ASHRAMAVASIKA PARVA: Chapter 28

The history of Vidura

वैशम्पायन उवाच ततः समुपविष्टेषु पाण्डवेषु महात्मसु। व्यासः सत्यवतीपुत्र इदं वचनमब्रवीत्॥ धृतराष्ट्र महाबाहो कच्चित् ते वर्तते तपः। कच्चिन्मनस्ते प्रीणाति वनवासे नराधिप॥
Vaishampayana said, After the noble Pandavas had all been seated, Satyavati's son Vyasa said, 'O Dhritarashtra of mighty-arms, have you been able to achieve penances? Is your mind, O king, pleased with your living in the forest?

कच्चिद्धृदि न ते शोको राजन् पुत्रविनाशजः। कच्चिज्ज्ञानानि सर्वाणि सुप्रसन्नानि तेऽनघ॥
Has your grief begotten of the destruction of our sons in battle, disappeared from your heart? Are all your perceptions, O sinless one, now clear?

कच्चिद् बुद्धिं दृढां कृत्वा चरस्यारण्यकं विधिम्। कच्चिद् वधूश्च गान्धारी न शोकेनाभिभूयते॥
Do you practise the ordinances of forest-life after having made your heart firin? Does my daughter-in-law, Gandhari, suffer herself to be overwhelmed by grief?

महाप्रज्ञा बुद्धिमती देवी धर्मार्थदर्शिनी। आगमापायतत्त्वज्ञा कच्चिदेषा न शोचति॥
She is endued with great wisdom. Endued with intelligence, that queen understands both virtue and profit. She is well conversant with the truths which relate to both prosperity and adversity. Does not still grieve?

कच्चित् कुन्ती च राजंस्त्वां शुश्रूषत्यनहंकृता। या परित्यज्य स्वं पुत्रं गुरुशुश्रूषणे रता॥
Does Kunti, o king, who for her devotion to the service of her seniors, left her children, attend to your wants and serve your with all humility?

कच्चिद् धर्मसुतो राजा त्वया प्रत्यभिनन्दितः। भीमार्जुनयमाश्चैव कच्चिदेतेऽपि सान्त्विताः॥
Have the high-minded and great king Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, and Bhima and Arjuna, and the twins, been sufficiently comforted?

कच्चिन्नन्दसि दृष्ट्वैतान् कच्चित् ते निर्मलं मनः। कच्चिच्च शुद्धभावोऽसि जातज्ञानो नराधिप॥
Do you feel delight at seeing them? Has your mind become freed from every strain? Has your disposition, O king, become pure on account of he increase of your knowledge?

एतद्धि त्रितयं श्रेष्ठं सर्वभूतेषु भारत। निर्वैरता महाराज सत्यमक्रोध एव च॥
These three, O king, are the foremost of all concerns, O Bharata, viz., abstension from injury to any creation, truth, and freedom from anger.

कच्चित् तेन च मोहोऽस्ति वनवासेन भारत। स्ववशे वन्यमन्नं वा उपवासोऽपि वा भवेत्॥
Does your forest-life any longer prove painful to you? Are you able to acquire with your own exertions the products of the forest for your food? Do fasts pain you now?

विदितं चापि राजेन्द्र विदुरस्य महात्मनः। गमनं विधिनाऽनेन धर्मस्य सुमहात्मनः॥
Have you learnt 'o king, how the great Vidura, who was Dharma's self, left this world?

माण्डव्यशापाद्धि स वै धर्मो विदुरतां गतः। महाबुद्धिर्महायोगी महात्मा सुमहामनाः॥
Through the curse of Mandavya, the deity of Virtue became born as Vidura. He was gifted with great intelligence. Endued with high penances, he was great and high-minded.

बृहस्पतिर्वा देवेषु शुक्रो वाप्यसुरेषु च। न तथा बुद्धिसम्पन्नो यथा स पुरुषर्षभः॥
Even Brihaspati among the celestials, and Shukra among the Asuras, had not intelligence like that foremost of persons.

तपोबलव्ययं कृत्वा सुचिरात् सम्भृतं तदा। माण्डव्येनर्षिणा धर्मो ह्यभिभूतः सनातनः॥
The eternal deity of Virtue was stupefied by the Rishi Mandavya with an expenditure of his penances acquired for a long time with great care,

नियोगाद् ब्रह्मणः पूर्वे मया स्वेन बलेन च। वैचित्रवीर्यके क्षेत्रे जातः स सुमहामतिः॥
At the command of the grandfather and through my own energy, the highly intelligent Vidura was procreated by me upon a soil owned by Vichitravirya.

भ्राता तव महाराज देवदेवः सनातनः। धारणान्मनसा ध्यानाद् यं धर्मं कवयो विदुः॥
A deity of deities, and eternal, he was, O king, your brother. The learned know him to be Dharma on account of his practices of concentration and abstraction.

सत्येन संवर्धयति यो दमेन शमेन च। अहिंसया च दानेन तप्यमानः सनातनः॥
He grows with truth, self-respect, tranquillity of heat, mercy, and gifts. He is always engaged in penances, and is eternal.

येन योगबलाज्जातः कुरुराजो युधिष्ठिरः। धर्म इत्येष नृपते प्राज्ञेनामितबुद्धिना॥
From that deity of Virtue, through YogaPower, the Kuru king Yudhishthria also took his birth. Yudhishthira, therefore, O king, is Dharma of great wisdom and immeasurable intelligence.

यथा वह्निर्यथा वायुर्यथाऽऽपः पृथिवी यथा। यथाऽऽकाशं तथा धर्म इह चामुत्र च स्थितः॥
Dharma exists both in this world and in the next, and is like fire or wind or water or earth or space.

सर्वगश्चैव राजेन्द्र सर्वं व्याप्य चराचरम्। दृश्यते देवदेवैः स सिद्धैर्निर्मुक्तकल्मषैः॥
He is, o king of kings, capable of going everywhere and exists, pervading the entire universe. He is capable of being seen by only those who are the foremost of the deities and those who are purged of every sin and crowned with ascetic success.

यो हि धर्मः स विदुरो विदुरो यः स पाण्डवः। स एष राजन् दृश्यस्ते पाण्डवः प्रेष्यवत् स्थितः॥२१
He who is Dharma, is Vidura and he who is Vidura is the (eldest) son of Pandu. That son of Pandu, O king, is capable of being perceived by you. He is before you as your servitor.

प्रविष्टः स महात्मानं भ्राता ते बुद्धिसत्तमः। दृष्ट्वा महात्मा कौन्तेयं महायोगबलान्वितः॥
Gifted with great Yoga-Power, your highsouled brother, that foremost of intelligent men, seeing the high-souled Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti has entered into his body.

त्वां चापि श्रेयसा योक्ष्ये न चिराद् भरतर्षभ। संशयच्छेदनार्थाय प्राप्तं मां विद्धि पुत्रका॥
O chief of Bharata's race, I shall unite you also with great benefit. Know, O son, that I am come here for removing your doubts.

न कृतं यैः पुरा कैश्चित् कर्म लोके महर्षिभिः। आश्चर्यभूतं तपसः फलं तद् दर्शयामि वः॥
I shall show you some feat which has never been accomplished before by any of the great Rishis-some wonderful effect of my penances.

किमिच्छसि महीपाल मत्तः प्राप्तुमभीप्सितम्। द्रष्टुं स्प्रष्टुमथ श्रोतुं तत्कर्ताऽस्मि तवानघ।॥
What object is that, O king, whose accomplishment you wish from me? Tell me what is that which you wish to see or ask or hear? O sinless one, I shall accomplish it.