Chapter 34

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Tell me what may be done by a person that issleepless and burning with anxieties, for thou alone amongst us, O child,art versed in both religion and profit. Advise me wisely, O Vidura. Othou of magnanimous heart, tell me what is thou deemest to be beneficialfor Ajatasatru and what is productive of good to the Kurus. Apprehendingfuture evils. I look back only on my previous guilt: I ask thee withanxious heart, O learned one, tell me what is exactly in Ajatasatru’smind,’

“Vidura said, ‘Even if unasked, one should speak truly, whether his wordsbe good or bad, hateful or pleasing, unto him whose defeat one doth notwish. I shall, therefore, say, O king, what is for the good of the Kurus.I shall say what is both beneficial and consistent with morality. Listento me. Do not, O Bharata, set the heart upon means of success that areunjust and improper. A man of intelligence must not grieve if any purposeof his doth not succeed, notwithstanding the application of fair andproper means. Before one engageth in an act, one should consider thecompetence of the agent, the nature of the act itself, and its purpose,for all acts are dependent on these. Considering these one should beginan act, and not take it up on a sudden impulse. He that is wise shouldeither do an act or desist from it fully considering his own ability, thenature of the act, and the consequence also of success. The king whoknoweth not proportion or measure as regards territory, gain, loss,treasury, population, and punishment, cannot retain his kingdom long. He,on the other hand, who is acquainted with the measures of these asprescribed in treatises, being necessarily possessed of the knowledge ofreligion and profit, can retain his kingdom. As the stars are affected bythe planets, so is this world affected by the senses, when they aredirected, uncontrolled, to their respective objects. Like the moon duringthe lighted fortnight, calamities increase in respect of him who isvanquished by the five senses in their natural state, which ever lead himtowards various acts. He who wisheth to control his counsellors beforecontrolling his own self, or to subdue his adversaries before controllinghis counsellors, at last succumbs deprived of strength. He, therefore,who first subdueth his own self regarding it as a foe, never faileth tosubdue his counsellors and adversaries at last. Great prosperity waitethupon him who hath subdued his senses, or controlled his soul, or who iscapable of punishing all offenders, or who acteth with judgment or who isblessed with patience. One’s body, O king, is one’s car; the soul withinis the driver; and the senses are its steeds. Drawn by those excellentsteeds, when well-trained, he that is wise, pleasantly performeth thejourney of life, and awake in peace. The horses that are unbroken andincapable of being controlled, always lead an unskilful driver todestruction in the course of the journey; so one’s senses, unsubdued,lead only to destruction. The inexperienced wight, who, led by thisunsubdued senses, hopeth to extract evil from good and good from evil,necessarily confoundeth misery with happiness. He, who, forsakingreligion and profit, followeth the lead of his senses, loseth withoutdelay prosperity, life, wealth and wife. He, who is the master of richesbut not of his senses, certainly loseth his riches in consequence of hiswant of mastery over his senses. One should seek to know one’s self bymeans of one’s own self, controlling one’s mind, intellect, and senses,for one’s self is one’s friend as, indeed, it is one’s own foe. That man,who hath conquered self by means of self, hath his self for a friend, forone’s self is ever one’s friend or foe. Desire and anger, O king, breakthrough wisdom, just as a large fish breaks through a net of thin cords.He, who in this world regarding both religion and profit, seeketh toacquire the means of success, winneth happiness, possessing all he hadsought. He, who, without subduing his five inner foes of mental origin,wisheth to vanquish other adversaries, is, in fact, overpowered by thelatter. It is seen that many evil-minded kings, owing to want of masteryover their senses, are ruined by acts of their own, occasioned by thelust of territory. As fuel that is wet burneth with that which is dry, soa sinless man is punished equally with the sinful in consequence ofconstant association with the latter. Therefore, friendship with thesinful should be avoided. He that, from ignorance, faileth to control hisfive greedy foes, having five distinct objects, is overwhelmed bycalamities. Guilelessness and simplicity, purity and contentment,sweetness of speech and self-restraint, truth and steadiness,–these arenever the attributes of the wicked. Self-knowledge and steadiness,patience and devotion to virtue, competence to keep counsels andcharity,–these,–O Bharata, never exist in inferior men. Fools seek toinjure the wise by false reproaches and evil speeches, The consequenceis, that by this they take upon themselves the sins of the wise, whilethe latter, freed from their sins, are forgiven. In malice lieth thestrength of the wicked; in criminal code, the strength of kings, inattentions of the weak and of women; and in forgiveness that of thevirtuous. To control speech, O king, is said to be most difficult. It isnot easy to hold a long conversation uttering words full of meaning anddelightful to the hearers. Well-spoken speech is productive of manybeneficial results; and ill-spoken speech, O king, is the cause of evils.A forest pierced by arrows, or cut down by hatchets may again grow, butone’s heart wounded and censured by ill-spoken words never recovereth.Weapons, such as arrows, bullets, and bearded darts, can be easilyextracted from the body, but a wordy dagger plunged deep into the heartis incapable of being taken out. Wordy arrows are shot from the mouth;smitten by them one grieveth day and night. A learned man should notdischarge such arrows, for do they not touch the very vitals of others.He, to whom the gods ordain defeat, hath his senses taken away, and it isfor this that he stoopeth to ignoble deeds. When the intellect becomethdim and destruction is nigh, wrong, looking like right., firmly stickethto the heart. Thou dost not clearly see it, O bull of the Bharata race,that clouded intellect hath now possessed thy sons in consequence oftheir hostility to the Pandavas. Endued with every auspicious mark anddeserving to rule the three worlds, Yudhishthira is obedient to thycommands. Let him, O Dhritarashtra, rule the earth, to the exclusion ofall thy sons, Yudhishthira is the foremost of all thy heirs. Endued withenergy and wisdom, and acquainted with the truths of religion and profit,Yudhishthira, that foremost of righteous men, hath, O king of kings,suffered much misery out of kindness and sympathy, in order to preservethy reputation.”