11.002
Pancharatra and Core: Vidura's advice to Dhritarashtra on life, karma, and the need for valour.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tato'mṛtasamair vākyair hlādayan puruṣarṣabham। vaicitravīryaṃ viduro yaduvāca nibodha tat ॥11-2-1॥
Then Vidura, delighting the best of men, Vaichitravirya, with words sweet as nectar, spoke as follows. Listen carefully.
vidura uvāca॥
Vidura said:
uttiṣṭha rājan kiṃ śeṣe dhārayātmānam ātmanā। sthira-jaṅgama-amartyānāṃ sarveṣām eṣa nirṇayaḥ ॥11-2-2॥
Rise, O king! Why do you still lie down? Support yourself by your own strength. This is the fate for all beings, whether stationary, moving, or immortal.
sarve kṣayāntā nicayāḥ patanāntāḥ samucchrayāḥ। saṃyogā viprayogāntā maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitam ॥11-2-3॥
All gatherings eventually decay; all ascents ultimately fall. Every union ends in separation, and life itself inevitably ends in death.
yadā śūraṃ ca bhīruṃ ca yamaḥ karṣati bhārata। tatkiṃ na yotsyanti hi te kṣatriyāḥ kṣatriyarṣabha ॥11-2-4॥
O Bhārata, when Yama, the god of death, takes away both the brave and the coward alike, what reason is there for those warriors not to fight, O bull among warriors?
ayudhyamāno mriyate yudhyamānaś ca jīvati। kālaṃ prāpya mahārāja na kaścid ativartate ॥11-2-5॥
O great king, whether one fights or not, death comes at the destined time; no one can surpass fate.
na cāpy etān hatān yuddhe rājan śocitum arhasi। pramāṇaṃ yadi śāstrāṇi gatās te paramāṃ gatim ॥11-2-6॥
O king, you should not grieve for these who have been slain in battle. If the scriptures are to be taken as authority, they have attained the highest state.
sarve svādhyāyavanto hi sarve ca caritavratāḥ। sarve cābhimukhāḥ kṣīṇās tatra kā paridevanā॥11-2-7॥
All of them were devoted to self-study, all had practiced vows, and all faced death; so what is the use of lamentation there?
adarśanād āpatitāḥ punaś cādarśanaṃ gatāḥ। na te tava na teṣāṃ tvaṃ tatra kā paridevanā॥11-2-8॥
They came from the unknown and have again gone to the unknown; they are not yours, nor are you theirs—so what is the use of lamenting there?
hato'pi labhate svargaṃ hatvā ca labhate yaśaḥ। ubhayaṃ no bahuguṇaṃ nāsti niṣphalataā raṇe ॥11-2-9॥
If killed, one attains heaven; if victorious, one gains fame. In either case, both outcomes are highly beneficial for us—there is no futility in battle.
teṣāṃ kāmadughāṃllokān indraḥ saṅkalpayiṣyati. indrasya atithayo hyete bhavanti puruṣarṣabha ॥11-2-10॥
Indra will create wish-fulfilling worlds for them. O best of men, these are indeed the guests of Indra.
na yajñairdakṣiṇāvadbhirna tapobhirna vidyayā। svargaṃ yānti tathā martyā yathā śūrā raṇe hatāḥ ॥11-2-11॥
Mortals do not reach heaven by sacrifices with gifts, by austerities, or by knowledge, as surely as heroes slain in battle do.
mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi putradāraśatāni ca। saṃsāreṣvanubhūtāni kasya te kasya vā vayam ॥11-2-12॥
In countless lifetimes, we have had thousands of mothers and fathers, and hundreds of sons and wives; to whom do they belong to you, or to whom do we belong?
śokasthānasahasrāṇi bhayasthānaśatāni ca। divase divase mūḍham āviśanti na paṇḍitam ॥11-2-13॥
Every day, thousands of causes for sorrow and hundreds of causes for fear affect the foolish, but not the wise.
na kālasya priyaḥ kaścin na dveṣyaḥ kurusattama। na madhyasthaḥ kvacit kālaḥ sarvaṃ kālaḥ prakarṣati ॥11-2-14॥
O best of the Kurus, time has no one who is dear to it, nor anyone it hates. Time is never neutral; it drives all things forward.
anityaṃ jīvitaṃ rūpaṃ yauvanaṃ dravyasañcayaḥ। ārogyaṃ priyasaṃvāso gṛdhyedeṣu na paṇḍitaḥ ॥11-2-15॥
Life, beauty, youth, wealth, health, and pleasant company are all impermanent; a wise person does not become attached to these.
na jānapadikaṃ duḥkham ekaḥ śocitum arhasi. apy abhāvena yujyeta tac cāsya na nivartate ॥11-2-16॥
You should not grieve alone for the suffering of the people. Even if it is due to loss, that suffering does not return to him.
aśocan pratikurvīta yadi paśyet parākramam। bhaiṣajyam etad duḥkhasya yad etan nānucintayet ॥ cintyamānaṃ hi na vyeti bhūyaś cāpi vivardhate ॥11-2-17॥
If one sees the opportunity for valor, he should act without grieving. This is the remedy for sorrow: not to brood over it. For sorrow, when brooded upon, does not go away; instead, it only grows.
aniṣṭasamprayogāc ca viprayogāt priyasya ca। manuṣyā mānasair duḥkhair yujyante ye 'lpa-buddhayaḥ॥11-2-18॥
Humans of little understanding are afflicted with mental sufferings due to association with the undesirable and separation from the beloved.
nārtʰo na dʰarmo na sukhaṃ yad etad anuśocasi। na ca nāpaīti kāryārthāt trivargāc caiva bhraśyate ॥11-2-19॥
What you are grieving for is neither purpose, nor righteousness, nor happiness. It does not depart from the purpose, nor is it lost from the three aims of life.
anyām anyāṃ dhanāvasthāṃ prāpya vaiśeṣikīṃ narāḥ। asantuṣṭāḥ pramuhyanti santoṣaṃ yānti paṇḍitāḥ ॥11-2-20॥
Men, when they reach different states of wealth, become confused if they are not content; but the wise attain contentment.
prajñayā mānasaṃ duḥkhaṃ hanyāc chārīram auṣadhaiḥ. etaj jñānasya sāmarthyaṃ na bālaiḥ samatām iyāt ॥11-2-21॥
Mental suffering should be destroyed by wisdom, and bodily suffering by medicines. This is the power of knowledge; equality cannot be attained by the ignorant.
śayānaṃ cānuśayati tiṣṭhantaṃ cānutiṣṭhati। anudhāvati dhāvantaṃ karma pūrvakṛtaṃ naram ॥11-2-22॥
The actions performed in the past follow a man whether he is sleeping, standing, or running; they never leave him.
yasyāṃ yasyām avasthāyāṃ yat karoti śubhāśubham। tasyāṃ tasyām avasthāyāṃ tat tat phalam upāśnute ॥11-2-23॥
Whatever actions, good or bad, a person performs in any given state, he experiences the corresponding results in that very state.
