Jalapradanika Parva — . Consolation to Dhritarashtra by Vidura. The power of Death

Vaishampayana said Listen, O Janamejaya, to the nectar like words that Vidura said to the son of Vichitravirya and by which be pleased that foremost of men.

Vidura said Rise, O king! Why are you lying on the Earth. Cheer yourself up. O king, this is the final end of all living creatures.

Everything is liable to destruction; everything that is high is sure to fall down. Union is sure to end in separation; life is sure to end in death.

The Destroyer, O Bharata, takes both the hero and the coward. Why then, O foremost of Kshatriyas, should not Kshatriyas engage themselves in battle.

He, who never fights has been seen to die, while he who engaged himself in battle has been seen to escape alive.

As regards living creatures, they did not exist at first. They exist in the intervening period. In the end they once more become nonexistent. Why should then one grieve for the same?

The man who grieves does not succeed in meeting with the dead. By grieving one does not himself die. While such is the course of the world, why do you indulge in grief.

Death drags all creatures, even the gods. There is none dear or hateful to death, O Kuru chief.

As the wind tears off all the blades of grass, even so, O foremost of Bharata's race, Death rules over all creatures.

All creatures are like members of a caravan bound for the same country. When death will overtake all, it is immaterial whom he meets first.

O king, you should not grieve for those who have been killed in battle. If the scriptures are authoritative all of them must have obtained the highest end.

All of them were well read in the Vedas; all of them had practised vows. All of them have met with death after fighting with the enemy. What is there to be sorry in this.

They had been invisible before birth. Having come from that unknown region, they have again become invisible. They are not yours, nor are you theirs. Why should you grieve then for such disappearance?

If killed, one acquires heaven. By killing, fame is acquired. Both of these, produce great merit. Battle, therefore, is not unproductive of good.

forsooth, Indra will give them regions capable of granting every wish. These, O foremost of men, become the guests of Indra.

By celebrating sacrifice with profuse gifts, by ascetic penances and by learning, men cannot, go so quickly to heaven as heroes killed in battle.

On the bodies of hostile heroes who were like the sacrificial fire, they poured libations of arrows. Highly energetic, they had in return to bear the arrowy libations poured upon them by their foes.

I tell you, O king, that for a Kshatriya in this world there is not a better way to heaven then battle.

They were all great Kshatriyas; brave as they were, they were ornaments of assemblies. They have attained highest of blessed regions. They are not persons for whom we should be sorry.

Solacing yourself, by you own self, cease to grieve, O best of men. You should not allow yourself to be overwhelmed with sorrow and to all action.

There are thousands of mothers and fathers and sons and wives in this world. Whose are they and whose are we?

Thousands of causes spring up daily for sorrow and thousands for fear. These, however, affect the ignorant and not the wise.

There is none dear of hateful to Time, O Kuru chief. Time is indifferent to none. All are equally dragged by time. give up

Time makes all creatures grow, and it is Time that destroys all. When all else is asleep, Time is awake. Time is irresistible.

Youth, beauty, life, wealth, health, and friends, are all unstable. The wise will never seek any of these.

You should not grieve for what is universal. By indulging in grief a person may himself die, but grief itself by being indulged in, never becomes light.

If you feel any grief heavily, it should be overcome by not indulging in it. This is the only remedy for grief, viz., that one should not indulge in it.

By indulging in it, one cannot lesson it. On the other hand, it increases when being indulged in. When any evil or when bereavement of some dear one, comes on, only they that are of little intelligence allow their minds to be laden with grief.

This is neither Profit, nor Religion, nor Happiness, of which you are thinking.

The indulgence of grief in the sure means of one's losing one's objects. Through it, one deviates from the three great ends of life. They, who are not contented are stupefied by the vicissitudes of fortune. The wise, are, on the other hand, unaffected by such changes. One should destroy mental grief by wisdom, as physical grief should be destroyed by medicine. Wisdom has this power. They, however, that are foolish, can never acquire equanimity of mind.

Pristine actions closely follow a man, so much so that they lie by him when he lies down, stand by him when he stands, and run with him when he runs.

As a man acts well or ill, so he enjoys or suffers the fruit thereof.

In physical actions also one enjoys or suffers the fruits according to his acts.

One's own self is one's own friend, again one's own self is one's own enemy. One's own self is the witness of one's good and evil acts.

Good acts beget a state of happiness, and sinful deeds bring on woe. One always reaps the fruit of one's acts. One never enjoys of suffers happiness or misery that is not the outcome of one's own acts.

Intelligent persons like you, O king, never commit sinful deeds, that are disapproved by knowledge and that strike at the very root of virtue and happiness.