Prajagara Parva — The speech of Vidura

Dhritarashtra said Man is not the creator of his happiness or misery like a wooden doll moved by a thrcad. He has been made subject to the Fates by Providence. Therefore speak on; I am patiently hearing you.

Vidura said Even Brihaspati by speaking when suitable time has not come gets a charge of ignorance and insult, O Bharata.

By gift (a man) becomes agreeable; another by sweet speech; a third by the strength of incantations and drugs; but he that is (naturally) agreeable is (always) agreeable.

He that is despised is not honest, nor intelligent, nor wise (to the man who despises him). To him that is beloved are attributed all good acts and to him that is despised all bad ones.

I told you, as soon as he was born. O king, abandon this one son, Duryodhana. By his abandonment (you will see) the proper development of your hundred sons; and by not abandoning him, there will be the destruction of your hundred sons.

That gain should not be highly thought of, which brings on a little loss; and that loss should be considered a great one, which brings on a little gain.

That, O great king, is not loss which brings on gain; but that should be regarded as loss which being gained causes much loss.

Some become eminent thought their good qualities; others through their wealth. Avoid, O Dhritarashtra, those who are superior in wealth, but devoid of good qualities.

Dhritarashtra said All that you say is agreed on by the wise and is calculated to do good to me; but I cannot abandon my son. Victory comes where there is righteousness.

Vidura said He that is exceedingly good and is endued with humility does not neglect even the slightest suffering of any creature (without an attempt at alleviating them).

Those that are ever engaged in speaking ill of others ever engage themselves in quarrels which give pain to others with great care.

Those whose very sight is vicious and association with whom is attended with great fear-there is great harm in giving them wealth and also there is great fear in accepting wealth from them.

Those whose habit is to cause disagreements, those who covetous, shameless and vicious are well known as unrighteous. The association with them should be avoided.

Those men who are endued with similar other great vices should be avoided. In the absence of (the cause of) friendship, the good feeling towards the low is destroyed.

As also the results of connection and the happiness derived from it. They (the lowminded) then try to speak ill (of their late friend) and injure him. are

Even when slightly injured, they out of the want of self-control get no peace of mind. Companionship of one's self with such lowminded and heartless individuals should not be effected.

A wise man examining carefully by his intelligence avoids from a distance (such persons). He who assists the poor and helpless cousins obtains an increase of children and animals and unending prosperity. Cousins should be assisted by those who desire their own happiness.

Therefore do you that, О chief among kings, which will effect an increase of your family; by doing good to your relatives, O monarch, you will meet with prosperity.

Cousins, though devoid of good qualities, should be protected, O foremost of the Bharata race. Should they not be protected, who are endued with good qualities and desirous of your favours?

Do you favour the heroic Pandavas, O Lord the universe. Give them some few villages for their living, O Lord.

By doing this, you will obtain fame in this world, O ruler of men. O sire, your sons should be controlled by you who are old.

What I speak is your good; know me to be your well-wisher; a man who desires happiness should not quarrel with the cousins. Happiness should be injured along with one's cousins, O best of the Bharata race.

To eat together, to talk together and to love one another-these are what should be done among cousins and quarrels never.

In this world cousins come to the rescue and cousin sink (cousins); those who lead virtuous lives are rescued and those that lead vicious lives sink.

O chief among kings, you act like one leading virtuous life, towards the Pandavas. O you giver of honours, surrounded by them you will be unconquerable by your enemies.

If having come face to face with a cousin who is prosperous, one shrinks like a deer in the presence of a man armed with arrows; then cousin gets transferred on his own shoulders the sins of his less prosperous cousin.

Afterwards, O chief among men, you will have repentance at hearing of the death of the Pandavas or of your sons. Think of this.

That act which is sure to be repented for when a man enters the Vale of Death should never be done from the very beginning in this life.

It is not true that any other man except Bhargava has done a sinful act but a conception of the probable effects of an action is present in the mind of every intelligent person.

If this wrong has been done towards them by Duryodhana in the first instance, it is your duty, being the foremost of his race, to undo it.

You having reinstated them in their position, will be freed from all your sins in this world and, O chief among men, you will be worshipped by all intelligent men.

He, who engages in acts after thinking of their effects as prophesied by wise men for the good of mankind, ever remains famous.

The lessons taught even by skillful men is not perfect; for the moral sought to be conveyed by them is not understood and if understood, is not carried into practice.

That wise man, who dose not do acts which result in sin, grows (in prosperity); but the man of slow intelligence who continues in his sinful course commenced before,

Falls into a deep mire which he cannot cross. A wise man should have an eye on the following six means of secrets being divulged.

He who desires wealth and children should ever keep himself away from these-vanity, dream, knowledge that spies have been set on, one's demeanor which depends on his thoughts, excessive trust on wicked ministers and incompetent ambassadors. He who being fully aware of these six door ( through which secrets ooze out). O king, keeps them always closed and engages in the attainment of the three kinds of objects (virtue, worldly good and desire), triumph over his enemies. Without a knowledge of the holy books and without proper reverence to old people.

Virtue and profit cannot be known even by one equal (intelligent) to Brihaspati; A thing is lost when it falls into the ocean. So an advice is lost when it is not listened.

The holy books are lost on those who have no souls of their own (have no control over them); and an offering of clarified butter is lost when poured on what is not fire (i.e. when the fire has been extinguished and ashes only remain). Having examined by his intelligence and searched by his understanding.

And having heard the opinions of other men seen and known the life of the men, a wise man forms friendship with wise men. Humility removes bad repute and prowess puts an end to adversity.

Forgiveness ever destroys anger; good behaviour neutralises the effects of evil omens in the appearance of a man. By means of one's dress, sphere of action, house, behaviour,

Should a man's lineage be jaded about, O king and also by his food and dress. There is no struggling with a desire when it come on.

Even in men who have attained salvation not to speak of those who are slaves to their desires. One who worships the wise is learned, virtuous and of a mild look.

And has friends, is one, who of agreeable speech, has good heart, should me protected. He, who whether comes of a high or a low family, dose not transgress the houour due to others.

Who leans to virtue, who is graced with humility, who has a sense of modesty, is better than a hundred men coming of high families. When the heart of one agrees with that of another, then the secret pursuits of the former are the same as those of the latter.

And the learning of the former is the same as that of the latter, the friendship between the two person never wears out. One who has a wicked soul, one whose understanding has not been cultivated.

Should be shunned by an intelligent man like a well covered over with grass growing over it; friendship with them does not last. With those that are proud, ignorant, fierce and rash.

Wise men should never contract friendship, nor with them who have fallen from the path of virtue. The man who is grateful, virtuous, the reverse of mean, has firm devotion.

And has his senses under control and attaches himself to what ought to be attached to should be desired for a friend. The renouncement of the objects of the senses is worse than death difficult of practices.

On the other hand, leaving them to be too much exercised would ruin the gods even; humility, kindness to all creatures, forgiveness and patience.

Conduce to life, the wise men have said; as also a constant respect for friends. He who desires again to accomplish, by virtuous means, an object that has once been frustrated,

And is in his right senses, the determination of that man is firm. The man who knows what remedy ought to be applied in future, who has a firm determination on present matters.

And who knows (in beginning) how acts done in the past would end accomplishes all his objects. That which a man follows in deed, thought or speech.

Draws him away to itself; therefore a virtuous policy should be followed. Efforts for the attainment of one's holy objects, knowledge of the holy books, simplemindedness.

These bring on prosperity; so do constant meetings with the good. Perseverance is the root the of prosperity and of gain and of happiness.

That man who pursues his object with perseverance and who is not annoyed at the long time a think takes to accomplish, that man is really great and gets unending happiness. It is my opinion that there is no better means of bringing in prosperity.

Than for really strong man to exercise forgiveness at all times and at all places. The weak should forgive every body and the strong should forgive for the sake of virtue. He to whom the attainment and the non-attainment of an object is the same is ever forgiving.

That happiness which when pursued dose not injure the virtue or the worldly profit of a man should be enjoyed one so may desire but he should not act like a fool (by giving himself up entirely to enjoyment).

In those that are overpowered by grief, in those that are too much attached to anything, in those that deny the existence of God and in those that are lazy, prosperity dose not reside, nor in those who have no control over their souls and who are devoid of all enthusiasm.

Persons of bad intelligence oppress people endued with humility and modesty by reason of that humility, thinking them to be weak.

To those who are honest in the extreme, who give away in large measures, who are too heroic, who are of too firm determination and who are vain of their wisdom, prosperity never comes out of fear.

Nor (dose prosperity reside) in persons endued with every virtue nor in those having none; she (prosperity) dose not desire a strong combination of good qualities. Prosperity resides in some one (without any fixed rule) like a mad cow.

The result of (the study of) the Vedas is the performance of the Home; the result of a knowledge of the holy books is good manners and good conduct. The fruits of a woman are the pleasures of co-habitation and offspring; and the consequences of wealth are the pleasure of gift and enjoyment.

He who performs ceremonies for his good in the other world with wealth got by foul means. Dose not get the usual fruits of such ceremonies after death owing to the foul means by which the wealth was got.

In deserts, foresees, in difficulties and calamities or when weapons are raised (by others to strike him) he who has a strong mind has no fear.

Energy, self-control, skillfulness steadiness, patience and the act of beginning a thing after mature thought, know these to be the roots of prosperity.

Devotion is the strength of asceticism; the Vedas are the strength of those that know what is in them. Injury is the strength of those that are vicious; forgiveness is the strength of those that are endued with good qualities.

These eight do not lead to the nonobservance of a vow-water, roots, fruits, milk, clarified butter, acts done at the desire of a Brahmana or the commands of an elder and medicine.

That should not be done to others which is against the interest of one's self. This is virtue, put tersely; there are other sorts of virtue, but it is not compulsory that they (the better) should be acted up to.

Anger should be subjugated by the reverse of anger; and virtuous man should be subjugated by virtue, by gifts should a miser be subjugated, by truth one addicted to untruth should be won.

A woman, a cunning and deceitful person, one that is lazy, one that is fierce, one that is wrathful, one that is vain of his own power, a thief, one that is ungrateful should never be trusted; nor should atheist.

He who has the habit of doing due honours to his elders and who always attends to the wishes of old persons, gets an increase of these four, viz., good name, life, fame and strength.

The prosperity which can be attained by excessive toil or by the non-observance of the principles of honesty, or by blowing to an enemy, do not set your heart on these.

One who is ignorant ought to be pitied; and intercourse that does not produce offspring ought to be pitied. The subjects of a king who go without food are to be pitied; and anarchy in a kingdom ought to be regretted.

The roads are the sources of pain and weakness to those beings who have bodies; and water is the source of pain and weakness to the mountains, non-enjoyment is the source of pain to women; and harshness in speech is the source of pain to the mind.

Not taking the name even, is the worst thing for the Vedas; not observing religious observances, the worst act of the Brahmanas; the Balhika's (a race of people, morally dead) are the worst inhabitants of the globe. Falsehood is the worst thing in a man. Curiosity is the worst thing in a chaste woman; and exile from home is the worst thing for all women.

The worst part of gold is silver; tin is the worst part of silver; lead should be known as the worst part of tin; and dust is the worst part of lead.

The inclination to sleep cannot be got over by lying down; women cannot be won by desire; fire cannot be won by wood and excess drinking cannot be conquered by drinking.

He, whose friends have been won by gifts, whose enemies vanquished in battle, whose wife won over by food and drink, has his life crowned with success.

Life is real to those who have thousands (of anything or everything); life is also real to those (in a small measure) who have hundreds. 0 Dhritarashtra, renounce this (excessive) desire; there is none who cannot live by some means or other.

All the grains, gold, animals and women that are in this world are not sufficient even for one man. Seeing all this a wise man does not grieve (for possession of everything).

O king, again do I ask you to behave equally well with all your sons; let there be equality between your own sons and the sons of Pandu.