Dhritarashtra enquires Yudhishthira of his well-being and the latter's reply

Dhritarashtra said O Yudhishthira, are you in peace and happiness, with all your brothers and the dwellers of the city and the provinces?

Are they who depend on you also happy? Are your ministers, and servitors, and all your seniors and preceptors also, happy?

Are those also who live in your kingdom frce from fear? Do you follow the old and traditional conduct of kings?

Is your treasury filled without disregarding the restraints imposed by justice and equity? Do you behave as you should towards foes, neutrals, and allies?

Do you duly look after the Brahmanas, always making them the first gifts? What need I say of the citizens, and your servants, and kinsmen, are your foes, O chief of Bharata's race pleased with your conduct? Do you, O king of kings, adore with devotion the Pitris and the deities?

Do you adore guests with food and drink, O Bharata? Do the Brahmanas in your kingdom perforin the duties of their order, walk along the path of virtue?

Do the Kshatriyas and Vaishyas and Shudras also within your kingdom and all your relatives, perform their respective duties? I hope the women, the children, and the old, among your subjects, do not grieve (under distress) and not beg (the necessaries of life).

Are the ladies of your households duly honoured in your house, O best of men? I hope, O king. that this race of royal sages, having to you for their king, have not fallen away from fame and glory?

Vaishampayana said To the old king who said so, Yudhishthira, knowing morality and justice and well-skilled in acts and speech, spoke as follows, putting some questions about his well-being.

Yudhishthira said Does your peace, O king, your self-control, your tranquility of heart, grow? Is this my mother able to serve you without fatigue and trouble.

Will, O king, her residence in the forest yield fruit? I hope this queen, who is my eldest mother, who is emaciated with (exposure to cold and wind and the toil of walking, and who is now given to the practice of serve austerities, no longer yields to grief for her children of great energy, of all whoin performing the duties of the Kshatriyas, have been killed on the field of battle.

Does she accuse us. sinful wretches, who are responsible for their destruction? Where is Vidura, O king? We do not see him here. I hope this Sanjaya, performing penances, is in peace and happiness.

Thus addressed, Dhritarashtra, answered king Yudhishthira, saying, O son, Vidura is well. He is practising austere penances living on air alone, for he abstains from all other food. He is emaciated and his arteries and nerves have become visible. Sometimes he is seen in this empty forest by Brahmanas.

While Dhritarashtra was saying this. Vidura was seen at a distance. He had matted locks on his head, and gravel's in his mouth, and was greatly emaciated. He was perfectly naked. his body was besmeared all over with fifth, and with the dust of various wild flowers,

When Kshatta, was seen from a distance, the fact was communicated to Yudhishthira. Vidura suddenly stopped, O king, loO king towards the retreat.

King Yudhishthira pursued him alone, as he ran and entered the deep forest, sometimes seen and sometimes not seen by the pursuer.

He said aloud, 'O Vidura, O Vidura, I am king Yudhishthira, your favourite-Exclaiming thus, Yudhishthira, with great exertion, followed Vidura.

Having reached a solitary spot in the forest that foremost of intelligent men, viz., Vidura, stood still, learning against a tree.

He was greatly emaciated. He retained only the shape of a human being. Yudhishthira of great intelligence recognised him, however.

Standing before him, Yudhishthira addressed him saying, 'I am Yudhishthira.' Indeed, adoring Vidura properly., Yudhishthira said these words in the hearing of Vidura.

Meanwhile Vidura looked at the king steadfastly. Casting his look thus on the king, he stood motionless in Yoga.

Endued with great intelligence, he then (by his Yoga-power) entered the body of Yudhishthira, limb by limb. He united his vital airs with those of the king, and his senses with the king's senses.

Indeed, with the help of Yoga-power, Vidura, burning with energy, thus entered the body of king Yudhishthira the just.

Meanwhile the body of Vidura continued to lean against the tree with eyes fixed. The king soon saw that life had fled out of it.

At the same time, he felt that he himself had become stronger than before and that he had gained many additional virtues and accomplishments. Gifted with great learning and energy, O monarch, Pandu's son, king Yudhishthira the just, then recollected his own state before his birth among men, Possessed of mighty energy, he had heard of Yoga practice from Vyasa.

King Yudhishthira the just, endued with great learning, became desirous of doing the last rites to the body of Vidura, and wished to cremate it duly. An invisible voice was then heard, saying, 'O king, this body which belonged to him called Vidura should not be cremated. In him is your body also. He is the eternal deity of Virtue.

Those happy regions which pass by the name of Santanika will be his, O Bharata. he performed the duties of Yatis. You should not, O scorcher of enemies, grieve for him at all.

Thus addressed, king Yudhishthira the just returned from the place, and represented everything to the royal son of Vichitravirya.

At this, that effulgent king, all those men, and Bhimasena and others, became filled with wonder.

Hearing what had taken place, king Dhritarashtra became pleased and then, addressing the son of Dharma, said, 'Do you accept from me these gifts of water and roots and fruits! It has been said, O king, that one's guest should take what one takes himself.'

Thus addressed, Dharma's son answered armed king ate the fruits and roots which he gave.

Then they all spread their beds under a tree and passed that night thus having eaten fruits and roots and drunk the water that the old monarch had given them.