Carefully listening to these words, if thou canst act according to them, thou wilt obtain great fame in this world of men, and fear will not be thine here or hereafter. O Bharata, the soul is spoken of as a river; religious merit constitutes its sacred baths; truth, its water; self-control, its banks; kindness, its waves. He that is righteous purifieth himself by a bath therein, for the soul is sacred, and the absence of desire is the highest merit.

In plain words: Vidura 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.