05.034
Dhritarashtra spoke:
Dear father, please tell us what duty you perceive for someone who is vigilant and suffering, as you are knowledgeable in matters of righteousness and wealth and are pure.
Vidura, please guide me wisely as you see fit, for the benefit and well-being of the Kurus.
The one who is suspicious of sin sees only sin. With a disturbed mind, I do not ask you, O sage. Please tell me everything as it is desired, all concerning Ajatashatru.
Vidura spoke:
One should speak the truth to a person, whether it is auspicious or sinful, hateful or dear, if he does not wish for that person's defeat, even if unasked.
Therefore, O king, I will tell you words that are beneficial and righteous, desiring the welfare of the Kurus. Please understand them.
O Bhārata, actions that are accompanied by falsehood and improper means may seem to succeed, but do not let your mind be engaged in them.
Similarly, O king, an action prescribed by yoga cannot be accomplished if the wise person does not employ the proper means and keeps the mind undisturbed.
One should carefully consider the consequences of actions and deliberate before acting, rather than acting hastily.
A wise person should consider the consequences and results of actions, as well as their own efforts, before deciding whether to act or not.
A ruler who does not understand the proper measures in administration, growth, decline, treasury, governance, and justice cannot sustain his rule.
He who observes these principles as stated, and is engaged in righteousness and knowledge, attains the kingdom.
One should not govern a kingdom as if it is outdated. Immodesty indeed destroys prosperity just as old age diminishes even the finest beauty.
The fish, attracted by the appearance of excellent bait, swallows the iron hook without considering the consequences.
One who desires prosperity should consume today that which is possible to swallow, to be swallowed, swallowed, and transforms, and is beneficial in the end.
He who gathers unripe fruits from the tree neither obtains their juice nor preserves his seed, leading to loss.
He who takes the ripe fruit at the right time gains its juice and also gets fruit again from the seed.
Just as a bee collects honey without harming the flowers, one should gather wealth from others without causing harm.
One should collect flowers without uprooting the plants, just as a gardener does in a garden, unlike a charcoal maker who uproots trees.
A person should contemplate what would be the result of doing or not doing an action and then decide whether to act or not.
Some purposes, without even beginning, always come to an end. Even the efforts made may become useless in such cases.
A wise person promptly undertakes tasks that are easy to start and yield significant results, without hindrance.
The one who perceives everything clearly, as if absorbing it through his eyes. Even when he sits silently, the people are drawn to him.
One who pleases the world through the fourfold means of eye, mind, speech, and action, the world in turn becomes pleased with him.
Creatures tremble before him as deer do before a hunter; even after gaining the earth bounded by the ocean, he diminishes.
He inherited the ancestral kingdom through his own prowess. Like the wind that reaches a cloud and causes it to fall, he stands in misfortune.
When the king practices righteousness from the beginning, conducted by the virtuous, the earth, full of wealth, prospers and enhances prosperity.
Then, when one abandons righteousness and practices unrighteousness, it is as if the earth wraps around like skin placed in fire.
The effort one puts into conquering foreign lands should equally be applied to safeguarding one's own nation.
A kingdom should be acquired and governed through righteousness. Prosperity that is rooted in righteousness, once obtained, is neither abandoned nor diminished.
One should extract the essence from all sources, just as gold is extracted from stones, even if it comes from the babbling of a madman or the crawling of a child.
The wise person, like a stone-gatherer, collected well-spoken words and good deeds from various places.
Cows perceive through their sense of smell, Brahmins through the Vedas, kings through their spies, and other people through their eyes.
A cow that becomes difficult to milk brings more suffering. However, O king, even a cow that is easy to milk is not restrained.
Things that are not softened by heat do not bend even when burned; similarly, wood that is already bent does not bend further even if pressure is applied.
Through this analogy, the wise should submit to the more powerful. He bows to Indra, acknowledging the supremacy of the stronger.
The lords of rain are considered as animals, kings are seen as friends and relatives. Husbands are the relatives of women, and Brahmins are those related to the Vedas.
Righteousness is safeguarded by truth, knowledge by discipline. Cleanliness preserves beauty, and good conduct protects the family.
Grain is safeguarded by measurement, horses by systematic care; cows through regular observation, and women should be protected from wearing poor clothing.
In my opinion, family does not define a person who lacks proper conduct. Even among those born in the lowest status, it is conduct that truly distinguishes them.
The one who harbors jealousy towards others' possessions, appearance, strength, noble heritage, happiness, and esteem, suffers from an endless affliction.
One should not drink that by which one becomes intoxicated, being afraid of doing what should not be done, avoiding duties, at the wrong time, and revealing secrets.
The pride arising from knowledge, wealth, and noble birth are the very restraints for both the arrogant and the virtuous.
When the virtuous request the non-virtuous for a task, the non-virtuous often perceive themselves as virtuous, even if they are widely known otherwise.
The saints are the ultimate refuge for those who possess self-awareness and virtue. Even for those who lack virtue, the saints remain a guiding light, but non-saints cannot be the refuge for the virtuous.
The assembly is won by those who are well-dressed and hopeful, and possess cattle. The journey is won by those with a vehicle. Everything is won by those with character.
Character is the most important quality in a person. If it is lost, then life, wealth, and relationships hold no value.
O best of the Bharatas, for the wealthy, meat is considered the best; for the middle class, milk is regarded as superior; and for the poor, salt is deemed superior.
The poor always find their food more satisfying. Hunger makes food taste better, and such satisfaction is rare among the wealthy.
In this world, the wealthy generally lack the power to enjoy their riches, while for the poor, O king, even a piece of wood eventually decays.
The lowest people fear lack of livelihood, the middle ones fear death, but the highest mortals fear dishonor the most.
The intoxications caused by power and drinking are most sinful. A person intoxicated by the pride of power does not realize the truth until they fall.
The world is tormented by the senses being engaged in their objects without restraint, just as the stars are influenced by the planets.
The one who is naturally subdued by the five senses, his troubles grow like the waxing moon.
A person who has not conquered himself and desires to conquer his ministers and enemies will find himself helpless and defeated, even if he has conquered his ministers.
"One must first conquer oneself in the form of a country; only then can one desire to conquer ministers and enemies without it being in vain."
Prosperity attends to a person who has mastery over his senses, has control over his ministers, wields authority, acts with careful consideration, and possesses great wisdom, even amidst change.
O king, the body is like a chariot for a person; the soul acts as the charioteer, and the senses are like horses. A wise person, vigilant and skillful, travels comfortably with well-controlled senses, just as a skilled charioteer drives a chariot with good horses.
These uncontrolled forces are capable of causing destruction, much like untamed horses on a path when guided by an inept charioteer.
A child, influenced by the senses, perceives what is worthless as valuable and what is valuable as worthless, mistaking great sorrow for happiness.
A person who forsakes his duty and wealth to follow his senses will soon lose his prosperity, life, wealth, and wife.
He who is the master of wealth but not of his senses, indeed falls from his position of power due to his lack of control over the senses.
One should seek to understand the self by controlling the mind, intellect, and senses. The self can be one's own friend or enemy.
O king, just as two fish are trapped by a small-eyed net, similarly, desire and anger trap and plunder one's wisdom.
By considering dharma and artha here, one who gathers resources wisely will always prosper in happiness.
A person who has not conquered his five internal enemies and whose wisdom is diminished, yet desires to conquer external foes, will be overcome by those very foes.
Wicked people are seen being destroyed by their own actions, and kings, due to their lack of control over their senses, are deluded by the power they wield.
The sinless suffer the same punishment as sinners due to association. Just as the wet is burnt by the dry, one should avoid association with sinners.
A man who, out of delusion, fails to restrain his own arising enemies and the five purposes, is consumed by calamity.
Qualities such as non-envy, straightforwardness, purity, contentment, pleasant speech, self-control, truthfulness, and effortlessness are absent in wicked individuals.
O Bhārata, self-knowledge, effortlessness, forbearance, constancy in righteousness, protected speech, and charity are eternal and do not cease.
Ignorant people harm the wise through abuse and slander. The speaker incurs sin, but the forgiving one is freed.
For the wicked, violence is their strength; for kings, it is the enforcement of punishment; for women, their strength lies in service; and for the virtuous, forgiveness is their strength.
O king, it is indeed considered most difficult to control speech; it should be meaningful and varied, and it is not possible to speak much.
Well-articulated speech brings prosperity, while poorly spoken words, O king, lead to misfortune.
A forest can recover from being pierced by arrows and cut by an axe, but a terrible wound caused by harsh words does not heal.
Arrows that pierce the ears can be taken out from the body, but the affection that resides in the heart is not possible to remove.
Words can be as sharp as arrows emerging from the mouth, causing pain and grief for days and nights to those they strike. A wise person should refrain from using such words to hurt others.
When the gods intend to bring about a man's downfall, they first take away his ability to think clearly, causing him to perceive things incorrectly.
When the intellect is tainted and destruction is imminent, the semblance of policy does not depart from the heart of these two.
O Bharata, your sons' intelligence is clouded by their opposition to the Pandavas, and you fail to see this.
O Dhritarashtra, Yudhishthira, may the king, who is endowed with the qualities of the three worlds, be your disciple and ruler.
Your sons, extremely endowed with fortune, brilliance, and wisdom, are indeed well-versed in the principles of righteousness and wealth.
Out of compassion and empathy, the best among the upholders of dharma endures many sufferings out of respect for you, O King.
