15.035
Statement of Vyāsa;
Vaiśampāyana said.
Thus, when the great-souled Pāṇḍavas were seated, Vyāsa, the son of Satyavatī, addressed the king and spoke. (15-35-1)
O mighty-armed Dhṛtarāṣṭra, is your austerity increasing? Is your mind pleased with the life in the forest, O king? (15-35-2)
O king, has not grief arisen from your son's destruction settled in your heart? O sinless one, are all your faculties of knowledge clear? (15-35-3)
Have you firmly resolved and are you following the discipline of a forest-dweller? And is the lady Gāndhārī also not being overcome by grief? (15-35-4)
Is this greatly wise, intelligent lady, perceiver of righteousness and meaning, and knower of the true nature of sources and losses, not grieving? (15-35-5)
O king, is Kuntī serving you without pride—the one who, having given up her own kingdom, is devoted to serving her elders? (15-35-6)
Has the king, son of Dharma, been affectionately greeted by you? And Bhīma, Arjuna, and the twins—have these also been consoled? (15-35-7)
O king, do you rejoice after seeing these people? Is your mind pure? Are you of pure disposition, and has knowledge arisen in you? (15-35-8)
O Bhārata, this threefold quality is the best among all beings: freedom from enmity, O great king, truthfulness, and complete absence of deceit. (15-35-9)
Surely, O Bhārata, you do not feel regret for dwelling in the forest. Do you find enjoyment in wild food or in the garments of sages, O mighty one? (15-35-10)
O king, I am also aware of the departure by fate of Vidura, the great-souled, and of Dharma, the very great-souled. (15-35-11)
Due to the curse of Māṇḍavya, Dharma indeed took birth as Vidura, (he was) of great intellect, a great yogi, a great soul, and one of exceedingly great mind. (15-35-12)
Neither Bṛhaspati among the gods nor Śukra among the asuras is as endowed with intelligence as that bull among men. (15-35-13)
By the great sage Māṇḍavya, having expended his formidable ascetic power accumulated over a long time, even the eternal Dharma was overcome. (15-35-14)
He, of very great intellect, was formerly born in the field of Vaicitravīrya by my own power and by the injunction of Brahman. (15-35-15)
Your brother, O great king, the god of gods, the eternal one—from upholding, from the excellent, from meditation—the wise know the primordial dharma. (15-35-16)
The eternal one is nourished by truthfulness, self-restraint, regulation, non-violence, giving, and austerity. (15-35-17)
O King, Yudhishthira, the king of the Kurus, who was born by the power of yoga through him, is called 'Dharma' by the wise one of immeasurable intellect. (15-35-18)
Just as fire, air, water, earth, and ether are present everywhere, so too is dharma established both here and in the other world. (15-35-19)
O Kauravya, the all-pervading god of gods, having pervaded all that moves and does not move, is seen by those perfected ones whose sins have been entirely burned away. (15-35-20)
He who is dharma is Vidura; and he who is Vidura is the Pāṇḍava. This very one, O King, your submissive Pāṇḍava, stands here like a servant. (15-35-21)
He, your brother, who is most excellent in understanding, entered into his own self. Fortunately, the great-souled son of Kunti, endowed with the great power of yoga. (15-35-22)
O best of the Bharatas, I shall soon unite you also with auspiciousness. Know that I have arrived, O son, indeed for the purpose of removing doubt. (15-35-23)
I will show you the wonderful fruit of austerity, an act not performed before in this world by any of the great sages. (15-35-24)
O king, what do you wish to obtain from me that is not human—to see, to touch, or to hear? Tell me; I will do that for you accordingly. (15-35-25)
