Vidura Niti

[Satyamavejayanti]

Just some quotes from Vidura Niti, when he was called to advise on right conduct to King Dhritarashtra extracted from Mahabharata.

Comments appreciated.

He that is not served from the high ends of
life by the aid of self-knowledge, exertion,
forbearance and steadiness in virtue, is called
wise.

These again are the marks of a wise man,
viz., adherence to acts, worthy of praise and
rejection of what is blamable, faith, and
reverence.

He whom neither anger nor joy, nor pride,
nor false modesty, nor stupefaction, nor
vanity, can draw away from the high ends of
life, is considered as wise

He whose intended acts, and proposed
counsels remain concealed from foes, and
whose acts become known only after they
have been done, is considered wise.

He whose proposed actions are never
obstructed by heat or cold, fear of
attachment, prosperity or adversity, is
considered wise.

He whose judgment dissociated from desire,
followeth both virtue and profit, and who
disregarding pleasure chooseth such ends as
are serviceable in both worlds, is considered
wise.

They that exert to the best of their might, and
act also to the best of their might, and
disregard nothing as insignificant, are called
wise.

He that understandeth quickly, listeneth
patiently, pursueth his objects with
judgment and not from desire and spendeth
not his breath on the affairs of others without
being asked, is said to possess the foremost
mark of wisdom.

They that do not strive for objects that are
unattainable, that do not grieve for what is
lost and gone, that do not suffer their minds
to be clouded amid calamities, are regarded
to possess intellects endued with wisdom.

To be cont...

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

He who striveth, having commenced
anything, till it is completed, who never
wasteth his time, and who hath his soul
under control, is regarded wise

They that are wise, O bull of the Bharata
race (King), always delight in honest deeds, do
what tendeth to their happiness and
prosperity, and never sneer at what is good

He who exulteth not at honours, and
grieveth not at slights, and remaineth cool
and unagitated like a lake in the course of
Ganga, is reckoned as wise.

That man who knoweth the nature of all
creatures (viz., that everything is subject to
destruction), who is cognisant also of the
connections of all acts, and who is proficient
in the knowledge of the means that men may
resort to (for attaining their objects), is
reckoned as wise.

He who speaketh boldly, can converse on
various subjects, knoweth the science of
argumentation, possesseth genius, and can
interpret the meaning of what is writ in
books, is reckoned as wise.

He whose studies are regulated by reason,
and whose reason followeth the scriptures,
and who never abstaineth from paying
respect to those that are good, is called a
wise man.

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Now about the opposite to the above.

He, on the other hand, who is ignorant of
scripture yet vain, poor yet proud, and who
resorteth to unfair means for the acquisition
of his objects, is a fool.

He who, forsaking his own, concerneth
himself with the objects of others, and who
practiseth deceitful means for serving his
friends, is called a fool.

He who wisheth for those things that should
not be desired, and forsaketh those that may
legitimately be desired, and who beareth
malice to those that are powerful, is regarded
to be a foolish soul.

He who regardeth his foe as his friend, who
hateth and beareth malice to his friend, and
who committeth wicked deeds, is said to be a
person of foolish soul.

O bull of the Bharata race (King), he who divulgeth
his projects, doubteth in all things, and
spendeth a long time in doing what
requireth a short time, is a fool.

He who doth not perform the Sraddha for
the Pitris, nor worshippeth the deities, nor
acquireth noble-minded friends, is said to be
a person of foolish soul.

That worst of men who entereth a place
uninvited, and talketh much without being
asked, and reposeth trust on untrustworthy
wights, is a fool.

That man who being himself guilty casteth
the blame on others, and who though
impotent giveth vent to anger, is the most
foolish of men.

That man, who, without knowing his own
strength and dissociated from both virtue
and profit, desireth an object difficult of
acquisition, without again adopting
adequate means, is said to be destitute of
intelligence.

To be cont..

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

O king, he who punisheth one that is
undeserving of punishment, payeth homage
to persons without their knowledge, and
waiteth upon misers, is said to be of little
sense.

But he that, having attained immense wealth
and prosperity or acquired (vast) learning,
doth not bear himself haughtily, is reckoned
as wise.

Who, again, is more heartless than he, who,
though possessed of affluence, eateth himself
and weareth excellent robes himself without
distributing his wealth among his
dependents?

While one person committeth sins, many
reap the advantage resulting therefrom; (yet
in the end) it is the doer alone to whom the
sin attacheth while those that enjoy the fruit
escape unhurt.

When a bowman shooteth an arrow, he may
or may not succeed in slaying even a single
person, but when an intelligent individual
applieth his intelligence (viciously); it may
destroy an entire kingdom with the king.

Discriminating the two (what is to be done
and what is not to be done) by means of the
one (the intellect), bring under thy subjection
the three (friend, enenmy and the neutral
person) by means of four (the four means of
success against an enemy – sama,
reconciliation or negotiation; dana, bribery;
bheda, sowing dissensions and danda,
punishment), and also conquering the five
(senses of perception) and knowing the six
(six expedients to be used in foeign politics –
sandhi, vigraha, yana, aasana, dvaidhibhava and
samshraya) and abstaining from the seven
(woman, gambling, hunting, intoxicants, harsh
speech, harsh punishment and amassing wealth
using unjust means), be happy.

Poison slayeth but one person, and a weapon
also but one; wicked counsels, however,destroy an entire kingdom with king and subject.

There is one only defect in forgiving persons,
and not another; that defect is that people
take a forgiving person to be weak.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Sumit]

Great, thanks for posting.

 

[ratikala]

Just some quotes from Vidura Niti, when he was called to advise on right conduct to King Dhritarashtra extracted from Mahabharata.

Comments appreciated

He whose intended acts, and proposed
counsels remain concealed from foes, and
whose acts become known only after they
have been done, is considered wise.

this is one of my favorites

He whose judgment dissociated from desire,
followeth both virtue and profit, and who
disregarding pleasure chooseth such ends as
are serviceable in both worlds, is considered
wise.

and this was Dhritarashtas weakness , his attatchment to his family which clouded his vision when it came to understanding his own dharma .

He that understandeth quickly, listeneth
patiently, pursueth his objects with
judgment and not from desire and spendeth
not his breath on the affairs of others without
being asked, is said to possess the foremost
mark of wisdom.

and may this blessing be bestowed upon all sincere readers
namaskaram :namaste


Vidura give good councel but sadly King Dhritarashtra is weak and did not understand his dharma ,
thank you for posting these beautifull verses ,
is there any thing in particular you would like comments upon ?
namaskaram :namaste

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

is there any thing in particular you would like comments upon ?
namaskaram :namaste

Dhanyavad Mata Ji,

Nothing in particular that i need comments on, mostly i just wanted people to appreciate and be aware of such great Philosophy.

King Dhritarashtra i think represent many people now days who out of weakness/Laziness do not do their prescribed duties, I think we all can take a few words from Vidura and apply them to our lives.

It is also amazing to see the standards that were set for people in the days of the Mahabharata.

Dhanyavad again Mata Ji.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram satyamevajayanti :namaste

Dhanyavad Mata Ji,

Nothing in particular that i need comments on, mostly i just wanted people to appreciate and be aware of such great Philosophy.

King Dhritarashtra i think represent many people now days who out of weakness/Laziness do not do their prescribed duties, I think we all can take a few words from Vidura and apply them to our lives.

It is also amazing to see the standards that were set for people in the days of the Mahabharata.

Dhanyavad again Mata Ji.

jai jai , there is only one standard dharma (as in truth) ... and no matter how short we fall of it there is only one standard to aim for

I love the mahabarata , so much we have to learn and so much to aspire to .

tomorow I hope I will have time to quote you a little from a favorite chapter .

thankyou for quoting :namaste

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

namaskaram satyamevajayanti :namaste

tomorow I hope I will have time to quote you a little from a favorite chapter .

thankyou for quoting :namaste

That should be great Mata Ji, i have downloaded a PDF translation of the Mahabharata and it is going to be on my reading list after the Tirukkural.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram :namaste

That should be great Mata Ji, i have downloaded a PDF translation of the Mahabharata and it is going to be on my reading list after the Tirukkural.

ah then I canot quote you my favorite parts , ...it will spoil it for you as my most favorite part is the end , but intruth I love it all , there is so much hidden meaning so very much depends upon ones state of mind when reading it but also so much instruction for us and with what mind we should cary out our own dharma .

for this reason I very much like the chapter you quoted and also 'Bheeshma's instructions on the Dharma of kings' , which equaly one can aply to any position of responcibility . he tells that once upon a time man was rightious and rulers were not needed , but that as time passed the mind of man became clouded and that his natural sence of right and wrong became contaminated by eror , first covetousness entered his heart followed by lust , and as lust follows covetousness , wrath follows lust .... ( equaly this is the basis of lord buddhas teachings ..'the three poisons' the realisation of which was the cause of his enlightenment and the basis of his teachings )
at this point even the gods began to fear that Brahma's creation would be its own undoing , the gods beseached Brahma to interveine . Brahma then composed a treatise composed of one hundred thousand lessons in this he layed out rules for the ordering of society , giving discourses on Dharma , Artha, Kama and Moksha Brahma layed out a system of laws and chastisement calling it ' Dandaneeti 'and for this reason there are rulers and kings who have the responciblity of governing society and maintaining rightiousness . .....the rest you must read I do not want to spoil it .

which version have you found on line ?

I shall be happy to hear your thoughts as you read :namaste

 

[Viraja]

At Vijay TV (Tamil) I used to watch the 2+ yr long 'Vidura Niti' - the show's name is 'Bharathathil Dharmam' ('Dharma' in Mahabharatha). It is rendered by the extremely devout Sri. U.Ve.Velukkudi Krishnan swami.

One can watch all these episodes for free at Bharathathil Dharmam - YouTube

Ofcourse, one needs to know Tamil.

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

namaskaram :namaste


ah then I canot quote you my favorite parts , ...it will spoil it for you as my most favorite part is the end , but intruth I love it all , there is so much hidden meaning so very much depends upon ones state of mind when reading it but also so much instruction for us and with what mind we should cary out our own dharma .

for this reason I very much like the chapter you quoted and also 'Bheeshma's instructions on the Dharma of kings' , which equaly one can aply to any position of responcibility . he tells that once upon a time man was rightious and rulers were not needed , but that as time passed the mind of man became clouded and that his natural sence of right and wrong became contaminated by eror , first covetousness entered his heart followed by lust , and as lust follows covetousness , wrath follows lust .... ( equaly this is the basis of lord buddhas teachings ..'the three poisons' the realisation of which was the cause of his enlightenment and the basis of his teachings )
at this point even the gods began to fear that Brahma's creation would be its own undoing , the gods beseached Brahma to interveine . Brahma then composed a treatise composed of one hundred thousand lessons in this he layed out rules for the ordering of society , giving discourses on Dharma , Artha, Kama and Moksha Brahma layed out a system of laws and chastisement calling it ' Dandaneeti 'and for this reason there are rulers and kings who have the responciblity of governing society and maintaining rightiousness . .....the rest you must read I do not want to spoil it .

which version have you found on line ?

I shall be happy to hear your thoughts as you read :namaste

Ah, now i cant wait to get to the end..

Bheeshmas teachings are the ones im looking forward to as well.

i have found one on sacred text .com, by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
[1883-1896]. it is a 5818 page PDF, its gonna be a long read.

Dhanyavad Mata Ji

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

More quotes.

From Vidura Niti.

Alone one should not partake of any savoury
viand, nor alone reflect on concerns of profit,
nor alone go upon a journey, nor alone
remain awake among sleeping companions.

That Being who is One without a second,
and whom, O king, thou hast not been able
to comprehend, is Truth's self, and the Way
to heaven, even like a boat in the ocean.

(Defect of forgiveness- i mussed this one when posting earlier)
That defect, however, should not be taken
into consideration, for forgiveness is a great
power. Forgiveness is a virtue of the weak,
and an ornament of the strong.

Forgiveness subdueth (all) in this world;
what is there that forgiveness cannot
achieve? What can a wicked person do unto
him who carrieth the sabre of forgiveness in
his hand?

Fire falling on a grassless ground is
extinguished of itself. And unforgiving
individual defileth himself with many
enormities.

Righteousness is the one highest good; and
forgiveness is the one supreme peace;
knowledge is one supreme contentment; and
benevolence, one sole happiness.

Even as a serpent devoureth animals living
in holes, the earth devoureth these two, viz.,
a king who is incompetent to fight, and a
Brahmana who doth not sojourn to holy
places.

A man may attain renown in this world by
doing two things, viz., by refraining from
harsh speech, and by disregarding those that
are wicked.

O tiger among men, these two have not a
will of their own, viz., those women who
covet men simply because the latter are
coveted by others of their sex, and that person who worships another simply
because the latter is worshipped by others.

These two are like sharp thorns afflicting the
body, viz., the desires of a poor man, and the
anger of the impotent.

To be cont..

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

These two persons never shine because of
their incompatible acts, viz., a householder
without exertion, and a beggar busied in
schemes.

These two, O king, live (as it were) in a
region higher than heaven itself, viz., a man
of power endued with forgiveness, and poor
man that is charitable.

Of things honestly got, these two must be
looked upon as misuse, viz., making gifts to
the unworthy and refusing the worthy.

These two should be thrown into the water,
tightly binding weights to their necks, viz., a
wealthy man that doth not give away, and a
poor man that is proud.

These two, O tiger among men, can pierce
the orb itself of the sun, viz., a mendicant
accomplished in yoga, and a warrior that
hath fallen in open fight.

O bull of the Bharata race, persons versed in
the Vedas have said that men's means are
good, middling, and bad.

Men also, O king, are good, indifferent, and
bad. They should, therefore, be respectively
employed in that kind of work for which
they may be fit.

These three, O king, cannot have wealth of
their own, viz., the wife, the slave, and the
son, and whatever may be earned by them
would be his to whom they belong.

Great fear springeth from these three crimes,
viz., theft of other's property, outrage on
other's wives, and breach with friend.

These three, besides, being destructive to
one's own self, are the gates of hell, viz., lust, anger, and covetousness. Therefore, every
one should renounce them.

Verily, O Bharata, liberating a foe from
distress, alone amounteth in point of merit,
to these three taken together, viz., conferring
a boon, acquiring a kingdom, and obtaining
a son.

These three should never be forsaken even in
imminent danger, viz., a follower, one who
seeks protection, saying,--I am thine,--and
lastly one who hath come to your abode.

Learned men have declared that a king,
although powerful, should never consult
with these four, viz., men of small sense,
men that are procrastinating, men that are
indolent, and men that are flatterers.

O sire, crowned with prosperity and leading
the life of a householder, let these four dwell
with thee, viz., old consanguineous,
relatives, highborn
persons fallen into
adversity, poor friends, and issueless sisters.

To be Cont...

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

Adhyaya 34 Vidura Niti. Some quotes (Not the complete Adhyaya)

"Dhritarashtra said, 'Tell me what may be
done by a person that is sleepless and
burning with anxieties, for thou alone
amongst us, O child, art versed in both
religion and profit. Advise me wisely, O
Vidura.

O thou of magnanimous heart, tell me what
is thou deemest to be beneficial for
Ajatasatru and what is productive of good to the Kurus. Apprehending future evils, I look
back only on my previous guilt: I ask thee
with anxious heart, O learned one, tell me
what is exactly in Ajatasatru's mind’.

"Vidura said, 'Even if unasked, one should
speak truly, whether his words be good or
bad, hateful or pleasing, unto him whose
defeat one doth not wish.

I shall, therefore, say, O king, what is for the
good of the Kurus. I shall say what is both
beneficial and consistent with morality.
Listen to me.

Do not, O Bharata, set the heart upon means
of success that are unjust and improper. A
man of intelligence must not grieve if any
purpose of his doth not succeed,
notwithstanding the application of fair and
proper means.

Before one engageth in an act, one should
consider the competence of the agent, the
nature of the act itself, and its purpose, for all
acts are dependent on these. Considering
these one should begin an act, and not take it
up on a sudden impulse.

He that is wise should either do an act or
desist from it fully considering his own
ability, the nature of the act, and the
consequence also of success.

The king, who knoweth not proportion or
measure as regards territory, gain, loss,
treasury, population, and punishment,
cannot retain his kingdom long.

He, on the other hand, who is acquainted
with the measures of these as prescribed in treatises, being necessarily possessed of the
knowledge of religion and profit, can retain
his kingdom.

As the stars are affected by the planets, so is
this world affected by the senses, when they
are directed, uncontrolled, to their respective
objects.

Like the moon during the lighted fortnight,
calamities increase in respect of him who is
vanquished by the five senses in their natural
state, which ever lead him towards various
acts.

He who wisheth to control his counsellors
before controlling his own self, or to subdue
his adversaries before controlling his
counsellors, at last succumbs deprived of
strength.

He, therefore, who first subdueth his own
self regarding it as a foe, never faileth to
subdue his counsellors and adversaries at
last.

Great prosperity waiteth upon him who hath
subdued his senses, or controlled his soul, or
who is capable of punishing all offenders, or
who acteth with judgment or who is blessed
with patience.

One's body, O king, is one's car; the soul
within is the driver; and the senses are its
steeds. Drawn by those excellent steeds,
when well-trained, he that is wise, pleasantly
performeth the journey of life, and awake in
peace.

The horses that are unbroken and incapable
of being controlled, always lead an unskillful
driver to destruction in the course of the journey; so one's senses, unsubdued, lead
only to destruction.

The inexperienced wight, who, led by this
unsubdued senses, hopeth to extract evil
from good and good from evil, necessarily
confoundeth misery with happiness.

To be Cont..

 

[Satyamavejayanti]

He, who, forsaking religion and profit,
followeth the lead of his senses, loseth
without delay prosperity, life, wealth and
wife.

He, who is the master of riches but not of his
senses, certainly loseth his riches in
consequence of his want of mastery over his
senses.

One should seek to know one's self by means
of one's own self, controlling one's mind,
intellect, and senses, for one's self is one's
friend as, indeed, it is one's own foe. That
man, who hath conquered self by means of
self, hath his self for a friend, for one's self is
ever one's friend or foe.

Desire and anger, O king, break through
wisdom, just as a large fish breaks through a
net of thin cords.

He, who in this world regarding both
religion and profit, seeketh to acquire the
means of success, winneth happiness,
possessing all he had sought.

He, who, without subduing his five inner
foes of mental origin, wisheth to vanquish
other adversaries, is, in fact, overpowered by
the latter.

It is seen that many evil-minded kings,
owing to want of mastery over their senses, are ruined by acts of their own, occasioned
by the lust of territory.

As fuel that is wet burneth with that which is
dry, so a sinless man is punished equally
with the sinful in consequence of constant
association with the latter.

Therefore, friendship with the sinful should
be avoided. He that, from ignorance, faileth
to control his five greedy foes, having five
distinct objects, is overwhelmed by
calamities.

Guilelessness and simplicity, purity and
contentment, sweetness of speech and selfrestraint,
truth and steadiness,--these are
never the attributes of the wicked.

Self-knowledge and steadiness, patience and
devotion to virtue, competence to keep
counsels and charity,--these,--O Bharata,
never exist in inferior men.

Fools seek to injure the wise by false
reproaches and evil speeches, The consequence is, that by this they take upon
themselves the sins of the wise, while the
latter, freed from their sins, are forgiven.

In malice lieth the strength of the wicked; in
criminal code, the strength of kings, in
attentions of the weak and of women; and in
forgiveness that of the virtuous.

To control speech, O king, is said to be most
difficult. It is not easy to hold a long
conversation uttering words full of meaning
and delightful to the hearers.

Well-spoken speech is productive of many
beneficial results; and ill-spoken speech, O
king, is the cause of evils.

A forest pierced by arrows, or cut down by
hatchets may again grow, but one's heart
wounded and censured by ill-spoken words
never recovereth.

Weapons, such as arrows, bullets, and
bearded darts, can be easily extracted from
the body, but a wordy dagger plunged deep
into the heart is incapable of being taken out.

Wordy arrows are shot from the mouth;
smitten by them one grieveth day and night.
A learned man should not discharge such
arrows, for do they not touch the very vitals
of others.

He, to whom the gods ordain defeat, hath his
senses taken away, and it is for this that he
stoopeth to ignoble deeds.

When the intellect becometh dim and
destruction is nigh, wrong, looking like right,
firmly sticketh to the heart.

Thou dost not clearly see it, O bull of the
Bharata race, that clouded intellect hath now
possessed thy sons in consequence of their
hostility to the Pandavas.

Endued with every auspicious mark and
deserving to rule the three worlds,
Yudhishthira is obedient to thy commands.

Let him, O Dhritarashtra, rule the earth, to
the exclusion of all thy sons, Yudhishthira is
the foremost of all thy heirs. Endued with
energy and wisdom, and acquainted with
the truths of religion and profit,
Yudhishthira, that foremost of righteous
men, hath, O king of kings, suffered much
misery out of kindness and sympathy, in
order to preserve thy reputation."

(LOL...we have the complete Adyaya, it was hard to stop.)