Prajagara Parva — Morality as taught by Vidura

Vidura said The good man who, respected by the virtuous, is engaged in the attainment of his objects without going beyond his limits, soon gains fame, for good beings when gratified with a good man give him happiness.

He who forsakes, without any inducement, a grand object which is fraught with unrighteousness, lies in happiness free from misery like a snake casting off the worn out slough.

A victory gained by untruth, a deceit that reaches (in its injurious effects) a king and the expression of false intentions before an elder na. are

A monopoly of jealously, death and vanity conduce to the destruction of prosperity. The want of proper attention to the elder, haste and boastfulness the three enemies of knowledge.

Laziness, inattention and confusion of the brains, unsteadiness, clubbing together, haughtiness, variety and covetousness.

These seven are ever the defects in those that are striving for knowledge, is my opinion; where is knowledge in those that care for pleasures and there is pleasure for those that care for knowledge. Knowledge should pronounce pleasure.

One who cares for pleasures should renounce knowledge; and one that cares for knowledge should renounce pleases. Fire is never satiated with fuel; the great ocean, with rivers; death, with all the creatures; and a pretty woman, with men.

Hope kills patience; death kills development; anger kills prosperity; miserliness kills fame; want of proper tending kills animals; and, O king, one single wrathful Brahmana destroys a kingdom,

Goats, white metal, silver, honey, that which draws away (poison), birds, Brahmanas having a knowledge of the holy books, old cousins, persons of good birth but poor, let these ever stay in your house.

Goat, bull, sandal, flute, mirror, honey, clarified butter, iron, copper utensil, conchshells, pieces of stone (images of Vishnu) with gold within and Rochana (a pigment prepared from the urine and dung of cow).

Are always to be kept in a blessed houseManu has said-for the proper worship of the gods, the Brahmanas and guests, OBharata.

I now speak of another sacred lesson, O sire, superior in sacredness to all these, fraught with a large meaning. Virtue should not be forsaken out of desire, fear, temptation, nor for the sake of life itself.

Virtue is stable; happiness and misery are unstable; life is stable but its ever recurring phases unstable; forsaking the unstable; keep yourself attached to the stable and be satisfied, for satisfaction is superior to all other acquirements.

Behold rulers of men endued with great strength and great luster. After having ruled the land abouunding in wealth and corn, they have forsaken their kingdoms and great sources of enjoyments and have been subject to the God of death.

Men after having taken away a dead son tended with greatest care, O king, set out from their own houses; and with the hair hanging loose they mourn for him piteously and then throw him into the funeral pyre like a piece of wood.

The corn and wealth of the dead are enjoyed by others; and the elements of the body are eaten up by fire and birds. Surrounded by these two only, viz., virtue and sin, does a man go to the other world.

After leaving behind the body, do the cousins, friends and sons return as birds do trees devoid of blossoms and fruits.

Deeds done by his own self follow a man thrown into the funeral pyre; therefore should a man carefully and in slow degrees pick up the fruits of virtue.

Elsewhere, above this world and also below, there is the greatest darkness. In these regions, know, O king, that the senses are totally stupefied; may such places be not yours.

After listening to these world of mine, if you can follow them in their entirely, you will get great fame in this world of living beings and you will never meet with fear here in this world or elsewhere.

The soul is as the river, O Bharata, having several holy spots; truth is as its waters; selfcontrol, its banks; and kindness, its waves; the man of virtuous acts purifies himself be a bath therein; the soul is pure and the absence of desire is a virtue.

Making a boat of your self-control in the river (of life which has the five senses for its water and desire and anger its monsters, cross over (i.e. get rid of) the waves of repeated births.

He who after doing due honours to such of his friends as are old in wisdom, old in virtue, old in knowledge and old in age asks them regarding what ought to be done and what ought not to be done is seldom deceived.

By patience should lust and greediness be restrained; by the ages should the hands and feet be controlled, the eyes and ears by the mind; and the mind and speech by one's actions.

The Brahmana, ever attached to the performance of his ablutions, ever having the holy thread on his body, ever studying (the Vedas), who avoids food touched or offered by a person who has lost his caste, who always speaks the truth and fulfills his duties towards his elders, never falls down from the region of Brahma.

After having studied the Vedas, poured offerings fire, performed sacrificial ceremonies, protected subjects, made his inner self blessed by drawing his weapons for the protection of cows and Brahmanas and being killed in battle, a Kshatriya goes to heaven.

A Shudra, after worshipping in due order Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas; and a Vaishya, having completed his study and on distributed his wealth among Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and among his dependents and after having smelt the sacred smokes purified by the three sorts of fire, enjoy heavenly bliss after death.

These having been satisfied, they become devoid of sins by burning them and casting off their body enjoy heavenly bliss.

Such are the duties of the four orders told to you. Listen to the reason of my describing them. The son of Pandu (Yudhishthira) is falling from the duties of a Kshatriya; O king, you place him in a position to discharge the duties of a king.

Dhritarashtra said It is even as you have been instructing me constantly; my inclination, too, turns towards peace, of which you speak to me.

My inclination through made to turn towards the Pandavas constantly turns away in a contrary; direction by coming in contact with Duryodhana.

Destiny cannot be transgressed by any created beings. I consider that destiny alone is certain; human exertion is vain.