Critical Edition
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच अहोऽभिहितमाख्यानं भवता तत्त्वदर्शिना भूय एव तु मे हर्षः श्रोतुं वागमृतं तव
M. N. Dutt: Dhritarashtra said “Excellent is this parable which you have described. Indeed, you are acquainted with Truth. Having listened to your nectar-like speech, I desire to hear more.'
विदुर उवाच शृणु भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि मार्गस्यैतस्य विस्तरम् यच्छ्रुत्वा विप्रमुच्यन्ते संसारेभ्यो विचक्षणाः
M. N. Dutt: Vidura said “Listen to me, O king, I shall once more fully describe the means an acquaintances with which enables the wise to free themselves from the fetters of the world.
यथा तु पुरुषो राजन्दीर्घमध्वानमास्थितः क्वचित्क्वचिच्छ्रमात्स्थाता कुरुते वासमेव वा
AI Translation: Just as a man, O king, who has set out on a long journey, stands or rests here and there out of fatigue, or makes a dwelling,
एवं संसारपर्याये गर्भवासेषु भारत कुर्वन्ति दुर्बुधा वासं मुच्यन्ते तत्र पण्डिताः
AI Translation: Thus, in the cycle of worldly existence, in the state of being in the womb, O descendant of Bharata, The unwise dwell, while the wise are liberated from it.
तस्मादध्वानमेवैतमाहुः शास्त्रविदो जनाः यत्तु संसारगहनं वनमाहुर्मनीषिणः
M. N. Dutt: Men well read in scriptures, describe for this life's course as a long way. The wise also describe life's way with all its difficulties as a forest.
सोऽयं लोकसमावर्तो मर्त्यानां भरतर्षभ चराणां स्थावराणां च गृध्येत्तत्र न पण्डितः
M. N. Dutt: Creatures, O Bharata-chief, whether mobile or immobile, have to repeatedly return to the world. The wise alone escape. or
शारीरा मानसाश्चैव मर्त्यानां ये तु व्याधयः प्रत्यक्षाश्च परोक्षाश्च ते व्यालाः कथिता बुधैः
M. N. Dutt: The diseases, mental and physical, to which mortals are subject, whether visible invisible, are described as beasts of prey by the wise.
क्लिश्यमानाश्च तैर्नित्यं हन्यमानाश्च भारत स्वकर्मभिर्महाव्यालैर्नोद्विजन्त्यल्पबुद्धयः
M. N. Dutt: Men are always assailed by them, O Bharata. Again, those dreadful beasts of prey, which are their own acts in life, never cause any, anxiety to the foolish.
अथापि तैर्विमुच्येत व्याधिभिः पुरुषो नृप आवृणोत्येव तं पश्चाज्जरा रूपविनाशिनी
M. N. Dutt: If any person, O king, somehow escapes from diseases, Decrepitude, that destroyer of beauty, assails him after-wards.
शब्दरूपरसस्पर्शैर्गन्धैश्च विविधैरपि मज्जमानं महापङ्के निरालम्बे समन्ततः
M. N. Dutt: Plunged in a slough by the objects of senses, viz., sound, form, taste, touch and scent, man remains there without anything to save him from there.
संवत्सरर्तवो मासाः पक्षाहोरात्रसंधयः क्रमेणास्य प्रलुम्पन्ति रूपमायुस्तथैव च
M. N. Dutt: Meanwhile, the years, the seasons, the mouths, the fortnights, the days and the nights, coming one after another, gradually deprive him of beauty and lessen the period of life.
एते कालस्य निधयो नैताञ्जानन्ति दुर्बुधाः अत्राभिलिखितान्याहुः सर्वभूतानि कर्मणा
M. N. Dutt: These all are harbingers of death. The foolish do not regard them as such. The wise say that all creatures are ruled by the Ordainer through their acts.
रथं शरीरं भूतानां सत्त्वमाहुस्तु सारथिम् इन्द्रियाणि हयानाहुः कर्म बुद्धिश्च रश्मयः
M. N. Dutt: The body of a creature is called the car. The vital principle is the driver of that car. The senses are the horses. Our acts and the understanding are the traces.
तेषां हयानां यो वेगं धावतामनुधावति स तु संसारचक्रेऽस्मिंश्चक्रवत्परिवर्तते
M. N. Dutt: He who follows after those running horses, has to come repeatedly by rebirths.
Supplementary Passages:
11.7.14 K1.2 D1.2.4 ins. after the repetition of 14cd: K3, after 14ab: Dn1 D6.7 after 15ab: Dn2 D3, after 14cd: D5, after the repetition of 14ab: D9 (om. line 1), after 14: *23 भ्रममाणा न मुह्यन्ति संसारे न भ्रमन्ति ते संसारे भ्रमतां राजन्दुःखमेतद्धि जायते तस्मादस्य निवृत्त्यर्थं यत्नमेवाचरेद्बुधः उपेक्षा नात्र कर्तव्या शतशाखः प्रवर्धते यतेन्द्रियो नरो राजन्क्रोधलोभनिराकृतः संतुष्टः सत्यवादी यः स शान्तिमधिगच्छति
यस्तान्यमयते बुद्ध्या स यन्ता न निवर्तते याम्यमाहू रथं ह्येनं मुह्यन्ते येन दुर्बुधाः
AI Translation: He who controls them with the intellect, he is the charioteer who does not turn back. They call it the southern path, the chariot by which the unwise are deluded.
स चैतत्प्राप्नुते राजन्यत्त्वं प्राप्तो नराधिप राज्यनाशं सुहृन्नाशं सुतनाशं च भारत
AI Translation: And he will attain that, O king, which you have attained, O lord of men. The loss of the kingdom, the loss of friends, the loss of sons, O Bhārata
अनुतर्षुलमेवैतद्दुःखं भवति भारत साधुः परमदुःखानां दुःखभैषज्यमाचरेत्
AI Translation: This is the only thing that makes suffering unbearable, O Bhārata. The good man should apply the remedy for suffering, even though it be very painful.
Supplementary Passages:
11.7.17 K3 Ñ1 B Dn D1.4.6.7.9 Cd ins. after 17 (K3 after 23*: D3 [om. 17] after 16ab): *24 ज्ञानौषधमवाप्येह दूरपारं महौषधम् छिन्द्याद्दुःखमहाव्याधिं नरः संयतमानसः
न विक्रमो न चाप्यर्थो न मित्रं न सुहृज्जनः तथोन्मोचयते दुःखाद्यथात्मा स्थिरसंयमः
M. N. Dutt: Neither power, nor riches, nor friends, nor well-wishers, can cure a man of his grief so successfully as the control of self. Therefore not injuring others and cherishing friendship for all creatures, be of pious behaviour, O Bharata!
Supplementary Passages:
11.7.18 After 18, B ins. (B3 after 18ab): *25 तथात्ममातृपुत्रादिर्न दुःखानि व्यपोहति
तस्मान्मैत्रं समास्थाय शीलमापद्य भारत दमस्त्यागोऽप्रमादश्च ते त्रयो ब्रह्मणो हयाः
AI Translation: Therefore, O descendant of Bharata, having resorted to friendship, observe morality. Daya, non-violence, and non-attachment are the three horses of Brahman.
शीलरश्मिसमायुक्ते स्थितो यो मानसे रथे त्यक्त्वा मृत्युभयं राजन्ब्रह्मलोकं स गच्छति
M. N. Dutt: Self-restraint, renunciation, and carefulness, are the three horses of Brahman. He who rides on the car of his soul, to which are yoked these horses with the help of traces furnished by good conduct, and drives it, shaking off all fear of death, goes, O king, to the regions of Brahman.
Supplementary Passages:
11.7.20 After 20, K0 m.3 Ñ1 B Dn D1.3-7.9 ins. (K3 after 24*): *26 अभयं सर्वभूतेभ्यो यो ददाति महीपते स गच्छति परं स्थानं विष्णोः पदमनामयम् न तत्क्रतुसहस्रेण नोपवासैश्च नित्यशः अभयस्य च दानेन यत्फलं प्राप्नुयान्नरः न ह्यात्मनः प्रियतरं किंचिद्भूतेषु निश्चितम् अनिष्टं सर्वभूतानां मरणं नाम भारत तस्मात्सर्वेषु भूतेषु दया कार्या विपश्चिता नानामोहसमायुक्ता बुद्धिजालेन संवृताः असूक्ष्मदृष्टयो मन्दा भ्राम्यन्ते तत्र तत्र ह सुसूक्ष्मदृष्टयो धीरा व्रजन्ति ब्रह्म शाश्वतम् On the other hand, S ins. after 20: *27 एवं ज्ञात्वा महाप्राज्ञ स तेषामौर्ध्वदैहिकम् कर्तुमर्हसि तेनैव फलं प्राप्स्यसि वै सुखम्