धृतराष्ट्र उवाच कथं संसारगहनं विज्ञेयं वदतां वर एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं तत्त्वमाख्याहि पृच्छतः॥
Dhritarashtra said "O best of speakers, how may the wilderness of this world be known? I wish to hear this. Accosted by me, tell me this.”
विदुर उवाच जन्मप्रभृति भूतानां क्रिया सर्वोपलक्ष्यते। पूर्वमेवेह कलिले वसते किंचिदन्तरम्॥
Vidura said "I will describe to you all the acts of creatures from the very beginning. In the beginning it lives in the mixture of blood and semen. Then it grows little by little. Then on the expiration of the fifth mouth it puts on a shape.
ततः स पञ्चमेऽतीते मासे वासमकल्पयत्। ततः सर्वाङ्गसम्पूर्णो गर्भो वै स तु जायते॥
It next becomes a foetus with all its limbs made up, and live in a dirty place, covered with flesh and blood.
अमेध्यमध्ये वसति मांसशोणितलेपने। ततस्तु वायुवेगेन अर्ध्वपादो ह्यधःशिराः॥
Then, by the action of the wind, its lower limbs are turned upwards and the head comes downwards. Getting by this posture at the mouth of the uterus, it suffers manifold miseries.
योनिद्वारमुपागम्य बहून् क्लेशान् समृच्छति। योनिसम्पीडनाच्चैव पूर्वकर्मभिरन्वितः॥ तस्मान्मुक्तः स संसारादन्यान् पश्यत्युपद्रवान्।
On account of the contraction of the uterus, the creatures then comes out of it, bearing the results of all his pristine acts. He then meets in this world with other evils that best him. Misfortunes go to him like dogs drawn by the scent of ineat.
ग्रहास्तमनुगच्छन्ति सारमेया इवामिषम्॥ ततः प्राप्तोत्तरे काले व्याधयश्चापि तं तथा।
Next various diseases assail him while he is enchained by his pristine acts.
उपसर्पन्ति जीवन्तं बध्यमानं स्वकर्मभिः॥ तं बद्धमिन्द्रियैः पाशैः संगस्वादुभिरावृतम्।
Bound by the fetters of lust and women and wealth and other sweets of life, various evil practises also approach, him then, O king!
व्यसनान्यपि वर्तन्ते विविधानि नराधिप।॥ बध्यमानश्च तैर्भूयो नैव तृप्तिमुपैति सः।
Caught by these, he never enjoys happiness. At that time he does not obtain the fruit of his acts, right or wrong. They, however, fix their minds on reflection, succeed in protection their souls.
तदा नावैति चैवायं प्रकुर्वन् साध्वसाधु वा॥ तथैव परिरक्षिन्त ये ध्यानपरिनिष्ठितः। अयं न बुध्यते तावद् यमलोकमथागतम्॥
The person overcome by his senses does not know that death has come at his door. At last, dragged by the messengers of the Destroyer, he meets with death at the appointed time.
यमदूतैर्विकृष्यंश्च मृत्यु कालेन गच्छति। वाग्धीनस्य च यन्मात्रमिष्टानिष्टं कृतं मुखे। भूय एवात्मनाऽऽत्मानं बध्यमानमुपेक्षते॥
Overcome by his senses, he does good and evil at the every commencement. Having enjoyed or suffered this fruits of these, he again becomes indifferent to his acts of selfdestruction.
अहो विनिकृतो लोको लोभेन च वशीकृतः। लोभक्रोधभयोन्मत्तो नात्मानमवबुध्यते॥
Alas, the world is deceived, and covetousness subdues it. Deprived of sense by covetousness, anger, and fear, one knows not one's own self!
कुलीनत्वे च रमे दुष्कुलीनान् विकुत्सयन्। धनदर्पण दृप्तश्च दरिद्रान् परिकुत्सयन्॥
Proud of his high birth, one is seen to speak ill of those that are but high born. Elated with pride of wealth, one is seen to hate the poor.
मूर्खानिति परानाहं नात्मानं समवेक्षते। दोषान् क्षिपति चान्येषां नात्मानं शास्तुमिच्छति॥
One considers others as ignorant fools, but seldom gauges his own self. One attributes faults to others, but never wishes to punish his own self.
यदा प्राज्ञाश्च मूर्खाश्च धनवन्तश्च निर्धनाः। कुलीनाश्चाकुलीनाश्च मानिनोऽथाप्यमानिनः॥ सर्वे पितृवनं प्राप्ताः स्वपन्ति विगतत्वचः। निर्मासैरस्थिभूयिष्ठैर्गात्रैः स्नायुनिबन्धनैः॥ विशेष न प्रपश्यन्ति तत्र तेषां परे जनाः। येन प्रत्यवगच्छेयुः कुलरूपविशेषणम्॥
Since the wise and the ignorant, the rich and the poor, the high-born and the low-born, the honored and the dishonored, all go to the place of the dead and sleep there shorn of anxiety, with bodies divested of flesh and full only of bones and dried up tendons, whom amongst then would the survivors regard as standing superior to others and by what marks would they determine the attributes of birth and beauty.
यदा सर्वे समं न्यस्ता: स्वपन्ति धरणीतले। कस्मादन्योन्यमिच्छन्ति प्रलब्धुमिह दुर्बुधाः॥
When all shall sleep likewise on the bare ground, why then should men, foolishly, desire to deceive one another.
प्रत्यक्षं च परोक्षं च यो निशम्य श्रुतिं त्विमाम्। अधुवे जीवलोकेऽस्मिन् यो धर्ममनुपालयन्। जन्मप्रभृति वर्तेत प्राप्नुयात् परमां गतिम्॥
He who, looking at this scriptural injunction with his own eyes or hearing it from others, practises virtue in this unstable world of life and sticks to it from early age, attains to the highest end.
एवं सर्वं विदित्वा वै यस्तत्त्वमनुवर्तते। स प्रमोक्षाय लभते पन्थानं मनुजेश्वर॥
Learning all this, he that sticks to Truth, O king, gets over all paths.”