.
One’s body, O king, is one’s car;
the soul within is the driver; and the senses are its steeds
(horses). Drawn by those excellent steeds, when well trained, he
that is wise, pleasantly performs the journey of life, and awake in
peace. The horses that are unbroken and incapable of being
controlled, always lead an unskilful driver to destruction in the
course of the journey; so one’s senses, unsubdued, lead only to
destruction The inexperienced wight, who, led by this unsubdued
senses, hopes to extract evil from good and good from evil,
necessarily confounds misery with happiness. He who, forsaking
religion and profit, follows the lead of his senses, loses without
delay prosperity, life, wealth and wife. He, who is the master of
riches but not of his senses, certainly loses his riches in
consequence of his want of mastery over his senses
[Note: Compare Katha Upanishad,
I.iii.3 & I.iii.4. (
Translation by Swami Gambhirananda,
Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati)
"Know the (individual) self as the
master of the chariot, and the body as the chariot. Know the
intellect as the charioteer, and the mind verily the bridle". (The
mind is like the reins, which enable the charioteer, viz., the
understanding or intellect to hold the horses, i.e., the senses, in
check)
"They call the senses the horses;
the senses having been imagined as horses, (know) the objects as the
ways. (The road is the world of objects over which the senses move.)
The discriminating people call that Self the enjoyer when It is
associated with the body, senses, and mind."
Vidura continued:
One should seek to know one’s self
by means of one’s own self, controlling one’s mind, intellect, and
senses, for one’s self is one’s friend as, indeed, it is one’s own
foe. That man, who has conquered self by means of self, has his self
for a friend, for one’s self is ever one’s friend or foe.
[Note: Compare Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, verses 5 & 6.
(Translation by
Swami Shivananda, The Divine Life Society, Rishikesh)
The Blessed Lord said: "Let a man
lift himself by his own Self alone, let him not lower himself; for
this self alone is the friend of oneself and this self alone is the
enemy of oneself." (5).
The self is the friend of the self
for him who has conquered himself by the Self, but to the
unconquered self, this self stands in the position of the enemy like
the (external) foe."]
Desire and Anger
Desire and anger, O king, break
through wisdom, just as a large fish breaks through a net of thin
cords. He who in this world regarding both religion and profit,
seeks to acquire the means of success, wins happiness, possessing
all he had sought. He who, without subduing his five inner foes of
mental origin, wishes to vanquish other adversaries, is, in fact,
overpowered by the latter.
It is seen that many evil minded
kings, owing to want of mastery over their senses, are ruined by
acts of their own, occasioned by the lust of territory.
Friendship with
the sinful should be avoided
As fuel that is wet burns with that
which is dry, so a sinless man is punished equally with the sinful
in consequence of constant association with the latter. Therefore,
friendship with the sinful should be avoided. He that, from
ignorance, fails to control his five greedy foes, having five
distinct objects, is overwhelmed by calamities. Guilelessness and
simplicity, purity and contentment, sweetness of speech and
self-restraint, truth and steadiness, - these are never the
attributes of the wicked. Self-knowledge and steadiness, patience
and devotion to virtue, competence to keep counsels and charity, -
these, O Bharata, never exist in inferior men. Fools seek to injure
the wise by false reproaches and evil speeches. The consequence is,
that by this they take upon themselves the sins of the wise, while
the latter, freed from their sins, are forgiven. In malice lies the
strength of the wicked; in criminal code, the strength of kings, in
attentions of the weak and of women; and in forgiveness that of the
virtuous.
Speech
To control speech, O king, is said
to be most difficult. It is not easy to hold a long conversation
uttering words full of meaning and delightful to the hearers.
Well-spoken speech is productive of many beneficial results; and
ill-spoken speech, O king, is the cause of evil. A forest pierced by
arrows, or cut down by hatchets may again grow, but one’s heart
wounded and censured by ill-spoken words never recovers. Weapons
such as arrows, bullets and bearded darts, can be easily extracted
from the body, but a wordy dagger plunged deep into the heart is
incapable of being taken out. Wordy arrows are shot from the mouth.
Smitten by them one grieves day and night. A learned man should not
discharge such arrows, for do they not touch the very vitals of
others?
When defeat is ordained
He, to whom the gods ordain defeat,
has his senses taken away, and it is for this that he stoops to
ignoble deeds. When the intellect becomes dim and destruction is
near, wrong, looking like right, firmly strikes to the
heart. Thou dost not clearly see it, O Bull of the Bharata race,
that clouded intellect has now possessed thy sons in consequence of
their hostility to the Pandavas. Endued with every auspicious mark
and deserving to rule the three worlds, Yudhishthira is obedient to
thy commands. Let him, O Dhritarashtra, rule the earth, to the
exclusion of all thy sons, Yudhishthira is the foremost of all thy
heirs. Endued with energy and wisdom, and acquainted with the truths
of religion and profit, Yudhishthira, that foremost of righteous
men, has, O king of kings, suffered much misery out of kindness and
sympathy, in order to preserve thy reputation.
Dhritarashtra said: O thou of great
intelligence, tell me again words such as these, consistent with
religion and profit. My thirst for hearing them is not quenched.
What thou sayest is charming!
Vidura said: Ablution in all the
holy places and kindness to all creatures, - these two are equal.
Perhaps, kindness to all creatures surpasses the former. O maser,
show kindness unto all thy sons, for by that winning great fame in
this world, thou wilt have heaven hereafter. As long as man’s good
deeds are spoken of in this world, so long, O tiger among men, is he
glorified in heaven. In this connection is cited an old story about
the conversation between Virochana and Sudhanwan, both suitors for
Kesini’s hand.
Story about the
conversation between
Virochana and Sudhanwan
Once on a time, O king, there was a
maiden of the name of Kesini, unrivalled for beauty. Moved by the
desire of obtaining a good husband, she resolved to choose her lord
in Swayamvara. [Note: Swayamvara means self chosen husband from
amongst an assembly of suitors.]
Then one of the sons of Diti,
Virochana by name, went to that spot, desirous of obtaining the
maiden.
Beholding that chief of the Daityas,
Kesini addressed him, saying: Are Brahmanas superior, O Virochana,
or are the sons of Diti superior? And why also should not Sudhanawan
sit on the sofa?
Virochanan said: Sprung from
Prajapati himself, we, O Kesini, are the best and at the top of all
creatures, and this world is ours without doubt. Who are the gods,
and who are the Brahmanas?
Kesini said: Well. O Virochana, stay
here in this very pavilion. Sudhanawan will come here on the morrow,
and let me see both of you sitting together.
Virochana said: O amiable and timid
girl, I will do what you say. You will behold Sudhanwan and myself
met together in the morning.
Vidura continued: When the night had
passed away and the solar disc had risen, Sudhanwan, O best of
kings, came to that palace where, O master, Virochana was waiting
with Kesini. And Sudhanwan saw there both Prahlad’s son and Kesini.
And beholding the Brahmana arrived, Kesini, O bull of Bharata race,
rising up from hers, offered him a seat, water to wash his feet, and
Arghya. [Note: Arghya is a respectful offering to the deity in Hindu
ritual worship, or puja, consisting of water, flower, Bel leaf,
sandal paste, Durva grass, rice.]
And asked by Virochana (to share his
seat) Sudhanwan said: O son of Prahlad, I touch your excellent
golden seat. I cannot, however, suffer myself to be regarded as your
equal, and sit on it with you.
Virochana said: A piece of wooden
plank, an animal skin, or a mat of grass or straw, - these only, O
Sudhanwan, are fit for you. You do not, however, deserve the same
seat with me.
Sudhanwan said: Father and son,
Brahmanas of the same age and equal learning, two Kshatriyas, two
Vaisyas and two Sudras, can seat together on the same seat. Except
these, no other can seat together. Your father used to pay regards
to me, taking a seat lower than that occupied by me. You are a child
brought up in every luxury at home and you understand nothing.
Virochana said: Staking all the
gold, kine (cows), horses, and every other kind of wealth that we
have among the Asuras, let us, O Sudhanwan, ask them this question
that are able to answer.
Sudhanwan said: Let alone your gold,
kine, and heroes, O Virochana? Making our lives forfeited, we will
ask them this question that are competent.
Virochana said: Wagering our lives
where shall we go? I will not appear before any of the gods and
never before any among men.
Sudhanwan said: Having wagered our
lives, we will approach your father, for he, Prahlad, will never say
an untruth even for the sake of his son.
Vidura continued: Having thus laid a
wager, Virochana and Sudhanwan, both moved by rage, proceeded to
that place where Prahlad was.
And beholding them together, Prahlad
said: These two who had never before been companions, are now seen
together coming here by the same road, like two angry snakes. Have
you now become companions, you who were never companions before? I
ask you, O Virochana, has there been friendship between you and
Sudhanwan?
Virochana said: There is no
friendship between Sudhawan and me. On the other hand, we have both
wagered our lives. O chief of the Asuras, I shall ask you a
question, do not answer it untruly!
Prahlad said: Let water, and honey
and curds, be brought for Sudhanwan. You deserve our worship, O
Brahmana. A white and fat cow is ready for you.
Sushanwan said: Water and honey and
curds, have been presented to me on my way here. I shall ask you a
question. Prahlad, answer it truly! Are Brahmanas superior, or is
Virochana superior?
Prahlad said: O Brahmana, this one
is my only son. You also are present here in person. How can one
like us answer a question about which you two have quarrelled?
Sudhanwan said: Give unto your son
kine and other precious wealth that you may have, but, O wise one,
you should declare the truth when we two are disputing about it.
Prahlad said: How does that misuser
of his tongue suffer, O Sudhanwan, who answers not truly but
falsely, a question that is put to him? I ask you this.
Sudhanwan said: The person that
misuses his tongue suffers like the deserted wife, who pines at
night, beholding her husband sleeping in the arms of a co-wife; like
a person who has lost at dice, or who is weighted down with an
unbearable load of anxieties. Such a man has also to stay, starving
outside the city gates, into which his admission is barred. Indeed,
he that gives false evidence is destined to always find his foes. He
that speaks a lie on account of an animal, casts down from heaven
five of his sires of the ascending order. He that speaks a lie on
account of a cow casts down from heaven ten of his ancestors. A lie
on account of a horse causes the fall down of a hundred; and a lie
on account of a human being, the downfall of a thousand of one’s
sires of the ascending order. An untruth on account of gold ruins
the members of one’s race both born and unborn, while an untruth for
the sake of land ruins everything. Therefore, never speak an untruth
for the sake of land.
Prahlad said: Angiras is superior to
myself, and Sudhanwan is superior to you, O Virochana. Mother also
of Sudhanwan is superior to your mother; therefore, Sudhanwan has
defeated you Virochana. This Sudhanwan is now the master of your
life. But, O Sudhanwan, I wish that you should grant Virochana his
life.
Sudhanwan said: Since, O Prahlad,
you have preferred virtue and have not from temptation, said an
untruth, I grant your son his life that is dear to you. So here is
your son Virochana, O prahlad, restored by me to you. He shall,
however, have to wash my feet in the presence of the maiden Kesini.
Vidura continued: For these reasons,
O king of kings, it behoveth thee not to say an untruth for the sake
of land. Saying an untruth from affection of thy son, O king, hasten
not to destruction, with all thy children and counsellors. The gods
do not protect men, taking up clubs in their hands after the manner
of herdsmen; unto those, however, they wish to protect, they grant
intelligence. There is no doubt that one’s objects meet with success
in proportion to the attention he directs to righteousness and
morality. The Vedas never rescue from sin a deceitful person living
by falsehood. On the other hand, they forsake him while he is on his
deathbed, like newly fledged birds forsaking their nests.
Drinking, quarrels, enmity with
large numbers of men, all connections with connubial disputes, and
severance of relationship between husband and wife, internal
dissensions, disloyalty to the king, - these and all paths that are
sinful, it is said, be avoided. A palmist, a thief turned into a
merchant, a fowler, a physician, an enemy, a friend and a minstrel,
these seven are incompetent as witness.
An Agnihotra (sacred fire ceremony)
performed from motives of pride, abstention from speech practised
from similar motives, study and sacrifice from the same motives, -
these four, of themselves innocent, become harmful when practised
unduly.
These are all
reckoned as equal in moral turpitude as the slayers of Brahmanas.
One that sets fire to a dwelling
house, an administerer of poison, a pander, a vendor of the Soma
juice, a maker of arrows, an astrologer, one that injures friends,
an adulterer, one that causes abortion, a violator of his
preceptor’s bed, a Brahmana (Brahmin) addicted to drink, one that is
sharp-speeched, a raker of old sores, an atheist, a reviler of the
Vedas, and takers of bribes, one whose investiture with the sacred
thread has been delayed beyond the prescribed age, one that secretly
slays cattle, and one who slays him who prays for protection, -
these are all reckoned as equal in moral turpitude as the slayers of
Brahmanas.
Gold is tested by
fire; a well-born person, by his deportment; an honest man,
by his conduct. A brave man is tested during a season of panic; he
that is self-controlled, in times of poverty; and friends and foes,
in times of calamity and danger.
Decrepitude destroys beauty;
ambitious hopes destroy patience; death destroys life; envy,
righteousness; anger, prosperity; companionship with the low, good
behaviour; lust, modesty; and pride destroys everything.
Theses eight
qualities shed a lustre upon their possessor.
Prosperity takes its birth in good
deeds, growth in consequence of activity, drives its roots deep in
consequence of skill, and acquires stability owing to self-control.
Wisdom, good lineage, self-control, acquaintance with the
scriptures, prowess, absence of garrulity, gift to the extent of
one’s power, and gratefulness, - theses eight qualities shed a
lustre upon their possessor.
But, O sire, there is one endowment
which alone can cause all these attributes to come together; the
fact is, when the king honours a particular person, the royal favour
can cause all these attributes to shed their lustre (on the
favourite). Those eight, O king, in the world of men, are
indications of heaven.
Of the eight (mentioned below) four
are inseparably connected, with the good, and four others are always
followed by the good. The first four which are inseparably connected
with the good, are sacrifice, gift, study and asceticism, while the
other four that are always followed by the good, are self-restraint,
truth, simplicity, and abstention from injury to all.
The eight
different paths of righteousness
Sacrifice, study, charity,
asceticism, truth, forgiveness, mercy, and contentment constitute
the eight different paths of righteousness. The first four of these
may be practised from motives of pride, but the last four can exist
only in those that are truly noble.
Assembly
That is no assembly where there are
no old men, and they are not old who do not declare what morality
is. That is not morality which is separated from truth, and that is
not truth, which is fraught with deceit.
Truth, beauty, acquaintance with the
scriptures, knowledge, high birth, good behaviour, strength, wealth,
bravery, and capacity for varied talk, -
these ten are of
heavenly origin.
Sin
A sinful person, by committing sin,
is overtaken by evil consequences. A virtuous man, by practising
virtue, reaps great happiness. Therefore, a man, rigidly resolved,
should abstain from sin. Sin repeatedly perpetrated, destroys
intelligence; and the man who has lost intelligence, repeatedly
commits sin.
Virtue
Virtue repeatedly practised,
enhances intelligence; and the man whose intelligence has increased,
enhances intelligence; and the man whose intelligence has increased
repeatedly practises virtue. The virtuous man, by practising virtue,
goes to regions of blessedness. Therefore, a man should, firmly
resolved, practise virtue. He that is envious, he that injures
others deeply, he that is cruel, he that constantly quarrels, he
that is deceitful, soon meets with great misery for practising these
sins.
He that is not envious and is
possessed of wisdom, by always doing what is good, never meets with
great misery; on the other hand, he shines everywhere. He that draws
wisdom from them that are wise is really learned and wise. And he
that is wise, by attending to both virtue and profit, succeeds in
attaining to happiness.
Do that during the day, which may
enable thee to pass the night in happiness; and do that during eight
months of the year, which may enable thee to pass the season of
rains happily. [Note: India has four months of rainy season known as the Monsoon.]
Do that during youth, which may
ensure a happy old age; and do that during thy whole life here which
may enable thee to live happily hereafter.
The wise prize that food which is
easily digested, that wife whose youth has passed away, that hero
who is victorious and that ascetic whose efforts have been crowned
with success.
The gap that is sought to be filled
by wealth acquired wrongfully, remains uncovered, while new ones
appear in other places. The preceptor controls them whose souls are
under their own control; the king controls persons that are wicked;
while they that sin secretly have their controller in Yama, the son
of Vivaswat. [Note: Yama is the god of death].
These cannot be ascertained
The greatness of Rishis, of rivers,
of riverbanks, of high-souled men, and the cause of woman’s
wickedness, cannot be ascertained.
These rule the earth for
ever
O king, he that is devoted to the
worship of Brahmanas, he that gives away, he that behaves
righteously towards his relatives, and the Kshatriya that behaves
nobly, rule the earth for ever.
He that is possessed of bravery, he
that is possessed of learning, and he that knows how to protect
others, - these three are always able to gather flowers of gold from
the earth.
Of acts, those accomplished by
intelligence are first; those accomplished by arms, second; those by
the thighs, and those by bearing weights upon the head, are the very
worst.
Reposing the care of thy kingdom on
Duryodhana, on Sakuni, on foolish Dussasana, and on karna, how canst
thou hope for prosperity? Possessed of every virtue, the Pandavas, O
bull of the Bharata race, depend on thee as their father, O, repose
thou on them as on thy sons!
Vidura said: In this connection is
cited the old story of the
discourse
between the son of Atri and the deities called Sadhyas is as
heard by us.
I days of old, the deities known by
the name of Sadhyas questioned the highly wise and great Rishi of
rigid vows (the son of Atri), while the latter was wandering in the
guise of one depending on eleemosynary charity for livelihood.
The Sadhyas said: We are, O great
Rishi, deities known as Sadhyas. Beholding thee, we are unable to
guess who thou art. It seems to us, however, that thou art possessed
of intelligence and self-control in consequence of acquaintance with
the scriptures. It, therefore, behoveth thee to discourse to us in
magnanimous words fraught with learning.
Slanders and reproaches
The mendicant Rishi answered: Ye
immortals, it has been heard by me that by untying all the knots in
the heart by the aid of tranquillity, and by mastery over all the
passions, and observance of true religion, one should regard both
the agreeable and the disagreeable like his own self. One should not
return the slanders or reproaches of others for the pain that is
felt by him who bears silently, consumes the slanderer; and he that
bears, succeeds also appropriating the virtues of the slanderer.
Indulge not in slanders and reproaches.
Do not humiliate and insult others.
Quarrel not with friends. Abstain from companionship with those that
are vile and low. Be not arrogant and ignoble in conduct. Avoid
words that are harsh and fraught with anger. Harsh words burn and
scorch the very vitals, bones, heart, and the very sources of the
life of men. Therefore, he, that is virtuous, should always abstain
from harsh and angry words. That worst of men is of harsh and
wrathful speech that pierces the vitals of others with wordy thorns,
bears hell in his tongue, and should ever be regarded as a dispenser
of misery to men. The man that is wise, pierced by another’s wordy
arrows, sharp pointed and smarting like fire or the sun, should,
even if deeply wounded and burning with pain, bear them patiently
remembering that the slanderer’s merits become his.
He that waits upon one that is good
or upon one that is wicked, upon one that is possessed of ascetic
merit or upon one that is a thief, soon takes the colour from that
companion of his, like a cloth from the dye in which it is soaked.
The very gods desire his company, who, stung with reproach, returns
if not himself nor causes others to return it, or who being struck
does not himself return the blow nor causes others to do it, and who
wishes not the slightest injury to him that injures him.
Silence and Truth
Silence, it is said, is better than
speech. If speak you must, then it is better to say the truth. If
truth is to be said, it is better to say what is agreeable; and if
what is agreeable is to be said, then it is better to say what is
consistent with morality.
Company
A man becomes exactly like him with
whom he lives, or like him whom he regards, or like that which he
wishes to be. One is freed from those things from which one
abstains, and if one abstains from everything he has not to suffer
even the least misery. Such a man neither vanquishes others, nor is
vanquished by others. He never injures nor opposes others. He is
unmoved by praise or blame. He neither grieves nor exalts in joy.
That man is
regarded as the first of his species who wishes for the
prosperity of all and never sets his heart on the misery of others,
who is truthful in speech, humble in behaviour, and has all his
passions under control.
That man is
regarded as a mediocre in goodness who never consoles others
by saying what is not true; who gives having promised; and who keeps
an eye over the weakness of others.
These, however,
are the indications of a bad man, viz., incapacity to be
controlled; liability to be afflicted by dangers; proneness to give
way to wrath, ungratefulness; inability to become another’s friend,
and wickedness of heart. He too is the worst of men, who is
dissatisfied with any good that may come to him from others, who is
suspicious of his own self, and who drives away from himself all his
true friends.
He that desires prosperity to
himself, should wait upon them that are good, and at times upon them
that are indifferent, but never upon them that are bad. He that is
wicked earns wealth, it is true, by putting forth his strength, by
constant effort, by intelligence, and by prowess, but he can never
win honest fame, nor can he acquire the virtues and manners of high
families (in any of which he may be born).
High
Families
Dhritarashtra said: The gods, they
that regard both virtue and profit without swerving from either, and
they that are possessed of great learning, express a liking for high
families. I ask thee, O Vidura, this question, - what are those
families that are called high?
Vidura said: Asceticism,
self-restraint, knowledge of the Vedas, sacrifices, pure marriages,
and gifts of food, - those families in which these seven exist or
are practised duly, are regarded as high. There are high families
who deviate not from the right course whose deceased ancestors are
never pained (by witnessing the wrong-doings of their descendants),
who cheerfully practise all the virtues, who desire to enhance the
pure fame of the line in which they are born, and who avoid every
kind of falsehood.
Families that are high fall down and become low owing to the
absence of sacrifices, impure marriages, abandonment of the Vedas,
and insults offered to Brahmanas (Brahmins). High families fall off
and become low owing to their members disregarding or speaking ill
of Brahmanas, or to the misappropriation, O Bharata of what had been
deposited with them by others.
Those families that are possessed of
members, wealth and kine (cows), are not regarded as families if
they be wanting in good manners and conduct, while families wanting
in wealth but distinguished by manners and good conduct are regarded
as such and win great reputation.
Therefore, should good manners and
good conduct be maintained with care, for, as regards wealth, it
comes or goes. He that is wanting in wealth is not really wanting,
but he that is wanting in manners and conduct is really in want.
Those families that abound in kine and other cattle and in the
produce of the field are not really worthy of regard or fame if they
were wanting in manners and conduct. Let none in our race be a
fomenter of quarrels, none serve a king as minister, none steal the
wealth of others, none provoke intestine dissensions, none be
deceitful or false in behaviour, and none eat before serving the
Rishis, the gods and guests. He, in our race, who slays Brahmanas,
or entertains feelings of aversion towards them, or impedes or
otherwise injures agriculture, does not deserve to mix with us.
Straw (for a seat), ground for
sitting upon, water (to wash the feet and face) and fourthly sweet
words, - these are never wanting in the houses of the good. Virtuous
men devoted to the practice of righteous acts, when desirous of
entertaining (guests), have these things ready for being offered
with reverence. As the Sandal tree, O king, though thin, is
competent to bear weights which timbers of other trees (much
thicker) cannot; so they that belong to high families are always
able to bear the weight of great cares which ordinary men cannot.
He is not friend
whose anger inspires fear, or who is to be waited upon with fear.
He, however, on whom one can repose confidence as on a father, is a
true friend. Other friendships are nominal connection. He that bears
himself as a friend, even though unconnected by birth of blood, is a
true friend, a real refuge, and a protector.
He, whose heart is unsteady, or who
does not wait upon the aged, or who is of a restless disposition
cannot make friends. Success (in the attainment of objects) forsakes
the person whose heart is unsteady, or who has no control over his
mind, or who is a slave of his senses, like swans forsaking a water
tank whose waters have dried up. They that are of weak minds
suddenly give way to anger and are gratified without sufficient
cause; they are like clouds that are so inconstant.
The very birds of prey abstain from
touching the dead bodies of those who having been served and
benefited by friends, show ingratitude to the latter. Be thou poor
or be thou rich, thou should honour thy friends. Until some service
is asked, the sincerity or otherwise of friends cannot be known.
Sorrow
Sorrow kills beauty; sorrow kills
strength; sorrow kills the understanding; and sorrow brings on
disease.
Grief, instead of helping the acquisition of
his object, dries up the body, and makes one’s foes glad. Therefore,
do not yield to grief. Men repeatedly die and are reborn; repeatedly
they wither away and grow; repeatedly they ask others for help, and
they themselves are asked for help; repeatedly they lament and are
lamented.
Happiness and misery, plenty and
want, gain and loss, life and death, are shared by all in due order.
Therefore, he that is self-controlled should neither exult in joy
nor repine in sorrow. The six senses are always restless. Through
the most predominant one amongst them one’s understanding escapes in
proportion to the strength it assumes, like water from a pot through
its holes.
Dhritarashtra said: King
Yudhishthira, who is like a flame of fire, has been deceived by me.
He will surely exterminate in battle all my wicked sons. Everything,
therefore, seems to me to be fraught with danger, and my mind is
full of anxiety, O thou of great intelligence, tell me such words as
may dispel my anxiety.
Vidura said: O sinless one, in
nothing else than knowledge and asceticism, in nothing else than
restraining the senses, in nothing else than complete abandonment of
avarice, do I see thy good. Fear is dispelled by self-knowledge; by
asceticism one wins what is great and valuable; by waiting upon
superiors learning is acquired; and peace is gained by
self-restraint.
They that desire salvation without
having acquired the merit attainable by gifts, or that which is
attainable by practising the ritual of the Vedas, do not sojourn
through life, freed from anger and aversion. The happiness that may
be derived from a judicious course of study, from a battle fought
virtuously, from ascetic austerities performed rigidly, always
increases at the end.
Relatives (1)
They that are no longer in peace
with their relatives, obtain no sleep even if they have recourse to
well made beds; nor do they, O king, derive any pleasure from women,
or the laudatory hymns of bards and eulogists. Such persons can
never practise virtue. Happiness can never be theirs in this world.
Honours can never be theirs, and peace has no charm for them.
Counsels that are for their benefit please them not. They never
acquire what they have not, nor succeed in retaining what they have,
O king, there is no other end for such men save destruction.
Strength in unity
As milk is possible in kine (cows),
asceticism in Brahmanas, and inconstancy in women, so fear is
possible from relatives. Numerous thin threads of equal length,
collected together, are competent to bear from the strength of
numbers, the constant rolling of the shuttlecock over them. The case
is even so with relatives that are good, O bull of the Bharata race,
separated from one another. Burning bran produce only smoke but
brought together they blaze forth into a powerful flame. The case is
even so, O Dhritarashtra, with relatives. They, O Dhritarashtra, who
tyrannise over Brahmanas, women relatives, and kine, soon fall off
their stalks, like fruits that are ripe. And the tree that stands
singly, though gigantic and strong and deep rooted, has its trunk
soon smashed and twisted by a mighty wind. Those trees, however,
that grow in close compact are competent owing to mutual dependence
to resist winds more violent still. Thus he that is single, however,
endowed with all the virtues, is regarded by foes as capable of
being vanquished like an isolated tree by the wind. Relatives,
again, in consequence of mutual dependence and mutual aid, grow
together, like lotus stalks in a lake. These must never be slain,
viz., Brahmanas, kine, relatives, children, women, those whose food
is eaten, and those also that yield by asking for protection.
Health
O king, without wealth no good
quality can show itself in a person. If, however, you are in health,
you can achieve your good, for he is dead who is unhealthy and ill.
Anger
O king, anger is a kind of bitter,
pungent, acrid, and hot drink, painful in its consequences; it is a
kind of headache not born of any physical illness, and they that are
unwise can never digest it. Do thou, O king, swallow it up and
obtain peace.
They that are tortured by disease
have no liking for enjoyments, nor do they desire any happiness from
wealth. The sick, however, filled with sorrow, know not what
happiness is or what the enjoyments of wealth are.
Beholding Draupadi won at dice, I
told thee before, O king, these words: "They that are honest avoid
deceit in play. Therefore, stop Duryodhana!"
Thou did not, however, act according
to my words. That is no strength, which is opposed to softness. On
the other hand, strength
mixed with softness constitutes true policy, which should
ever be pursued.
Prosperiity
That prosperity which is dependent
on crookedness alone is destined to be destroyed. That prosperity,
however, which depends on both strength and softness, descends to
sons and grandsons intact. Let therefore, thy sons cherish the
Pandavas, and the Pandavas also cherish thy sons, O king, let the
Kurus and the Pandavas, both having same friend and same foes, live
together in happiness and prosperity. Thou art, today, O king, the
refuge of the sons of Kuru. Indeed, the race of Kuru, O Ajamida, is
dependent on thee. O sire, preserving thy fame unsullied, cherish
thou the children of Pandu, afflicted as they are with the
sufferings of exile. O descendant of Kuru, make peace with the sons
of Pandu. Let not thy foes discover thy holes. They all, O god among
men, are devoted to truth. O king of men, withdraw Duryodhana from
his evil ways.
Vidura said: O son of Vichitravirya,
Manu the son of the Self-created, has, O king, spoken of the
following seven and ten kinds of men, as those that strike empty
space with their fists, or seek to bend the vapoury bow of Indra in
the sky, or desire to catch the intangible rays of the sun.
These seven and
ten kinds of foolish men are as follows:
1.
He who seeks to
control a person that is incapable of being controlled.
2.
He who is content with
small gains.
3.
He who humbly pays
court to enemies.
4.
He who seeks to
restrain women’s frailty.
5.
He who asks him for
gifts who should never be asked.
6.
He who boasts having
done anything.
7.
He who, born in a high
family, perpetrates an improper deed.
8.
He who being weak
always wages hostilities with one that is powerful.
9.
He who talks to a
person listening scoffingly.
10.
He who desires to have
that which is unattainable.
11.
He who being a
father-in-law, jests with his daughter-in-law.
12.
He who boasts at
having his alarms dispelled by his daughter-in-law.
13.
He who scatters his
own seeds in another’s field.
14.
He who speaks ill of
his own wife.
15.
He who having received
anything from another says that he does not remember it.
16.
He who, having given
away anything in words in holy places, boasts at home when asked to
make good his words.
17.
And he who strives to
prove the truth of what is false.
The envoys of Yama (god of death),
with noose in hand, drag those persons to hell.
One should
behave towards another just as that other behaves towards him.
Even this is consistent with social polity. One may behave
deceitfully towards him that behaves deceitfully, but honestly
towards him that is honest in his behaviour.
Old age kills beauty; patience hope;
death kills life; the practice of virtue, worldly enjoyments; lust,
modesty; companionship with the wicked, good behaviour; anger,
prosperity; and pride kills everything.
Dhritarashtra said: Man has been
spoken of in all the Vedas as having hundred years for the period of
his life. For
what reason then, do not all men attain the allotted period?
Vidura said: Excess of pride, excess
in speech, excess in eating, anger, the desire of enjoyment, and
intestine dissensions, - these, O king, are six sharp swords that
cut off the period of life allotted to creatures. It is these, which
kill men, and not death. Knowing this, blessed be thou!
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Contact with these requires
expiation
He who appropriates to himself the
wife of one who has confided in him; he who violates the bed of his
preceptor; that Brahmana, O Bharata, who becomes the husband of a
Sudra woman, or drinks wines; he who commands Brahmanas or becomes
their master, or takes away the lands that support them; and he who
takes the lives of those who yield asking for protection, are all
guilty of the sin of slaying Brahmanas. The Vedas declare that
contact with these requires expiation.
These succeed in
attaining to heaven.
He that accepts the teaching of the
wise; he that is acquainted with the rules of morality; he that is
liberal; he that eats having first dedicated the food to the gods
and Pitris (departed ancestors); he that envies none; he that is
incapable of doing anything that injures others; he that is
grateful, truthful, humble and learned, succeeds in attaining to
heaven.
They are abundant, O king that can
always speak agreeable words. The speaker, however, is rare, as also
the hearer, of
words that are disagreeable but medicinal. That
man who, without regarding what is agreeable or disagreeable to his
master but keeping virtue alone in view, says what is unpalatable,
but medicinal, truly adds to the strength of the king.
These may be sacrificed
For the sake of the family a member
may be sacrificed; for the sake of the village, a family may be
sacrificed; for the sake of a kingdom, a village nay be sacrificed;
and for the sake of one’s soul, the whole earth may be sacrificed.
One should protect his wealth in view of the
calamities that may overtake him; by his wealth one should protect
his wives, and by both his wealth and wives one should protect his
own self.
Gambling
From very olden times it has been
seen that gambling provokes quarrels. Therefore, he that is wise
should not resort to it even in jest. O son of Pratipa, at the time
of that gambling match, I told thee, O king, - this is not proper.
But, O son of Vichitravirya, like medicine to a sick man, those
words of mine were not agreeable to thee. O king, thou desirest to
vanquish the sons of Pandu, who are just as peacocks of variegated
plumage, whereas thy sons are all as crows. Forsaking lions thou art
protecting jackals! O king, when the time comes, thou wilt have to
grieve for all this.
Servants
That master, O sire, who does not
give vent to his displeasure with devoted servants zealously
pursuing his good, enlists the confidence of his servants. In fact,
the latter adhere to him even in distress. By confiscating the
grants to one’s servants or stopping their pay, one should not seek
to amass wealth, for even affectionate counsellors deprived of their
means of life and enjoyment, turn against him and leave him (in
distress).
Reflecting first on all intended
acts and adjusting the wages and allowances of servants with his
income and expenditure, a king should make proper alliances, for
there is nothing that cannot be accomplished by alliances. That
officer who fully understanding the intentions of his royal master
discharges all duties with alacrity, and who is respectable himself
and devoted to his master, always tells what is for his master’s
good, and who is fully acquainted with the extent of his own might
and with that also of those against whom he may be engaged, should
be regarded by the king as his second self.
That servant, however, who commanded
by his master disregards the latter’s injunctions and who enjoined
to do anything refuses to submit, proud as he is of his own
intelligence and given to arguing against his master, should be got
rid of without the least delay. Men of learning say that
a servant
should be endued with these eight qualities.
1.
Absence of pride
2.
Ability
3.
Absence of
procrastination
4.
Kindness
5.
Cleanliness
6.
Incorruptibility
7.
Birth in a family free
from the taint of disease, and
8.
Weightiness of speech
One
should not
No man should confidently enter an
enemy’s house after dusk even with notice. One should not at night
lurk in the yard of another’s premises, nor should one seek to enjoy
a woman to whom the king himself might make love. Never set thyself
against the decisions to which a person has arrived who keeps low
company and who is in the habit of consulting all he meets. Never
tell him: ‘I do not believe thee’, but assigning some reason send
him away on a pretext.
Lending and borrowing money
A king who is exceedingly merciful,
a woman of lewd character, the servant of a king, a son, a brother,
a widow having an infant son, one serving in the army, and one that
has suffered great losses, should never be engaged in pecuniary
transactions of lending or borrowing.
These eight qualities shed a lustre on men:
1.
wisdom
2.
High lineage
3.
Acquaintance with
scriptures
4.
Self-restraint
5.
Prowess
6.
Moderation in speech
7.
Gift to the extent of
one’s power
8.
Gratefulness
These high qualities, O sire, are
necessarily brought together by one only by gifts. When the king
favours a person, that incident (of royal favour) brings in all
others and holds them together.
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He that performs ablutions wins these ten:
1.
Strength
2.
Beauty
3.
A clear voice
4.
Capacity to utter all
the alphabetical sounds
5.
Delicacy of touch
6.
Fineness of scent
7.
Cleanliness
8.
Gracefulness
9.
Delicacy of limbs
10.
Beautiful women
He that eats sparingly wins these
1.
Health
2.
Long life
3.
Ease
4.
His progeny also
becomes healthy
5.
Nobody reproaches him
for gluttony
One should not give shelter to these in his house
1.
One that always acts
improperly
2.
One that eats too much
3.
One that is hated by
all
4.
One that is
exceedingly deceitful
5.
One that is cruel
6.
One that is ignorant
of the proprieties of time and place
7.
One that dresses
indecently
A person, however distressed,
should never solicit these
1.
A miser for alms
2.
One that speaks ill of
others
3.
One that is
unacquainted with the shastras (scriptures)
4.
A dweller in the woods
5.
One that is cunning
6.
One that does not
regard persons worthy of regards
7.
One that is cruel
8.
One that habitually
quarrel with others
9.
One that is ungrateful
A person should never wait
upon these six worst of men
1.
One that is a foe
2.
One that always errs
3.
One that is wedded to
falsehood
4.
One that is wanting in
devotion to the gods
5.
One that is without
affection
6.
One that regards
himself competent to do everything
One’s purposes depend (for their
success) on means; and means are dependent, again, on the nature of
the purposes (sought to be accomplished by them). They are
intimately connected with each other, so that success depends on
both. Begetting sons and rendering them independent by making some
provision for them, and bestowing maiden daughters on eligible
persons, on should retire to the woods, and desire to live as a Muni
(a sage; an austere person). One should, for obtaining the favours
of the Supreme Being, do that which is for the good of all creatures
as also for his own happiness, for it is this which is at the root
of the success of all one’s objects.
What anxiety has he for a livelihood
that has intelligence, energy, prowess, strength, alacrity and
perseverance?
Behold the evils of a rupture with
the Pandavas, which would sadden the very gods with Sakra. These
are:
1.
First, enmity between
them that are all thy sons
2.
Secondly, a life of
continued anxiety
3.
Thirdly, the loss of
the fair fame of the Kurus
4.
And lastly, the joy of
those that are thy enemies.
The wrath of Bhishma, O thou of the
splendour of Indra (king of gods), of Drona, and the king
Yuthishthira, will consume the whole world, like a comet of large
proportions falling transversely on the earth. Thy hundred sons and
Karna and the sons of Pandu can together rule the vast earth with
the belt of the seas. O king, the Dhritarashtras constitute a forest
of which the Pandavas are, I think, tigers, O, do not cut down that
forest with its tigers! O, let not the tigers be driven from that
forest! There can be no forest without tigers, and no tigers without
a forest. The forest shelters the tigers and tigers guard the
forest!
They that are sinful never seek so
much to ascertain the good qualities of others as to ascertain their
faults. He that desires the highest success in all matters connected
with worldly profit should from the very beginning practise virtue,
for true profit is never separated from heaven. He, whose soul has
been dissociated from sin and firmly fixed on virtue, has understood
all things in their natural and adventitious states. He that follows
virtue, profit and desire, in proper seasons, obtains, both here and
hereafter, a combination of all three. He that restrains the force
of both anger and joy, and never, O king, loses his senses under
calamities, wins prosperity.
Listen to me, O king.
Men are said to have five different kinds of strength.
1.
Of these, the strength
of arms is regarded to be of the most inferior kind.
2.
Blessed be thou, the
acquisition of good counsellors is regarded as the second kind of
strength.
3.
The wise have said
that the acquisition of wealth is the third kind of strength.
4.
The strength of birth,
O king, which one naturally acquires from one’s sires and
grandsires, is regarded as the fourth kind of strength.
5.
That however, O
Bharata, by which all these are won, and which is the foremost of
all kinds of strength, is called the strength of the intellect.
Having provoked the hostility of a person who is capable of inflicting
great injury on a fellow creature, one should not gather assurance
from the thought that one lives at a distance from the other.
Cannot place trust on these
Who that is wise that can place his
trust on women, kings, serpents, his own master, enemies,
enjoyments, and period of life?
There are no physicians nor
medicines for
one that has been struck by the arrow of wisdom. In the case
of such a person neither the Mantra of Homa (sacred fire ceremony),
nor auspicious ceremonies, nor the Mantras of the Atharva Veda, nor
any of the antidotes of poison, are of any efficacy.
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None of these should be disregarded
Serpents, fire, lions, and
consanguineous relatives, - none of these, O Bharata, should be
disregarded by a man; all of these are possessed of great power.
Fire is a thing of great energy in this world. It lurks in wood and
never consumes it till it is ignited by others. That very fire, when
brought out by friction, consumes by its energy not only the wood in
which it lurks, but also an entire forest and many other things. Men
of high lineage are just like fire in energy. Endued with
forgiveness, they betray no outward symptoms of wrath and are quiet
like fire in wood. Thou, O king, with thy sons art possessed of the
virtue of creepers, and the sons of Pandu are regarded as Sala
trees. A creeper never grows unless there is large tree to twine
round. O king, O son of Ambika, thy son is as a forest. O sire, know
that the Pandavas are the lions of that forest. Without its lions
the forest is doomed to destruction. And lions also are doomed to
destruction without the forest (to shelter them).
Guests
Vidura continued: The heart of a
young man, when an aged and venerable person comes to his house (as
a guest), soars aloft. By advancing forward and saluting him, he
gets it back. He that is self-controlled, first offering a seat, and
bringing water and causing his guest’s feet to be washed and making
the usual enquiries of welcome, should then speak of his own
affairs, and taking everything into consideration, offer him food.
The wise have said that man lives in vain in whose dwelling a
Brahmana (Brahmin) conversant with Mantras does not accept water,
honey and curds, and kine (cows) from fear of being unable to
appropriate them, or from miserliness and unwillingness with which
the gifts are made.
A physician, a maker of arrows, even
one that has given up the vow of Brahmacharya (celibacy) before it
is complete, a thief, a crooked minded man, a Brahmana that drinks,
one that causes miscarriage, one that lives by serving in the army,
and one that sells the Vedas, when arrived as a guest, however
undeserving he may be, the offer of water should be regarded (by a
householder) as exceedingly dear.
A Brahmana should never be a seller
of salt, of cooked
food, curds, milk, honey, oil, ghee (clarified butter), sesame,
meat, fruits, roots, potherbs, dyed clothes, all kinds of perfumery,
and treacle.
He that never gives way to anger, he
that is above grief, he that is no longer in need of friendship and
quarrels, he that disregards both praise and blame, and he that
stands aloof from both what is agreeable and disagreeable, like one
perfectly withdrawn from the world, is a real Yogi of the Bhikshu
order. That virtuous ascetic who lives on rice growing wild, or
roots, or potherbs, who has his soul under control, who carefully
keeps his fire for worship, and dwelling in the woods is always
regardful of guests, is indeed, the foremost of his brotherhood.
Having wronged an intelligent person, one should never gather assurance
from the fact that one lives at a distance from the person wronged.
Long are the arms which intelligent persons have, by which they can
return wrongs for wrongs done to them.
Trust
One should never put trust on him
who should not be trusted, nor put too much trust on him who should
be trusted, for the danger that arises from one’s having reposed
trust on another cuts off one’s very roots.
One should renounce envy, protect
one’s wives, give to others what is their due, and be agreeable in
speech. One should be sweet tongued and pleasant in his address as
regards one’s wives, but should never be their slave. It has been
said that wives that are highly blessed and virtuous, worthy of
worship and the ornaments of their homes, are really embodiments of
domestic prosperity. They should, therefore, be protected
particularly.
One should devolve the looking over
of his inner apartments
on his father; of the kitchen, on his mother; of the kine, on
somebody he looks upon as his own self; but as regards agriculture,
one should look over it himself.
One should look after guests of the
trader caste through his servants, and those of the Brahmana caste
through his sons.
King Craft
Fire has its origin in water;
Kshatriyas in Brahmanas; and iron in stone. The energy of those
(i.e. fire, Kshatriyas, and iron) can affect all things but is
neutralised as soon as things come in contact with their
progenitors. Fire lies concealed in wood without showing itself
externally. Good and forgiving men born of high families and endued
with fiery energy, do not betray any outward symptoms of what is
within them. That king whose counsels cannot be known by either
outsiders or those about him, but who know the counsels of others
through his spies, enjoys his prosperity long.
One should never speak of what one
intends to do. Let anything thou doest in respect of virtue, profit
and desire, be not known till it is done. Let counsels be not
divulged. Ascending on the mountain top or on the terrace of a
palace, or proceeding to a wilderness devoid of trees and plants,
one should, in secrecy, mature his counsels. O Bharata, neither a
friend who is without learning, nor a learned friend who has no
control over his senses, deserves to be a repository of
state secrets.
O king, never make one thy
minister without examining him well,
for a king’s finances and the keeping of his counsels both depend on
his minister. That king is the foremost of rulers, whose ministers
know his acts in respect of virtue, profit and desire, only after
they are done. The king whose counsels are kept close, without
doubt, commands success. He that from ignorance commits acts that
are censurable, loses his very life in consequence of the untoward
results of those acts. The doing of acts that are praise-worthy is
always attended with ease. Omission to do such acts leads to
repentance.
As a Brahmana without having studied
the Vedas is not fit to officiate at a Sraddha (in honour of the
Pitris or ancestors), so he that has not heard of the six (means for
protecting a kingdom) deserves not to take part in political
deliberations.
O king, he that has eye upon
increase, decrease, and surplus, he that is conversant with the six
means and knows also his own self, he whose conduct is always
applauded, brings the whole earth under subjection to himself. He
whose anger and joy are productive of consequences, he who looks
over personally what should be done, he who has his treasury under
his own control, brings the whole earth under subjection to himself.
The king should be content with the
name he wins and the umbrella that is held over his head. He should
divide the wealth of the kingdom among these that serve him. Alone
he should not appropriate everything. A Brahmana (Brahmin) knows a
Brahmana, the husband understands the wife, the king knows the
minister, and monarchs know monarchs.
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A foe that deserves death, when brought under subjection should never be
set free. If one were
weak one should pay court to one’s foe that is stronger, even if the
latter deserves death; but one should kill that foe as soon as one
commands sufficient strength, for, if not killed, dangers soon arise
from him. One should, with an effort, control his wrath against the
gods, kings, Brahmanas, old men, children, and those that are
helpless.
He that is wise should avoid unprofitable quarrels such as fools only
engage in. By this
one wins great fame in this world and avoids misery and unhappiness.
People never desire him for a master whose grace is fruitless and
whose wrath goes for nothing, like women never desiring him for a
husband who is a eunuch.
Intelligence does not exist for the acquisition of wealth, nor is
idleness the cause of adversity.
The man of wisdom only knows, and not others, the cause of the
diversities of condition in this world.
The fool, O Bharata, always disregards those that
are elderly in years, and eminent in conduct and knowledge, in intelligence,
wealth and lineage.
Calamities soon come upon them that are of
wicked disposition, devoid of wisdom, envious or sinful,
foul-tongued, and wrathful.
Absence of deceitfulness, gift,
observance of the established rules of intercourse, and speech well
controlled, bring all creatures under subjection.
He that is without deceitfulness, he
that is active, grateful, intelligent, and guileless, even if his
treasury were empty, obtains friends, counsellors, and servants.
Intelligence, tranquillity of mind,
self-control, purity, absence of harsh speech and unwillingness to
do anything disagreeable to friends, -
these six are
regarded as the fuel of prosperity’s flame.
The wretch who does not give to
others their due, who is of wicked soul, who is ungrateful, and
shameless, should, O king, be avoided. The guilty person who
provokes another about him that is innocent cannot sleep peacefully
at night, like a person passing the night with a snake in the same
room.
They, O Bharata, who upon being
angry endanger one’s possessions and means of acquisition, should
always be propitiated like the very gods. Those objects that depend
upon women, careless persons, men that have fallen away from the
duties of their caste, and those that are wicked in disposition, are
doubtful of success. They sink helplessly, O king, like a raft made
of stone, who have a woman, a deceitful person, or a child, for
their guide.
They that are competent in the
general principles of work, though not in particular kinds of work
are regarded by men as learned and wise for particular kinds of
work, are subsidiary.
That man who is highly spoken of by
swindlers, mimes and women of ill fame, is more dead than alive.
Forsaking these mighty bowmen of immeasurable energy, viz., the son
of Pandu, thou hast, O Bharata, devolved on Duryodhana, the cares of
a mighty empire. Thou shalt, therefore, soon see that swelling
affluence fall off, like Vali fallen off from the three worlds.
Dhritarashtra said: Man is not the
disposer of either his prosperity or adversity. He is like a wooden
doll moved by strings. Indeed, the Creator has made man subject to
Destiny. Go on telling me, I am attentive to what thou sayest.
One becomes agreeable by
Vidura said: O Bharata, by speaking
words out of season even Vrihaspati (the Creator) himself incurs
reproach and the charge of ignorance. One becomes agreeable by gift,
another by sweet words, a third by a force of incantation and drugs.
He, however, that is naturally agreeable, always remains so. He that
is hated by another is never regarded by that other as honest or
intelligent or wise. One attributes everything good to him one
loves; and everything evil to him one hates.
Gain and
Loss
O king, as soon as Duryodhana was
born I told thee, - thou shouldst abandon this one son, for by
abandoning him thou wouldst secure the prosperity of thy hundred
sons, - and by keeping him, destruction would overtake thy hundred
sons. That gain should never be regarded highly which leads to loss.
On the other hand, that loss even should be regarded highly which
would bring on gain. That is no loss, O king, which brings on gain.
That, however, should be reckoned as loss, which is certain to bring
about greater losses still. Some become eminent in consequence of
good qualities; others become so in consequence of wealth.
Avoid them, O
Dhritarashtra, that are eminent in wealth but destitute of good
qualities.
Dhritarashtra said: All that you say
is approved by the wise and is for my future good. I dare not,
however, abandon my son. It is well known that where there is
righteousness there is victory.
[Note: Compare from the Bhagavad
Gita, chapter 18, verse 78. Sanjaya said: "Wherever there is
Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, wherever there is Arjuna, the archer,
there are prosperity, victory, happiness and firm policy; such is my
conviction."]
Vidura said: He that is graced with
every virtue and is endued with humility is never indifferent to
even the minutest sufferings of living creatures. They, however,
that are ever employed in speaking ill of others, always strive with
activity quarrelling with one another and in all matters, calculated
to give pain to others.
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Friendship
There is sin in accepting gifts
from, and danger in making gifts to them, whose very sight is
inauspicious and whose companionship is fraught with danger. They
that are quarrelsome, covetous, shameless, deceitful, and are known
as unrighteous, their companionship should always be avoided. One
should also avoid those men that are endued with similar faults of a
grave nature. When the occasion that caused the friendship is over
the friendship of those that are low, the beneficial result of that
connection, and the happiness also derivable from it, all come to an
end. They then strive to speak ill of their (late) friend and
endeavour to inflict loss on him, and if the loss they sustain be
even very small, for all that they, from want of self-control, fail
to enjoy peace. He that is learned, examining everything carefully
and reflecting well, should from a distance, avoid the friendship of
vile and wicked minded persons such as these.
Relatives (2)
He that helps his poor and wretched
and helpless relatives obtains children and animals and enjoys
prosperity that knows no end. They that desire their own benefit
should always succour their relatives. By every means, therefore, O
king, do thou seek the growth of thy race. Prosperity will be thine,
O monarch, if thou behave well towards all thy relatives. Even
relatives that are destitute of good qualities should be protected.
O bull of the Bharata race, how much more, therefore, should they be
protected that are endued with every virtue and are humbly expectant
of thy favour?
Favour thou the heroic sons of Pandu,
O monarch, and a few villages be assigned to them for their
maintenance. By acting thus, O king, fame will be thine in this
world. Thou art old; thou should therefore, control thy sons. I
should say what is for thy good. Know me as one that wishes well to
thee. He that desires his own good should never quarrel, O sire,
with his relatives. O bull of the Bharata race, happiness should
ever be enjoyed with one’s relatives, and not without them. To eat
with one another, to talk with one another, and to love one another,
is what relatives should always do. They should never quarrel.
In this world it is the relatives
that rescue, and the relatives that ruin (relatives). Those amongst
them that are righteous rescue; while those that are unrighteous
sink (their brethren). O king, be thou, O giver of honours,
righteous in thy conduct towards the sons of Pandu. Surrounded by
them, thou would be unconquerable by thy foes. If a relative shrinks
in the presence of a prosperous relative, like a deer at the sight
of a hunter armed with arrows, then the prosperous relative has to
take upon himself all the sins of the other. O best of men,
repentance will be thine (for this thy inaction at present) when in
future thou wilt hear of the death of either the Pandavas or thy
sons. O think of all this. When life itself is unstable, one should
in the very beginning avoid that act in consequence of which one
would have to indulge in regrets having entered the chamber of woe.
True it is that a person other than
Bhargava, the author of the science of morality, is liable to commit
actions that go against morality. It is seen, however, that a just
notion of consequence is present in all persons of intelligence.
Thou art an aged scion of Kuru’s race. If Duryodhana inflicted these
wrongs on the sons of Pandu, it is thy duty, O king of men, to undo
them all. Reinstating them in their position, thou wilt, in this
world, be cleansed of all thy sins and be, O king of men, an object
of worship with even those that have their souls under control.
Reflecting on the well-spoken words
of the wise according to their consequences, he that engages in acts
never loses fame. The knowledge imparted by even men of learning and
skill is imperfect, for that which is sought to be inculcated is ill
understood, or, if understood, is not accomplished in practice. That
learned person who never does an act, the consequences of which are
sin and misery, always grows. The person, however, of wicked soul,
who from folly pursues his sinful course commenced before falls into
a slough of deep mire.
He that is wise should ever keep in view the (following) six conduits by
which counsels become divulged,
and he that desires success and a long dynasty should ever guard
himself from those six. They are:
1.
Intoxication
2.
Sleep
3.
Inattention to spies,
set over one by another,
4.
One’s own demeanour as
dependent on the working of one’s own heart
5.
Confidence reposed on
a wicked counsellor
6.
Unskilful envoys.
Knowing these six doors (through
which counsels are divulged), he that keeps them shut while pursuing
the attainment of virtue, profit, and desire, succeeds in standing
over the heads of his foes.
Without an acquaintance with the
scriptures and without waiting upon the old, neither virtue nor
profit can be known (or won) by persons blessed even with the
intelligence of Vrihaspati.
A
thing is lost if cast
into the sea; words are lost if addressed to one that listens not;
the scriptures are lost on one that has not his soul under control;
and a libation of ghee (clarified butter) is lost if poured over the
ashes left by a fire that is extinguished.
He that is endued with the
intelligence makes friendships with those that are wise, having
first examined by the aid of his intelligence, repeatedly searching
by his understanding, and using his ears, eyes, and judgment.
Humility removes obloquy, failure,
prowess; forgiveness always conquers anger; and auspicious rites
destroy all indications of evil.
One’s lineage is tested by his
objects of enjoyment, place of birth, house, behaviour, food and
dress. When an object of enjoyment is available, even that one who
has attained emancipation is not unwilling to enjoy; what, again,
need be said of him that is yet wedded to desire?
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A king should cherish a counsellor
that worships persons
of wisdom, is endued with learning, virtue, agreeable appearance,
friends, sweet speech, and a good heart. Whether of low or high
birth, he who does not transgress the rules of polite intercourse,
who has an eye on virtue, who is endued with humility and modesty,
is superior to a hundred persons of high birth. The friendship of
those persons never cools, whose hearts, secret pursuits, and
pleasures, and acquirements, accord in every respect.
He that is intelligent should avoid
an ignorant person of wicked soul, like a pit whose mouth is covered
with grass, for friendship with such a person can never last. The
man of wisdom should never contract friendship with those that are
proud, ignorant, fierce, rash and fallen off from righteousness. He
that is grateful, virtuous, truthful, large-hearted, and devoted,
and he that has his senses under control, preserves his dignity, and
never forsakes a friend, should be desired for a friend. The
withdrawal of the senses from their respective objects is equivalent
to death itself. Their excessive indulgence again would ruin the
very gods.
Humility, love of all creatures, and
respect for friends, -
these, the learned have said, lengthen life. He who with
a firm resolution strives to accomplish by a virtuous policy
purposes that have once been frustrated, is said to possess real
manhood.
Prosperity (and forgiveness)
That man attains all his objects,
who is conversant with remedies to be applied in the future, who is
firmly resolved in the present, and who could anticipate in the past
how an act begun would end.
That which a man pursues in word,
deed and thought, wins him for its own; therefore, one should always
seek that which is for his good. Effort after securing what is good,
the properties of time, place, and means, acquaintance with the
scriptures, activity, straightforwardness, and frequent meetings
with those that are good, - these bring about prosperity.
Perseverance is the root of prosperity, of gain, and of what is
beneficial.
The man that pursues an object with
perseverance and without giving it up in vexation, is really great,
and enjoys happiness that is unending, O sire, there is nothing more
conducive of happiness and nothing more proper for a man of power
and energy as forgiveness in every place and at all times. He that
is weak should forgive under all circumstances. He that is possessed
of power should show forgiveness from motives of virtue; and he, to
whom the success or failure of his objects is the same, is naturally
forgiving.
That pleasure the pursuit of which
does not injure one’s virtue and profit should certainly be pursued
to one’s fill. One should not, however, act like a fool by giving
free indulgence to his senses.
Prosperity never resides in one who
suffers himself to be tortured by a grief, who is addicted to evil
ways, who denies Godhead, who is idle, who has not his senses under
control, and who is divested of exertion.
The man that is humble, and who from
humility is modest is regarded as weak and persecuted by persons of
misdirected intelligence. Prosperity never approaches from fear the
person that is excessively liberal, that gives away without measure,
that is possessed of extraordinary bravery, that practises the most
rigid vows, and that is very proud of his wisdom. Prosperity does
not reside in one that is highly accomplished, nor in one that is
without any accomplishment. She does not desire a combination of all
the virtues, nor is she pleased with the total absence of all
virtues.
Blind, like a mad cow, prosperity resides with some one who is not
remarkable.
The fruits of
the Vedas are ceremonies performed before the (Homa) fire; the
fruits of an acquaintance with the scriptures are goodness of
disposition and conduct. The fruits of women are the pleasures of
intercourse and offspring; and the fruits of wealth are enjoyment
and charity. He that performs acts tending to secure his prosperity
in the other world with wealth acquired sinfully never reaps the
fruits of these acts in the other world, in consequence of the
sinfulness of the acquisition (spent for the purpose).
In the midst of deserts, or deep
woods, or inaccessible fastness, amid all kinds of dangers and
alarms or in view of deadly weapons upraised for striking him, he
that has strength of mind entertains no fear. Exertion,
self-control, skill, carefulness, steadiness, memory and
commencement of act after mature deliberation; -
know that
these are the roots of prosperity.
Austerities constitute the strength
of ascetics; the Vedas are the strength of those conversant with
them; in envy lies the strength of the wicked; and in forgiveness,
the strength of the virtuous.
These eight, viz., water, roots,
fruits, milk, ghee (clarified butter), what is done at the desire of
a Brahmana, or at the command of a preceptor, and medicine, are not
destructive of a vow.
That which is antagonistic to one’s own self, should never be applied in
respect of another.
Briefly even this is virtue. Other kinds of virtue there are, but
these proceed from caprice. Anger must be conquered by forgiveness;
and the wicked must be conquered by honesty; the miser must be
conquered by liberality, and falsehood must be conquered by truth.
One should not place trust on a
woman, a swindler, an idle person, a coward, one that is fierce, one
that boasts of his own power, a thief, an ungrateful person, and an
atheist.
Achievements, period of life, fame,
and power, - these four always expand in the case of him that
respectfully salutes his superiors and waits upon the old.
Do not set thy heart after these
objects, which cannot be acquired except by very painful exertion,
or by sacrificing righteousness, or by bowing down to an enemy.
A man without knowledge is
to be pitied; an act of
intercourse that is not fruitful is to be pitied; the people of a
kingdom that are without food are to be pitied; and a kingdom
without a king is to be pitied.
These constitute the source of pain
and weakness to embodied creatures:
1. The rains, decay of hills and
mountains
2. Absence of enjoyment, anguish of
women
3. And wordy arrows, of the heart.
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The scum of the Vedas is want of
study; of Brahmanas,
absence of vows; of the earth, the Vahlikas; of man, untruth; of the
chaste woman, curiosity; of women, exile from home. The scum of gold
is silver; of silver, tin; of tin, lead; and of lead, useless dross.
One cannot conquer sleep by lying
down; women by desire; fire by fuel; and wine by drinking.
His life is, indeed, crowned with
success that has won his friends by gifts, his foes in battle, and
wife by food and drink; they who have thousands live; they, who have
hundreds, also live. O Dhritarashtra, forsake desire. There is none
who cannot manage to live by some means or other. Thy paddy, wheat,
gold, animals, and women that are on earth all cannot satiate even
one person. Reflecting on this, they that are wise never grieve for
want of universal dominion. O king, I again tell thee, adopt an
equal conduct towards thy children, i.e., towards the sons of Pandu
and thy own sons.
Vidura said: Worshipped by the good
and abandoning pride, that good man who pursues his objects without
out stepping the limits of his power, soon succeeds in winning fame,
for they that are good, when gratified with a person, are certainly
competent to bestow happiness on him. He that forsakes, of his own
accord, even a great object owing to its being fraught with
unrighteousness, lives happily, casting off all foes, like a snake
that has cast off its slough. A victory, gained by an untruth,
deceitful conduct towards the king, and insincerity of intentions
expressed before the preceptor, - these three are each equal to the
sin of slaying a Brahmana.
Students
Excessive envy, death, and
boastfulness, are the causes of the destruction of prosperity.
Carelessness in waiting upon preceptor, haste, and boastlessness,
are the three enemies of knowledge.
Idleness, inattention, confusion of
the intellect, restlessness, gathering for killing time,
haughtiness, pride, and covetousness, -
these seven constitute, it is said, the faults of students in the
pursuit of learning. How can they that desire
pleasure have knowledge? Students, again, engaged in the pursuit of
learning, cannot have pleasure. Votaries of pleasure must give up
knowledge, and votaries of knowledge must give up pleasure.
Fire is never gratified with fuel
(but can consume any measure thereof). The great ocean is never
gratified with the rivers it receives (but can receive any number of
them). Death is never gratified even with the entire living
creatures. A beautiful woman is never gratified with any number of
men (she may have).
O king, hope kills patience; Yama
(god of death) kills growth; anger kills prosperity; miserliness
kills fame; absence of tending kills cattle; one angry Brahmana
destroys a whole kingdom.
Let goats, brass, silver, honey,
antidotes of poison, birds, Brahmanas versed in the Vedas, old
relatives, and men of high birth sunk in poverty, be always present
in thy house. O Bharata, Manu has said that goats, bulls, sandal,
lyres, mirrors, honey, ghee (clarified butter), iron, copper, conch
shells, salagram (the stony image of Vishnu with gold within) and
Goro-chana should always be kept in one’s house for the worship of
the gods, Brahmanas, and guests, for all those objects are
auspicious.
Highest of all teachings
O sire, I would impart to thee
another sacred lesson productive of great fruits. And which is the
highest of all teachings, viz.,
virtue should never be
forsaken from desire, fear, or temptation, nay, nor for the
sake of life itself. Virtue is everlasting; pleasure and pain are
transitory; life is, indeed, everlasting but its particular phases
are transitory. Forsaking those which are transitory, betake thyself
to that which is everlasting, and let contentment be thine, for
contentment is the highest of all acquisitions. Behold, illustrious
and mighty kings, having ruled lands abounding with wealth and corn,
have become the victims of the Universal Destroyer, leaving behind
their kingdoms and vast sources of enjoyment.
The son brought up with anxious
care, when dead, is taken up and carried away by men (to the burning
ground). With the dishevelled hair and crying piteously, they then
cast the body into the funeral pyre, as if it were a piece of wood.
Others enjoy the deceased’s wealth, while birds and fire feast on
the elements of his body. With two only he goes to the other world,
viz., his merits and his sins, which keep him company. Throwing away
the body, O sire, relatives, friends, and sons retrace their steps,
like birds abandoning trees without blossoms and fruits. The person
cast into the funeral pyre is followed only by his own acts.
Therefore, should men carefully and gradually earn merit of
righteousness.
In the world above this, and also in
that below this, there are regions of great gloom and darkness.
Know, O king, that those are regions where the senses of men are
exceedingly afflicted. Oh, let not any of those places to thine.
Carefully listening to these words,
if thou can act according to them, thou wilt obtain great fame in
this world of men, and fear will not be thine here or hereafter.
O Bharata,
the soul is spoken of
as a river; religious merit constitutes its sacred baths;
truth, its water; self-control, its banks; kindness, its waves. He
that is righteous purifies himself by a bath therein, for the soul
is sacred, and the absence of desire is the highest merit. O king,
life is a river whose waters are the five senses, and whose
crocodiles and sharks are desire and anger. Making self-control thy
raft, cross thou its eddies which are represented by repeated
births.
Worshipping and gratifying friends
that are eminent in wisdom, virtue, learning, and years, he that
asks their advice about what he should do and should not do, is
never misled.
One should restrain one’s lust and
stomach by patience; one’s hands and feet by one’s eyes; one’s eyes
and ears by one’s mind; and one’s mind and words by one’s acts.
That Brahmana who never omits to
perform his ablutions, who always wears his sacred thread, who
always attends to the study of the Vedas, who always avoids food
that is unclean, who tells the truth and performs acts in honour of
his preceptor, never falls off from the region of Brahma.
Having studied the Vedas, poured
libations into fire, performed sacrifices, protected subjects,
sanctified his soul by drawing weapons for protecting kine (cows)
and Brahmanas, and died on the field of battle, the Kshatriya
attains to heaven.
Having studied the Vedas, and
distributed in proper time his wealth among Brahmnas, Kshatriyas,
and his own dependents, and inhaled the sanctified smoke of the
three kinds of fires, the Vaisya enjoys heavenly bliss in the other
world.
Having properly worshipped Brahmanas,
Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas in due order, and having burnt his sins by
gratifying them, and then peacefully casting off his body, the Sudra
enjoys the bliss of heaven.
The duties of the four orders are
thus set forth before thee. Listen now to the reason of my speech as
I discourse it. Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, is falling off from
the duties of the Kshatriya order. Place him, therefore, O king, in
a position to discharge the duties of kings.
Dhritarashtra said: It is even so as
you always teach me. O amiable one, my heart also inclines that very
way of which you tell me. Although, however, I incline in my mind
towards the Pandavas even as you teach me to do, yet as soon as I
come in contact with Duryodhana it turns off in a different way. No
creature is able to avert fate. Destiny, I think, is certain to take
its course. Individual exertion is futile.
From The Mahabharata
Udyoga Parva
(Sanat-sujata parva)
Section XLI
Dhritarashtra said: If there is
anything still left unsaid by thee, O Vidura, say it then, as I am
ready to listen to thee. The discourse is, indeed, charming.
Vidura said: O Dhritarashtra, O thou
of the Bharata race, that ancient and immortal Rishi
Sanat-sujata who, leading a life
of perpetual celibacy, has said that
there is no Death. That foremost of all intelligent persons
will expound to thee all the doubts in thy mind, both expressed and
unexpressed.
Dhritarashtra said: Do thou not know
what that immortal Rishi will say unto me? O Vidura, do thou say it,
if indeed, thou hast that degree of wisdom.
Vidura said: I am born in the Sudra
order and, therefore, do not venture to say more than what I have
already said. The understanding, however, of that Rishi, leading a
life of celibacy, is regarded by me to be infinite. He that is a
Brahmana by birth, by discoursing on even the profoundest mysteries,
never incurs the censure of the gods. It is for this alone that I do
not discourse to thee, upon the subject.
Dhritarashtra said: Tell me, O
Vidura, how with this body of mine I can meet with that ancient and
immortal one (Sanat-sujata)?
Vaisampayana said: Then Vidura began
to think of that Rishi of rigid vows. And knowing that he was
thought of, the Rishi, O Bharata, showed himself there. Vidura then
received him with the rites prescribed by ordinance. And then after
having rested a while, the Rishi was seated at his ease.
Vidura addressed him, saying: O
illustrious one, there is a doubt in Dhritarashtra’s mind which is
incapable of being explained away by me. It behoveth thee,
therefore, to expound it, so that listening to thy discourse, this
chief of men may tide over all his sorrows, and to that gain and
loss, what is agreeable and what disagreeable, decrepitude and
death, fright and jealousy, hunger and thirst, pride and prosperity,
dislike, sleep, lust and wrath, and decrease and increase may all be
borne by him.
