Vidura Niti: Vidura's counsel

1. 1. Chapter 1

   1.1Vidura, the wise half-brother of the blind king Dhritarashtra, says that sleeplessness comes to a thief, a person full of lust, someone who lost all their money, someone who failed, and a weak person attacked by a strong one. He asks the king if one of these troubles is keeping him awake, or if he is longing for what belongs to others.
2. 1.2Vidura tells Dhritarashtra that his nephew Yudhishthira is good enough to rule the whole world, yet the king sent him into exile. Vidura points out that Dhritarashtra is the opposite of Yudhishthira, and that because he is blind he had no rightful claim to the throne.
3. 1.3Vidura says Yudhishthira puts up with many wrongs because he is kind, honest, and respects his uncle. He asks how the king can expect good things after handing power to Duryodhana, Shakuni (Suvala's son), Karna, and Dussasana. Then he begins describing a wise person: someone whom self-knowledge, effort, patience, and goodness keep on the path to life's highest goals.
4. 1.4A wise person does what deserves praise, avoids what is shameful, and has faith and respect. Anger, joy, pride, false modesty, confusion, or vanity cannot pull them away from their true goals. They keep their plans private from enemies, so people only learn of their actions after they are done.
5. 1.5A wise person is not stopped by heat or cold, fear or attachment, good times or bad. They choose what is right and useful over mere pleasure, aiming for things that help in this life and the next. They try their best, act their best, and treat nothing as too small to matter.
6. 1.6A wise person understands quickly, listens patiently, acts with good judgment instead of desire, and does not give opinions on others' business unless asked. They don't chase impossible things, don't grieve over what is lost, and stay clear-headed in disasters.
7. 1.7A wise person finishes what they start, does not waste time, and controls themselves. They enjoy honest work and never mock what is good. They don't get puffed up by praise or upset by insults, but stay calm like a deep lake in the Ganga river.
8. 1.8A wise person knows that every living thing will one day pass away, understands how actions are linked to their results, and knows how people reach their goals. They speak boldly, can talk on many subjects, know how to argue well, and can explain what books mean.
9. 1.9A wise person studies with reason, lets reason follow scripture, and always respects good people. A fool is proud without learning or money, uses unfair tricks to get what he wants, neglects his own duties to meddle in others', and uses deceit even to help friends.
10. 1.10A fool wants what he shouldn't, gives up what he rightly could have, and holds grudges against the powerful. He trusts his enemy and hates his friend, and does wicked things. He also tells everyone his plans, doubts everything, and takes forever on quick tasks.
11. 1.11A fool does not honor his ancestors with the Sraddha ritual, does not worship the gods, and makes no good friends. He goes where he isn't invited, talks too much unasked, and trusts untrustworthy people. The biggest fool blames others for his own mistakes and gets angry when he has no power to act.
12. 1.12A person lacks sense if he chases a hard goal without knowing his own strength, without goodness or real benefit, and without the right means. Also foolish is one who punishes the innocent, flatters people who don't even know it, and serves stingy people.
13. 1.13Someone who gains great wealth or learning but stays humble is wise. Nobody is more heartless than a rich person who eats and dresses well but shares nothing with those who depend on him. When one person sins, many may enjoy the gains, but only the sinner carries the guilt.
14. 1.14An arrow may kill one person or none, but a clever mind used for evil can destroy a whole kingdom. Vidura then gives a riddle: use your mind to tell right from wrong, control the three (friend, enemy, neutral) with the four ways of influence, master the five senses, know the six strategies of statecraft, avoid the seven vices, and be happy.
15. 1.15Poison or a weapon kills one person, but bad advice can ruin a whole nation. Don't eat tasty food alone, plan money matters alone, travel alone, or stay awake alone while others sleep. The One supreme Being, whom the king has not understood, is Truth itself and the way to heaven, like a boat across the ocean.
16. 1.16The only downside of forgiving is that people may think you are weak, but ignore that, because forgiveness is a great power. It is the strength of the weak and the beauty of the strong. A wicked person can do nothing to someone armed with forgiveness.
17. 1.17Like fire dying out on bare ground, anger fizzles out against a forgiving person, while an unforgiving person stains himself with many wrongs. Doing right is the highest good, forgiveness is the greatest peace, knowledge brings true contentment, and kindness is real happiness. A king who won't fight and a priest who won't travel to holy places are swallowed up by the earth, like animals eaten by a snake.
18. 1.19A householder who won't work and a beggar busy with schemes never do well, because their actions don't fit their roles. A powerful person who forgives and a poor person who gives are honored even above heaven. Honest wealth is misused when given to the undeserving or refused to the deserving.
19. 1.20Vidura says a rich person who never gives and a poor person who is proud deserve to be thrown in water with stones tied to their necks. A monk perfected in yoga and a warrior who dies fighting honestly rise beyond the sun. He adds that people and their ways of acting can be good, middling, or bad.
20. 1.22Vidura says bad things should be given up. Three should never be abandoned even in danger: a loyal follower, someone who comes saying 'I am yours, protect me,' and a guest in your home. Freeing even an enemy from trouble earns as much merit as granting a wish, gaining a kingdom, and having a son, all together.
21. 1.23Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra that even a strong king should not take advice from four kinds of people: the foolish, those who keep delaying, the lazy, and flatterers. A well-off householder should give a home to four kinds of people: elderly relatives, good families who have fallen on hard times, poor friends, and sisters with no children.
22. 1.24Vidura says that Brihaspati, teacher of the gods, named four things that can happen in a single day: what the gods decide, the understanding of clever people, the humility of the learned, and the downfall of wrongdoers. He adds that four religious practices that should remove fear—the fire offering (Agni-hotra), a vow of silence, study, and sacrifice—actually cause fear when done wrongly.
23. 1.25Vidura says five should be honoured like sacred fires: father, mother, the fire, one's own soul, and one's teacher. People become respected by serving the gods, the ancestors (Pitris), other people, beggars, and guests. He also says five kinds of people follow a person wherever he goes: friends, enemies, neutral people, servants, and those he must support.
24. 1.26Vidura says that if even one of your five senses runs out of control, all your good sense drains away, like water leaking from a hole in a leather bag. A person who wants to do well should avoid six faults: too much sleep, drowsiness, fear, anger, laziness, and putting things off.
25. 1.29Vidura lists six things that make people happy: good health, having no debts, living at home, the company of good people, a steady way to earn a living, and living without fear. Six kinds of people are always unhappy: the jealous, the spiteful, the never-satisfied, the quick-tempered, the always-suspicious, and those who live off others.
26. 1.30Vidura says six things make up human happiness: earning wealth, lasting health, a loving wife who speaks kindly, an obedient son, and knowledge that helps you earn. Someone who masters the six inner enemies in his heart controls his senses, does not sin, and so avoids disaster.
27. 1.33Vidura lists eight signs that a man is heading for ruin, all about mistreating Brahmanas (priests and scholars): hating them, fighting with them, taking their property, killing them, insulting them, being upset when they are praised, forgetting them at ceremonies, and being spiteful when they ask for something. A wise person should recognise these wrongs and avoid them.
28. 1.34Vidura names eight of the best joys available in this life: meeting friends, gaining great wealth, hugging your son, physical love, timely talks with friends, seeing your own people do well, getting what you hoped for, and being respected by others.
29. 1.35Vidura says eight qualities make a person shine: wisdom, good family, self-control, learning, courage, speaking little, giving as much as you can, and gratitude. He describes the body as a house with nine doors, three pillars, and five witnesses (the senses), ruled by the soul, and says whoever understands this is wise. He adds that ten kinds of people cannot see what is right: the drunk, careless, raving, exhausted, angry, starving, hasty, greedy, frightened, and lustful.
30. 1.36Vidura says a wise person should stay away from the company of those ten kinds of people, and mentions an old story about Prahlada, king of the Asuras (demons), and his son. A king who gives up lust and anger, gives wealth to deserving people, and is thoughtful, learned, and active becomes someone everyone looks up to.
31. 1.37Vidura says a king does well when he earns people's trust, punishes only those proven guilty, knows how much punishment is right, and knows when to show mercy. A wise person never ignores even a weak enemy, waits carefully for the right moment, avoids fighting those stronger than him, and shows his strength at the right time.
32. 1.38Vidura says the best person does not grieve once trouble has already come, but works hard with full focus and bears hard times patiently; such a person defeats all his enemies. Whoever keeps realistic hopes, avoids bad friends, never wrongs another man's wife, is never arrogant, and never steals, is ungrateful, or gets drunk is always happy.
33. 1.39Vidura says a wise person does not chase goals by showing off, tells the truth when asked, does not quarrel even for friends' sake, and does not get angry when insulted. Someone who holds no grudges, is kind to everyone, does not argue when weak, does not speak arrogantly, and forgets a quarrel is praised everywhere.
34. 1.40Vidura says people love someone who is not proud, does not criticise others while praising himself, and does not lose control and speak harshly. A person of good conduct does not dig up old fights, is neither arrogant nor too humble, and does not do wrong even when in trouble.
35. 1.41Vidura says a good person does not gloat over his own happiness, does not enjoy others' suffering, and does not regret giving a gift. Someone who learns the customs, languages, and ways of different peoples understands everyone, high and low, and wins respect wherever he goes.
36. 1.42Vidura says the best person gives up pride, foolishness, rudeness, wrong deeds, disloyalty to the king, dishonest behaviour, making many enemies, and fighting with drunk, mad, or wicked people. The gods bless with prosperity anyone who practises self-control, cleanliness, good rituals, worship, and acts of making amends every day.
37. 1.43Vidura says a wise person acts well when he arranges marriages with families of equal standing, puts more capable people ahead of himself, and talks, behaves, and makes friends with his equals.
38. 1.44Vidura says someone who eats simply after sharing food with those he supports, sleeps little and works hard, and gives even to enemies who ask, has self-control, and trouble stays away from him. A person who keeps his plans private, carries them out well, and never harms others with them achieves even his smallest goals.
39. 1.45Vidura says a person who harms no living being and is truthful, gentle, generous, and pure-minded shines among his family like a perfect gem. Someone who feels ashamed of his faults even when nobody else knows them is honoured by all, and with a pure heart and great energy he shines like the sun.
40. 1.46Vidura reminds King Dhritarashtra (son of Ambika) that his brother Pandu, under a curse, had five sons in the forest, the Pandavas, who are like the god Indra. Dhritarashtra raised and taught them, and they obey him, so Vidura urges him to give them back their fair share of the kingdom and be happy with his own sons, earning the trust of gods and people.

41. 2. Chapter 2

    2.1Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra that a true friend speaks the truth even when no one asks and even when it is unpleasant. He warns the king not to chase success by unfair means, and says a wise person should not grieve if honest efforts still fail.
42. 2.2Before starting anything, think about whether you are able to do it, what the task really involves, and what it is for. Then decide calmly to go ahead or stop, instead of acting on a sudden impulse.
43. 2.3A king who does not understand the right limits in land, money, people and punishment will soon lose his kingdom, while one who learns them keeps it. Just as planets were believed to affect the stars, the world is pulled around by senses that are left uncontrolled.
44. 2.4Troubles keep growing, like the waxing moon, for someone ruled by their senses. A person who tries to control advisers or enemies before controlling himself will fail; whoever first conquers himself, treating his own weaknesses like an enemy, will succeed with others too.
45. 2.5Good fortune comes to those who control their senses, act with good judgment, and are patient. Vidura compares the body to a chariot, the inner self to its driver, and the senses to its horses; when the horses are well trained, the wise person travels through life calmly and peacefully.
46. 2.6Just as wild, untrained horses crash a careless driver, uncontrolled senses lead a person to ruin. Someone ruled by cravings mixes up what will make him happy and what will make him miserable, and by ignoring what is right he soon loses wealth, life and family.
47. 2.7A rich person who cannot control his desires will lose his riches. Try to understand yourself by controlling your mind and senses, because your own self can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
48. 2.8Desire and anger tear through wisdom like a big fish ripping a thin net. A person who tries to defeat outside enemies without first defeating the enemies inside his own mind will be beaten.
49. 2.9Many kings have ruined themselves through greed for land. Just as wet wood burns along with dry wood, a good person gets punished along with bad people if he keeps their company, so avoid friendship with wrongdoers.
50. 2.10Honesty, purity, contentment, kind speech, self-control and truthfulness are never found in wicked people, nor are patience, generosity and self-knowledge in low-minded people. When fools insult and slander the wise, they take the sins upon themselves, while the wise are freed.
51. 2.11Wicked people draw strength from malice, kings from the law, the weak from care and attention, and good people from forgiveness. Controlling speech is very hard; kind, well-chosen words bring much good, while harsh words cause great harm.
52. 2.12A forest cut down can grow back and an arrow can be pulled out, but a heart wounded by harsh words never fully heals. Cruel words make people suffer day and night, so a wise person should never speak them.
53. 2.13When someone is heading for ruin, his judgment goes, and wrong starts to look right to him. Vidura tells Dhritarashtra that his sons' hatred of the Pandavas (their cousins) has clouded their minds, while the worthy Yudhishthira, eldest Pandava, still obeys him.
54. 2.14Vidura urges Dhritarashtra to let Yudhishthira rule instead of his own sons, because Yudhishthira is the best heir, wise and righteous. He points out that Yudhishthira has endured much suffering out of kindness, to protect the king's good name.

55. 3. Chapter 3

    3.1Vidura says kindness to all living beings is as good as, or better than, bathing in all the holy places. He asks the king to be kind to all his sons, nephews included, and then begins an old story about two men, Virochana and Sudhanwan, who both wanted to marry Kesini.
56. 3.2A beautiful maiden named Kesini planned to choose her own husband at a Swayamvara, a ceremony where a bride picks from suitors. Virochana, a prince of the Daityas (demons), came to win her, and she asked him whether Brahmanas (priests) or Daityas were superior.
57. 3.3Virochana boasts that his people are the greatest of all beings and owns the world. Kesini says she will wait and watch him and Sudhanwan, a Brahmana, sit together the next morning, and Virochana agrees.
58. 3.4The next morning Sudhanwan arrives, and Kesini stands up and welcomes him with a seat, water for his feet and a respectful offering. When Virochana invites him to share his golden seat, Sudhanwan only touches it politely and declines to sit as an equal.
59. 3.6Sudhanwan tells Virochana that his father used to honor him by sitting lower, and calls Virochana a spoiled child who understands nothing. Virochana proposes betting all his wealth on who is superior, but Sudhanwan raises the stakes: they will bet their lives and ask a wise judge.
60. 3.7Virochana refuses to go before any god or human to settle the bet. Sudhanwan suggests asking Virochana's own father, Prahlada, because Prahlada will never lie, even to help his son.
61. 3.8Still angry, Virochana and Sudhanwan go together to Prahlada, Virochana's father and king of the Asuras (a race of powerful beings who often oppose the gods). Prahlada is surprised to see two rivals walking side by side like angry snakes and asks if they are now friends. Virochana says they are not.
62. 3.9Virochana explains that they have bet their lives and warns his father not to answer falsely. Prahlada politely offers his guest Sudhanwan, a Brahmana (priest), food and honor. Sudhanwan then asks the question: who is superior, the Brahmanas or Virochana?
63. 3.10Prahlada feels trapped because the question is about his only son, with the other side standing right in front of him. Sudhanwan tells him he can give his son wealth, but he must tell the truth. Prahlada asks what happens to a person who answers a question with a lie.
64. 3.11Sudhanwan says a person who lies when asked to judge suffers terribly. It is like a wife left alone while her husband sleeps with another wife, or like someone who lost everything gambling or is crushed by worry. Such a liar is shut out, goes hungry, and always has enemies.
65. 3.12Sudhanwan says lies cause harm that grows with what the lie is about. A lie about an animal, a cow, a horse, or a person brings down more and more of one's ancestors. A lie about gold ruins one's family line, both living and future. A lie about land ruins everything.
66. 3.13Sudhanwan ends by saying never lie for the sake of land. Prahlada then judges honestly against his own son. He says Sudhanwan's father Angiras is greater than himself, and Sudhanwan and his mother are greater than Virochana and his mother. So Virochana has lost, and his life belongs to Sudhanwan. But Prahlada asks Sudhanwan to spare him.
67. 3.14Because Prahlada chose truth over his love for his son, Sudhanwan spares Virochana's life as a reward. But Virochana must wash Sudhanwan's feet in front of Kesini, the maiden both young men wanted to marry.
68. 3.15Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra the point of the story: do not lie about land out of love for your son, or you will destroy your children and advisers too. The gods do not guard people with sticks like cowherds. They protect people by giving them good sense. You succeed as much as you care about doing right.
69. 3.16Vidura says knowing holy texts cannot save a person who lives by lies. Those texts leave him at death, like young birds leaving the nest. He says to avoid drinking, fights, making many enemies, marriage quarrels, splitting couples apart, family feuds, and disloyalty to the ruler.
70. 3.17Vidura lists seven people who should not be trusted as witnesses. They are a palm reader, a thief turned merchant, a bird-hunter, a doctor, an enemy, a friend, and a singer for hire. He adds that fire rituals, vows of silence, study, and sacrifice are good in themselves, but they become harmful when done out of pride or to excess.
71. 3.19Gold is tested by fire. In the same way, people are tested by hard times. Bravery shows in panic, self-control shows in poverty, and true friends show in danger. Old age ruins beauty, greedy hopes ruin patience, envy ruins goodness, anger ruins wealth, bad company ruins good manners, lust ruins modesty, and pride ruins everything.
72. 3.20Success starts with good deeds. It grows through hard work, gets strong through skill, and lasts through self-control. Eight qualities make a person shine: wisdom, a good family, self-control, knowing the scriptures, courage, not talking too much, giving as much as you can, and gratitude.
73. 3.21Vidura adds that one thing can make all these qualities shine at once: the favor of the king. When a king honors someone, people see all these good qualities in him. He says these eight are signs of heaven. He then begins another list, of four things the good always do and four they always follow.
74. 3.22Good people are always linked with four practices: worship, giving, study, and spiritual discipline. They always follow four more: self-control, truth, simplicity, and not harming any living being.
75. 3.23Vidura names eight paths of doing right: worship, study, charity, spiritual discipline, truth, forgiveness, mercy, and contentment. The first four can be done out of pride. The last four are found only in truly good people. A meeting without wise elders is not a real meeting, and elders who won't say what is right are not truly wise. Goodness without truth is not goodness, and truth mixed with trickery is not truth.
76. 3.24Vidura lists ten gifts from heaven, such as truth, beauty, learning, good conduct, strength, wealth, and courage. Sinners meet bad results and good people find happiness, so a person should firmly avoid wrongdoing. Doing wrong again and again ruins your judgment, and with poor judgment you keep doing wrong.
77. 3.25Doing good again and again makes you wiser, and a wiser person keeps doing good. So you should firmly choose to do good. People who are envious, cruel, hurtful, always fighting, or deceitful soon end up in great misery.
78. 3.26A wise person who isn't jealous and always does good never suffers greatly and is admired everywhere. Truly learned people learn from the wise. Vidura says to plan ahead: do things in the day so you can rest happily at night, and work during the good months so you are ready for the rainy season.
79. 3.29Vidura says those who honor priests, give generously, treat relatives fairly, and rule nobly will hold power for a long time. Brave people, learned people, and those who protect others can always find great rewards in the world.
80. 3.30Vidura says work done with the mind is best, work by strength comes next, and carrying loads is lowest. Then he warns Dhritarashtra directly: how can he expect good things while trusting his kingdom to Duryodhana, Sakuni, foolish Dussasana, and Karna? He urges the king to treat the good Pandavas, his nephews, as his own sons.

81. 4. Chapter 4

    4.1Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra an old story. Some gods called the Sadhyas met a wise sage, the son of Atri, who was wandering as a beggar living on alms. They could not tell who he was, so they spoke to him.
82. 4.2The Sadhyas say he seems wise and self-controlled from studying the scriptures, and they ask him to teach them. The sage answers that a person should untie the knots in the heart through calm and self-control. Then that person can treat pleasant and unpleasant things the same way they treat themselves.
83. 4.3The sage says not to insult someone back when they insult you. The pain of the one who bears it quietly harms the insulter, and the patient person gains the insulter's good merit. He also says not to gossip, put others down, fight with friends, keep bad company, act proud, or speak harshly in anger.
84. 4.4Harsh words burn a person deep inside, down to the heart and bones. So a good person avoids angry, cruel speech. Someone who wounds others with words is the worst kind of person and only spreads misery.
85. 4.5When a wise person is hurt by someone's cruel words, they should bear it patiently, even if it burns, knowing the insulter's merit passes to them. People take on the character of whoever they spend time with, good or bad, like cloth soaking up dye.
86. 4.6Even the gods want to be near someone who does not insult back when insulted and does not hit back when struck. Such a person does not get others to take revenge either, and wishes no harm to the one who hurt them.
87. 4.7Silence is better than speaking. If you must speak, say what is true. Better still is truth that is kind, and best is kind truth that is also right. A person becomes like the people they live with, look up to, or wish to be.
88. 4.8You are free from whatever you stay away from, and someone who lets go of everything suffers no misery at all. Such a person does not beat others and is not beaten. Praise and blame do not move them, and they are not swept away by grief or joy.
89. 4.9The best people wish good for everyone, never want others to suffer, speak truthfully, stay humble, and control their desires. People of middle goodness do not comfort others with lies and keep their promises to give, but they still keep watch on other people's weaknesses.
90. 4.10A bad person cannot be guided, easily falls into trouble, gets angry quickly, is ungrateful, cannot be a friend, and has a wicked heart. Also among the worst is someone who is never satisfied with help from others, does not trust himself, and drives away his true friends.
91. 4.11If you want to do well, spend time with good people, sometimes with ordinary people, but never with bad people. A wicked person may get rich through strength, hard work and cleverness, but he will never earn an honest good name or real good manners.
92. 4.12A family is called noble when it practises self-discipline, self-control, study of the Vedas (the sacred texts), sacrifices, proper marriages, and giving food. Noble families stay on the right path, never shame their ancestors, practise goodness gladly, protect their good name, and avoid all lies.
93. 4.13Good families sink low when they give up worship and the sacred texts, make improper marriages, and insult or speak badly of Brahmanas (priests and teachers). They also fall when they steal what others left in their care.
94. 4.14A family with many people, money and cows is not truly a good family if it lacks good manners and behaviour. A poor family with good conduct is respected. Money comes and goes, so guard your good conduct. Someone without money is not truly poor; someone without good character is.
95. 4.15Families rich in cattle and crops do not deserve respect if they behave badly. Vidura hopes no one in their family stirs up fights, steals, splits the family apart, lies or cheats, or eats before offering food to sages, gods and guests.
96. 4.16Anyone who kills or hates Brahmanas, or harms farming, does not belong in a good family. Good homes always have four things for guests: a straw mat, a place to sit, water to wash, and kind words. Good people keep these ready and offer them with respect.
97. 4.17A thin sandalwood tree can bear more weight than thicker trees, and people from noble families can carry heavy worries others cannot. Someone whose anger makes you afraid is no friend. A true friend is someone you can trust like a father; other friendships are friends in name only.
98. 4.18Someone who acts like a friend, even if not family, is a true friend and protector. People who are unsteady, restless, or do not respect elders cannot keep friends. Success leaves those who cannot control their mind and senses, like swans leaving a dried-up pond.
99. 4.19Weak-minded people get angry or pleased for no good reason, changing like clouds. People who are ungrateful to friends who helped them are so low that even vultures will not touch their bodies. Rich or poor, honour your friends. You only learn if a friend is real when you ask for help.
100. 4.20Sorrow takes away beauty, strength and clear thinking, and brings sickness. Grief does not get back what you lost; it only wears you down and pleases your enemies. So do not give in to grief. People are born and die again and again, help and are helped, and mourn and are mourned.
101. 4.21Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra that everyone takes turns with joy and sorrow, having plenty and having little, winning and losing, living and dying. So a self-controlled person should not get carried away by joy or crushed by sorrow. The senses are always restless, and whichever one is strongest drains away a person's good sense, like water leaking from a pot with holes.
102. 4.22Vidura tells the king that his true good lies only in learning, self-discipline (asceticism), controlling his senses, and giving up greed. Knowing yourself removes fear, discipline wins great things, serving and listening to elders brings learning, and self-restraint brings peace.
103. 4.23Vidura says that people who want spiritual freedom without first doing good deeds like giving and performing their religious duties do not live free of anger and dislike. The happiness that comes from careful study, a fair fight, and strict self-discipline keeps growing in the end.
104. 4.24Vidura tells the king that people who are at war with their own relatives cannot sleep, even in fine beds, and cannot enjoy pleasures or praise. They cannot live rightly, be happy, be respected, or feel peace. They dislike good advice, and they cannot gain new things or keep what they have.
105. 4.26Vidura tells Dhritarashtra that burning sticks kept apart only smoke, but put together they blaze into a strong fire, and relatives are the same. Those who mistreat priests (Brahmanas), women, relatives, and cows soon fall like ripe fruit. A single tree, however big and strong, is soon broken by a strong wind.
106. 4.27Vidura continues that trees growing close together hold each other up against even stronger winds. A person who stands alone, however good, is easy for enemies to defeat. Relatives who depend on and help each other grow together, like lotus stems in a lake.
107. 4.28Vidura lists those who must never be killed: priests (Brahmanas), cows, relatives, children, women, those whose food you have eaten, and those who ask for protection. He adds that without wealth a person's good qualities cannot show, but if you are healthy you can still achieve your good, because being sick is like being dead.
108. 4.29Vidura tells the king that anger is like a bitter, burning drink that brings pain later, like a headache with no illness behind it, and foolish people cannot get it down. He urges the king to swallow his anger and find peace. He adds that sick people cannot enjoy pleasures or wealth because they are filled with sorrow.
109. 4.30Vidura reminds Dhritarashtra that when Draupadi (wife of the Pandava brothers) was won in the dice game, he warned him that honest people do not cheat in games and told him to stop his son Duryodhana, but the king did not listen. Vidura says real strength is mixed with gentleness, and wealth built only on crooked ways will be destroyed.
110. 4.31Vidura says wealth built on both strength and gentleness passes safely to children and grandchildren. He begs the king to let his sons and the Pandavas (his nephews) care for each other and live together happily with the same friends and enemies. He reminds the king that the whole Kuru family depends on him.
111. 4.32Vidura urges Dhritarashtra to keep his good name by caring for the sons of Pandu, who are suffering in exile. He asks the king to make peace with them, not let enemies find his weak spots, and pull his son Duryodhana away from his wicked ways, since the Pandavas are all devoted to truth.

112. 5. Chapter 5

     5.1Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra (son of Vichitravirya) that Manu, the first lawgiver, named seventeen kinds of people whose efforts are useless, like punching empty air, trying to bend a rainbow, or grabbing sunbeams.
113. 5.3Vidura says the messengers of Yama, the god of death, drag such people to hell. He says it is normal to treat people the way they treat you: honest with the honest, and guarded with the deceitful. He lists what destroys what: old age destroys beauty, waiting destroys hope, death destroys life, lust destroys modesty, bad company destroys good behavior, anger destroys wealth, and pride destroys everything.
114. 5.4Vidura tells the king that six things are like sharp swords that shorten life: too much pride, too much talking, overeating, anger, craving pleasure, and fighting within the family. He says these kill people, not death itself.
115. 5.6Vidura says a person reaches heaven if they accept wise advice, know what is right, are generous, first offer food to the gods and ancestors before eating, envy no one, never harm others, and are grateful, truthful, humble, and learned.
116. 5.7Vidura says many people can always say pleasant things, but it is rare to find someone who speaks hard truths that help, and rare to find someone willing to hear them. A servant who tells his master an unwelcome but helpful truth, caring only about what is right, truly strengthens the king.
117. 5.9Vidura says a wise person should not gamble even as a joke. He reminds the king that he warned him at the dice game, but like bitter medicine for a sick man, the warning was not welcome. He says the king wants to defeat the Pandavas, who are like beautiful peacocks, while his own sons are like crows, and that he is protecting jackals while abandoning lions, and will grieve for it later.
118. 5.10Vidura says a master who does not take out his anger on loyal, hardworking servants wins their trust, and they stay with him even in hard times. A master should not try to get rich by taking away his servants' land or pay, because even loving advisers will turn on him and leave if they lose their living.
119. 5.11Vidura says a king should think carefully before acting, match his servants' pay to what he earns and spends, and make good alliances, because with alliances anything can be achieved.
120. 5.12Vidura says a king should treat as his second self an officer who understands what the king wants, does his duties eagerly, is respectable and loyal, always says what is truly good for the king, and knows both his own strength and the strength of opponents.
121. 5.13Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra that a servant who ignores orders and refuses to obey should be dismissed at once. This applies when he is too proud of his own cleverness and keeps arguing with his master.
122. 5.16Eight qualities make a person shine: wisdom, a good family, knowing the scriptures, self-control, courage, speaking little, giving as much as you can, and gratitude. Vidura says giving holds these together. When a king shows a person favour, that favour brings all the others with it.
123. 5.18Vidura lists people you should not let live in your home. They include someone who always behaves badly, eats too much, or is hated by everyone. Also someone very deceitful, someone cruel, someone who has no sense of the right time and place, and someone who dresses indecently.
124. 5.19Even when you are in great need, do not ask for help from certain people. These are a miser, a gossip, someone ignorant of the scriptures (shastras), a forest-dweller, or a cunning person. Also avoid someone who disrespects good people, a cruel person, a quarrelsome person, or an ungrateful one.
125. 5.20Do not serve six kinds of bad people: an enemy, someone always making mistakes, a liar, someone with no faith, someone without affection, and someone who thinks he can do everything. Vidura also says your goals and the means you use depend on each other. Success needs both.
126. 5.21After raising your sons and providing for them, and marrying your daughters to good husbands, you may retire to the forest and live as a sage (Muni). To win God's favour, do what is good for all beings and for your own happiness. A person with intelligence, energy, courage, strength, quickness and persistence need not worry about earning a living.
127. 5.22Vidura warns King Dhritarashtra about breaking with his nephews, the Pandavas. It would turn his sons against each other and bring endless worry. It would also ruin the family's good name and please their enemies. He adds that the anger of the elders Bhishma and Drona and of Yudhishthira could burn up the world like a falling comet.
128. 5.23Vidura says Dhritarashtra's hundred sons, Karna and the Pandavas could rule the whole earth together. He compares the king's sons to a forest and the Pandavas to the tigers living in it. The forest shelters the tigers, and the tigers guard the forest, so destroying either one ruins both.
129. 5.24Bad people look for faults in others more than for their good qualities. If you want real success in worldly matters, practise goodness from the start. True gain is never separate from what is right.
130. 5.25A person who stays away from wrongdoing and holds firmly to goodness understands things truly. Someone who seeks goodness, wealth and pleasure each at the right time gets all three, in this life and the next. A person who controls both anger and excitement, and stays calm in disaster, becomes prosperous. Vidura then begins to describe five kinds of strength.
131. 5.26Vidura ranks the kinds of strength. Physical strength is the lowest. Having good advisers is the second kind and wealth the third. The strength of a good family, passed down from your ancestors, is the fourth.
132. 5.28No doctor, medicine, ritual chant or antidote can help someone struck by the arrow of a wise person's planning. Never ignore snakes, fire, lions or your own relatives, because all of them are very powerful. Fire has great energy.
133. 5.29Fire hides inside wood and does no harm until someone sparks it. Once lit, it can burn the wood and a whole forest. Noble people are like that fire: they are forgiving and look calm, but they have great hidden power. Vidura compares the king and his sons to creepers and the Pandavas to tall Sala trees.
134. 5.30A creeper cannot grow without a big tree to climb. Vidura tells the king that his son is like a forest and the Pandavas are its lions. Without lions the forest is destroyed, and without the forest the lions die too.

135. 6. Chapter 6

     6.1When an elder comes to a young man's house, the young man feels uneasy until he goes forward and greets him respectfully. A good host offers a seat, brings water to wash the guest's feet, and asks how he is. Only then should the host speak of his own matters and offer food.
136. 6.2The wise say a man lives in vain if a learned Brahmana (priest) will not accept his gifts of water, honey, curds or cows. This happens when the gifts are offered stingily or unwillingly.
137. 6.3Even if a guest is a doctor, an arrow-maker, a thief, a dishonest man, a drinking priest, a soldier or someone who sells the Vedas, the host should gladly offer him water. A guest deserves basic kindness, however unworthy he seems.
138. 6.5The best ascetic lives in the forest on wild rice, roots and herbs. He controls himself, keeps his worship fire burning, and always cares for guests. Also, if you wrong a wise person, do not feel safe just because you live far away. Wise people have long reach and can pay back wrongs.
139. 6.7Good and virtuous wives are the blessing and wealth of a home, so they should be especially protected. A man should let his father oversee the inner rooms of the house, his mother the kitchen, and a trusted person the cows. He should look after his farming himself.
140. 6.9Good people of strong character do not show outwardly what they feel inside. A king who keeps his plans secret, but learns others' plans through spies, stays prosperous for a long time. Do not announce what you plan to do. Let your actions be known only after they are done.
141. 6.10Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra to make important plans in private places, like a mountain top or an empty field. Do not share secrets with a friend who lacks learning, or with a learned friend who cannot control himself. Test a person well before making him your adviser, because your money and your secrets depend on him.
142. 6.11The best ruler keeps his plans so quiet that even his advisers learn of them only after they are done, and such a ruler succeeds. A person who does wrong out of ignorance can be ruined by what follows. Doing good deeds is easy, and failing to do them leads to regret.
143. 6.12A Brahmana (priest) who has not studied the Vedas, the sacred texts, should not lead a Sraddha, a ritual for the ancestors. In the same way, someone who does not know the six ways of protecting a kingdom should not join political decisions. A ruler who watches gains, losses and savings, knows these methods, knows himself, and acts well can win the whole world.
144. 6.13A ruler succeeds when his anger and his pleasure carry real weight, when he checks the work himself, and when he controls his own treasury. He should be happy with his fame and royal honour. He should share the kingdom's wealth with those who serve him and not keep it all for himself.
145. 6.16Being clever does not always make you rich, and being lazy is not the only cause of hard times. Only the wise understand why people's lives turn out so differently. Fools disrespect elders and people of good character. Trouble soon comes to those who are wicked, foolish, jealous, rude or angry.
146. 6.17Honesty, generosity, good manners and careful speech win everyone's goodwill. Someone who is honest, hardworking, grateful and smart will find friends and helpers even with no money. Seven things feed good fortune: intelligence, a calm mind, self-control, purity, kind speech, and not doing anything that upsets your friends.
147. 6.18Stay away from people who don't give others what they deserve, who are wicked, ungrateful and shameless. A person who makes trouble for an innocent person can't sleep peacefully, like someone sharing a room with a snake. People whose anger could cost you your livelihood should be kept happy with great care.

148. 7. Chapter 7

     7.1Even Vrihaspati, the wise teacher of the gods, would look foolish if he spoke at the wrong time. Some people win others over with gifts, sweet words, or tricks, but someone who is naturally kind stays liked. When we hate someone we see nothing good in them, and when we love someone we see only good.
149. 7.2Vidura reminds Dhritarashtra that when his son Duryodhana was born, he advised giving up this one son to save the other hundred, since keeping him would destroy them all. A gain that leads to loss is not worth much. A loss that leads to gain is not really a loss.
150. 7.3A real loss is one that leads to even bigger losses. Some people become important because of good character, others only because of money. Vidura tells the king to avoid people who are rich but have no good qualities.
151. 7.4A good and humble person cares about even the smallest suffering of any living creature. But people who always speak badly of others keep busy quarreling and hurting people. It is wrong to accept gifts from such people, and risky to give gifts to them, because being around them brings danger.
152. 7.5Avoid people who are quarrelsome, greedy, shameless and dishonest, and others with similar serious faults. Friendship with low-minded people lasts only as long as the reason for it. When that reason is gone, the friendship and its benefits end too.
153. 7.6When such friendships end, these people start speaking badly of their old friend and try to harm him, and they find no peace over even small losses. A wise person thinks carefully and keeps far away from such friends. Someone who helps poor and helpless relatives is blessed with family and lasting prosperity.
154. 7.7Those who want their own good should always help their relatives, Vidura tells the king. Treat all your family well and you will prosper. Even relatives without good qualities should be protected, so good and humble relatives deserve protection all the more.
155. 7.8Vidura urges Dhritarashtra to treat the Pandavas, his nephews, kindly and give them a few villages to live on. He reminds the king that he is old and should control his own sons. Vidura says he speaks as a well-wisher, and that anyone who wants his own good should not quarrel with relatives.
156. 7.9Happiness should be enjoyed together with family, not apart from them. Relatives should eat together, talk together, love each other and never quarrel. Relatives can save each other or ruin each other: good ones rescue the family, and bad ones drag it down.
157. 7.10Vidura tells the king to treat the Pandavas fairly, because with them at his side no enemy could defeat him. If a relative is afraid of a powerful relative, like a deer before a hunter, the powerful one carries the blame. He warns that the king will regret his inaction when he hears of the death of either the Pandavas or his own sons.
158. 7.11Since life is uncertain, avoid from the start any act you would later regret. Anyone except a perfect moral teacher like Bhargava can make mistakes, but intelligent people can still see consequences ahead. Vidura reminds Dhritarashtra that he is an elder of the Kuru family.
159. 7.12Vidura says that since Duryodhana wronged the Pandavas, it is the king's duty to set things right and give them back their place. Doing this would cleanse the king of his wrongs and earn the respect of the wise. A person who thinks about good advice and its results before acting never loses his good name.
160. 7.13Even teaching from wise and skilled people falls short, because it is often misunderstood or, if understood, not put into practice. A wise person who avoids acts that lead to wrong and misery keeps growing. A wicked person who foolishly keeps on a bad path sinks deep into trouble.
161. 7.14Vidura warns that secret plans leak out in six ways: drunkenness, sleep, not watching for spies, letting your feelings show on your face, trusting a bad adviser, and sending clumsy messengers. A wise person who wants lasting success guards against all six.
162. 7.15Whoever keeps these six leaks shut while chasing goodness, wealth, and happiness will win over his enemies. Even someone as clever as Vrihaspati, the teacher of the gods, cannot truly understand right living or success without studying the scriptures and learning from older people.
163. 7.16Some things are simply wasted: something dropped in the sea, words said to someone who won't listen, holy teachings given to someone with no self-control, and butter offered into a dead fire. A wise person picks friends carefully, watching, listening, and judging them again and again before trusting them.
164. 7.17Humility clears away a bad name, effort clears away failure, forgiveness beats anger, and good rituals push away bad signs. A person's family background shows in what they enjoy, their home, behavior, food, and clothes. Even a person freed from desire may enjoy pleasure when it comes, so someone still full of desire will be tempted even more.
165. 7.18A king should keep an adviser who respects wise people and is learned, good, kind, and sweet in speech. A polite, humble, honest person is worth more than a hundred people of high birth, whether he comes from a rich or poor family. Friendships last when two people share the same heart, interests, and joys.
166. 7.19Avoid a foolish, wicked person the way you avoid a pit hidden under grass, because that friendship will not last. Don't befriend people who are proud, ignorant, violent, reckless, or dishonest. Look for friends who are grateful, good, truthful, generous, loyal, self-controlled, and who never abandon a friend.
167. 7.20Cutting yourself off from all the pleasures of the senses is like death, but too much of them would ruin even the gods. Humility, love for all living beings, forgiveness, and respect for friends make life longer. A true hero is someone who tries again, honestly and with determination, after failing.
168. 7.21A person reaches his goals when he plans for future problems, stays determined now, and thinks ahead about how his actions will turn out. Whatever you chase in your words, actions, and thoughts shapes who you become, so always choose what is truly good for you.
169. 7.22Success comes from working toward good things, picking the right time, place, and method, learning, staying active, being honest, and spending time with good people. Sticking with it is the root of success. The one who keeps going without quitting in frustration is truly great and finds lasting happiness.
170. 7.23Nothing brings more happiness or suits a strong person better than forgiving, always and everywhere. The weak should forgive, the powerful should forgive because it is right, and a person who is calm about winning or losing forgives naturally. Enjoy any pleasure fully as long as it doesn't harm your goodness or your welfare.
171. 7.24Don't foolishly give in to every craving. Good fortune stays away from people who drown in grief, have bad habits, deny God, are lazy, lack self-control, or won't make an effort. Sadly, humble and modest people are often seen as weak and picked on by people with bad judgment.
172. 7.25Good fortune, pictured as a goddess, is scared away from people who go to extremes: giving away everything, being reckless in bravery, taking harsh vows, or being proud of their wisdom. She doesn't stay with someone too accomplished or with someone who has no skills at all. She prefers balance, not all virtues or none.
173. 7.27If you use money gained dishonestly to do good deeds for the afterlife, you get no reward, because the money itself was wrong. A person with a strong mind feels no fear, whether in a desert, a deep forest, or facing weapons raised to strike him.
174. 7.28Hard work, self-control, skill, care, steadiness, a good memory, and thinking before you start are the roots of success. Monks draw strength from their discipline, scholars from the Vedas (holy texts), wicked people from envy, and good people from forgiveness.
175. 7.29Eight things do not break a religious fast or vow: water, roots, fruit, milk, ghee (clarified butter), something done at a priest's request, something done at a teacher's command, and medicine. In short, the heart of goodness is this: don't do to others what you would not want done to you.
176. 7.31Don't set your heart on things you can only get with terrible effort, by giving up what is right, or by bowing to an enemy. A person without knowledge, a relationship that bears no fruit, a hungry nation, and a country with no ruler are all to be pitied.
177. 7.34Thinking about this, wise people do not grieve about not ruling the whole world. Vidura again urges King Dhritarashtra to treat his own sons and his nephews, the sons of Pandu, equally and fairly.

178. 8. Chapter 8

     8.1A good person who drops pride and works within his own limits soon becomes respected, because good people reward those they are pleased with. Someone who freely gives up even a big goal because it is wrong lives happily and free of enemies, like a snake shedding old skin.
179. 8.2Winning by lying, cheating the king, and being fake with your teacher are each as bad as the worst sin, killing a Brahmana (a priest). Too much envy, pride, and boasting destroy good fortune. Not respecting your teacher, rushing, and boasting are the three enemies of learning.
180. 8.3The faults of students are laziness, not paying attention, confusion, restlessness, hanging out to waste time, arrogance, pride, and greed. You cannot chase pleasure and learning at the same time; you must choose. Desire is like fire, which is never satisfied no matter how much fuel you give it.
181. 8.6Vidura tells King Dhritarashtra his most important lesson: never give up doing what is right, whether out of desire, fear, greed, or even to save your own life. Goodness lasts forever, but pleasure and pain come and go. The life within us goes on, but each stage of it passes.
182. 8.7Vidura says to let go of things that don't last, hold on to what does, and be content, because contentment is the greatest thing you can gain. Even great, rich kings die and leave everything behind. Even a son raised with loving care is carried to the cremation ground when he dies.
183. 8.8Vidura describes a funeral. Weeping relatives put the body on the fire like a piece of wood, and others then enjoy the dead person's wealth. The person takes only two things into the next world: the good and bad deeds they did. Family and friends turn around and go home, like birds leaving a tree that has no more fruit.
184. 8.9Only a person's own deeds go with them after death, so everyone should patiently build up a life of good actions. Vidura warns the king about dark, painful places after death where people suffer, and begs him not to end up there.
185. 8.10Vidura says if the king follows this advice, he will be well respected and have nothing to fear, now or after death. He compares the soul to a holy river: truth is its water, self-control its banks, kindness its waves, and good deeds are the places to bathe. A good person becomes pure by bathing there, and being free of craving is the highest goodness.
186. 8.11Vidura compares life to a river whose waters are the five senses and whose crocodiles and sharks are desire and anger. Use self-control as your raft to cross it and escape the whirlpool of being born again and again. A person who respects wise, good, learned, and older friends and asks them what to do and not do will never go wrong.
187. 8.12Control your desires and hunger with patience, guide your hands and feet with your eyes, rule your eyes and ears with your mind, and keep your thoughts and words in check by your actions. A Brahmana (priest and scholar) who stays clean, wears his sacred thread, studies the Vedas (holy texts), avoids impure food, tells the truth, and honors his teacher will reach the heavenly world of Brahma.
188. 8.13Vidura describes how warriors and merchants reach heaven. A Kshatriya (warrior or ruler) who studies the Vedas, performs sacred rituals, protects his people, cows, and priests, and dies in battle goes to heaven. A Vaisya (merchant or farmer) who studies the Vedas, shares his wealth at the right time with priests, warriors, and those who depend on him, and keeps the sacred fires enjoys heaven after death.