महाभारतम् — ११.२

वैशंपायन उवाच ।

ततोऽमृतसमैर्वाक्यैर्ह्लादयन्पुरुषर्षभम् ।
वैचित्रवीर्यं विदुरो यदुवाच निबोध तत् ॥

M N Dutt Vaishampayana said Listen, O Janamejaya, to the nectar like words that Vidura said to the son of Vichitravirya and by which be pleased that foremost of men.

विदुर उवाच ।

११.२.२

उत्तिष्ठ राजन्किं शेषे धारयात्मानमात्मना ।
स्थिरजङ्गममर्त्यानां सर्वेषामेष निर्णयः ॥

M N Dutt Vidura said Rise, O king! Why are you lying on the Earth. Cheer yourself up. O king, this is the final end of all living creatures.

११.२.३

सर्वे क्षयान्ता निचयाः पतनान्ताः समुच्छ्रयाः ।
संयोगा विप्रयोगान्ता मरणान्तं हि जीवितम् ॥

M N Dutt Everything is liable to destruction; everything that is high is sure to fall down. Union is sure to end in separation; life is sure to end in death.

११.२.४

यदा शूरं च भीरुं च यमः कर्षति भारत ।
तत्किं न योत्स्यन्ति हि ते क्षत्रियाः क्षत्रियर्षभ ॥

M N Dutt The Destroyer, O Bharata, takes both the hero and the coward. Why then, O foremost of Kshatriyas, should not Kshatriyas engage themselves in battle.

११.२.५

अयुध्यमानो म्रियते युध्यमानश्च जीवति ।
कालं प्राप्य महाराज न कश्चिदतिवर्तते ॥

M N Dutt He, who never fights has been seen to die, while he who engaged himself in battle has been seen to escape alive.

११.२.६

न चाप्येतान्हतान्युद्धे राजञ्शोचितुमर्हसि ।
प्रमाणं यदि शास्त्राणि गतास्ते परमां गतिम् ॥

M N Dutt O king, you should not grieve for those who have been killed in battle. If the scriptures are authoritative all of them must have obtained the highest end.

११.२.७

सर्वे स्वाध्यायवन्तो हि सर्वे च चरितव्रताः ।
सर्वे चाभिमुखाः क्षीणास्तत्र का परिदेवना ॥

M N Dutt All of them were well read in the Vedas; all of them had practised vows. All of them have met with death after fighting with the enemy. What is there to be sorry in this.

११.२.८

अदर्शनादापतिताः पुनश्चादर्शनं गताः ।
न ते तव न तेषां त्वं तत्र का परिदेवना ॥

M N Dutt They had been invisible before birth. Having come from that unknown region, they have again become invisible. They are not yours, nor are you theirs. Why should you grieve then for such disappearance?

११.२.९

हतोऽपि लभते स्वर्गं हत्वा च लभते यशः ।
उभयं नो बहुगुणं नास्ति निष्फलता रणे ॥

M N Dutt If killed, one acquires heaven. By killing, fame is acquired. Both of these, produce great merit. Battle, therefore, is not unproductive of good.

११.२.१०

तेषां कामदुघाल्लोकानिन्द्रः संकल्पयिष्यति ।
इन्द्रस्यातिथयो ह्येते भवन्ति पुरुषर्षभ ॥

M N Dutt forsooth, Indra will give them regions capable of granting every wish. These, O foremost of men, become the guests of Indra.

११.२.११

न यज्ञैर्दक्षिणावद्भिर्न तपोभिर्न विद्यया ।
स्वर्गं यान्ति तथा मर्त्या यथा शूरा रणे हताः ॥

M N Dutt By celebrating sacrifice with profuse gifts, by ascetic penances and by learning, men cannot, go so quickly to heaven as heroes killed in battle.

११.२.१२

मातापितृसहस्राणि पुत्रदारशतानि च ।
संसारेष्वनुभूतानि कस्य ते कस्य वा वयम् ॥

M N Dutt In this world a thousand sorts of relationship are made such as mother and father and son and wife. In truth, however, whose are they are whose are we?

११.२.१३

शोकस्थानसहस्राणि भयस्थानशतानि च ।
दिवसे दिवसे मूढमाविशन्ति न पण्डितम् ॥

M N Dutt Thousands of causes spring up daily for sorrow and thousands for fear. These, however, affect the ignorant and not the wise.

११.२.१४

न कालस्य प्रियः कश्चिन्न द्वेष्यः कुरुसत्तम ।
न मध्यस्थः क्वचित्कालः सर्वं कालः प्रकर्षति ॥

M N Dutt There is none dear of hateful to Time, O Kuru chief. Time is indifferent to none. All are equally dragged by time. give up

११.२.१५

अनित्यं जीवितं रूपं यौवनं द्रव्यसंचयः ।
आरोग्यं प्रियसंवासो गृध्येदेषु न पण्डितः ॥

M N Dutt Youth, beauty, life, wealth, health, and friends, are all unstable. The wise will never seek any of these.

११.२.१६

न जानपदिकं दुःखमेकः शोचितुमर्हसि ।
अप्यभावेन युज्येत तच्चास्य न निवर्तते ॥

M N Dutt You should not grieve for what is universal. By indulging in grief a person may himself die, but grief itself by being indulged in, never becomes light.

११.२.१७

अशोचन्प्रतिकुर्वीत यदि पश्येत्पराक्रमम् ।
भैषज्यमेतद्दुःखस्य यदेतन्नानुचिन्तयेत् ।
चिन्त्यमानं हि न व्येति भूयश्चापि विवर्धते ॥

M N Dutt If you feel any grief heavily, it should be overcome by not indulging in it. This is the only remedy for grief, viz., that one should not indulge in it.

११.२.१८

अनिष्टसंप्रयोगाच्च विप्रयोगात्प्रियस्य च ।
मनुष्या मानसैर्दुःखैर्युज्यन्ते येऽल्पबुद्धयः ॥

M N Dutt By indulging in it, one cannot lesson it. On the other hand, it increases when being indulged in. When any evil or when bereavement of some dear one, comes on, only they that are of little intelligence allow their minds to be laden with grief.

११.२.१९

नार्थो न धर्मो न सुखं यदेतदनुशोचसि ।
न च नापैति कार्यार्थात्त्रिवर्गाच्चैव भ्रश्यते ॥

M N Dutt This is neither Profit, nor Religion, nor Happiness, of which you are thinking.

११.२.२०

अन्यामन्यां धनावस्थां प्राप्य वैशेषिकीं नराः ।
असंतुष्टाः प्रमुह्यन्ति संतोषं यान्ति पण्डिताः ॥

M N Dutt The indulgence of grief in the sure means of one's losing one's objects. Through it, one deviates from the three great ends of life. They, who are not contented are stupefied by the vicissitudes of fortune. The wise, are, on the other hand, unaffected by such changes. One should destroy mental grief by wisdom, as physical grief should be destroyed by medicine. Wisdom has this power. They, however, that are foolish, can never acquire equanimity of mind.

११.२.२१

प्रज्ञया मानसं दुःखं हन्याच्छारीरमौषधैः ।
एतज्ज्ञानस्य सामर्थ्यं न बालैः समतामियात् ॥

११.२.२२

शयानं चानुशयति तिष्ठन्तं चानुतिष्ठति ।
अनुधावति धावन्तं कर्म पूर्वकृतं नरम् ॥

M N Dutt Pristine actions closely follow a man, so much so that they lie by him when he lies down, stand by him when he stands, and run with him when he runs.

११.२.२३

यस्यां यस्यामवस्थायां यत्करोति शुभाशुभम् ।
तस्यां तस्यामवस्थायां तत्तत्फलमुपाश्नुते ॥

M N Dutt As a man acts well or ill, so he enjoys or suffers the fruit thereof.

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