Sanjaya reaching the palace of Dhritarastra announced himself. He was immediately brought into the presence of the king who was eagerly awaiting his return. Sanjaya said, "Pandavas prostrate themselves before you and enquired about your welfare and of their mother Gandhari and Duryodhana and his brothers. I am very tired of the long journey I beg you leave to retire tonight. Tomorrow in the court I shall deliver the message given by the Pandavas." Saying this Sanjaya went away. Hearing the words of Sanjaya, the king was distressed. He sent for Vidura. Vidura came to the king. The king said, "Sanjaya spoke harsh words to me. I do not think everything is right. I am very much disturbed and I cannot sleep even."

Vidura said, "those who covet wives of other, thieves those who have lost their wealth, or who are worried their wealth may be lost, an unsuccessful man, a weak man oppressed by the strong " these five types of men cannot sleep. But certainly you do not count among them. The sarcasm was not lost to the king. But he asked how could he sleep. Vidura said, "Only by forsaking the path of sin and taking the path of Dharma can you sleep. Return the kingdom of the Pandavas taken unlawfully."

The king then wanted to know how a wise man differs from a foolish once. Vidura said, A wise man seeks higher things in life, aspires for ideals. Self-knowledge, striving, forbearances, Perseverance and steadiness are his qualities. Anger, joy, false modesty, pride and vanity do not deter him from his path. He acts in a way so as to ensure his well being in this world and in the other. He is not swayed by honor or dishonor. He remains calm, cool and serene like Ganga. A fool, on the other hand shuns the scriptures, treads the path of unrighteousness, he is envious, desires to much. One who commits the sin, only he suffers the consequences, not those with whom he had enjoyed the fruits of sin."

Vidura further said, A wise king should be able to discriminate between right and wrong with the help of his intelligence. He should keep control over friend, stranger and enemy by gift, conciliation, disunion and punishment. He should conquer the five senses, know six arts of statecraft viz., treaty, warfare etc. and abstain from women, dice, hunting, harshness in speech, drinking, severity of punishment and waste of wealth.

Vidura continued, "Poison kills one, so does a weapon but evil counsels destroy the entire kingdom. Highest good is Dharma. Supreme peace is forgiveness. Supreme contentment is knowledge. Supreme happiness is benevolence. Two things can make a king great " avoidance of the wicked people and harshness in punishment. Three crimes are wicked, thievery, violation of another man's wife and practising deception on friends. Lust, Anger and Greed destroy a man's soul. A follower, one who seeks shelter and one who come to house these three must be protected. Consuls of small-minded men, procrastinators those who are lazy and those who flatter should never be taken nor needed.

Father, Mother, Teacher, fire and soul are always to be worshipped. Sleep, drowsiness, fear, anger, laziness and procrastination should always be avoided by a King." Truth, Charity, diligence, benevolence forgiveness and patience should never be given up. A king should give up seven faults of drinking, women etc.

Wisdom, high birth, learning, self-restraint, might, moderation in speech, gifts and gratitude makes a king great. This human body has nine gates, three pillars, five witnesses and one controller, the soul.One who knows this is wise. These ten do not understand virtue " the drunk, the inattentive, the raving, the tired, the angry, the starving, the dejected, the covetous, the frightened and the lustful."

Vidura went further and said," Who does not grieve in a calamity, and who does his best and keep his senses under control " in the face of such a calamity and bears the mighty with patience is foremost among the men. One who is kind to all, has malice towards none. Does not talk arrogantly, forgives in a quarrel is praised everywhere. King should collect taxes as a bee collects honey from the flowers without harming them. A wise man should learn good behaviour, good words and good acts from all. Virtue is preserved by truthfulness, learning by application, beauty by cleansing the body, high lineage by character.

A man envious of others wealth, beauty, might, high birth, happiness, good fortune and honors " suffers from a disease which has no cure. Vidura further went on, A king should subdue his senses first, treating them as enemies. Then he can easily control his counsellors. Eventually he can control his enemies. Such Kings find great prosperity". Body of a man is like a chariot. Soul is its driver and senses are the horses to draw it. When the senses are well trained like good horses,the journey of life becomes smooth. If senses are not under control they lead to destruction of the body and the self. It is said that the control of speech is the most difficult. One ill spoken word may cause a wound, which cannot be healed. To those, whom gods wish to destroy, first take their senses away. The intelligence is clouded and that leads to defeat. Kindness to creature is as holy or even holier than ablutions at all the holy places.

A wellborn person is tested by his department,an honest by his conduct, and a brave man is put to test in the time of panic. One who has control over the self is tested during poverty. Friends and foes are tested in the times of calamity and danger. The eight path of righteousness are: Sacrifice, Study, asceticism, gift, truth, forgiveness, mercy and contentment. The first four can be found in those who are arrogant but the last four can only be practiced by only those who are truly great.

One should work during the day in such a manner, he may sleep during the night peacefully. Work done during the eight months should be such as to enable one to pass the four months of rainy seasons, happily. Work during the youth should enable one to pass the old age contentedly. Life should be so conducted that after life become happy.

Tranquility should be used to make one simple, passions should be controlled, and true religion be practiced.

One should not quarrel with friends. Low and vile should be avoided. Nobility should be brought in one's conduct and arrogance should be shunned. Harsh and angry words do not behave a noble person. Silence is golden. If one must speak, the truth should be spoken, it should be agreeable, it is even better if it is moral also.
Asceticism, self-restraint, knowledge, Sacrifices, pure marriages and gift of food " these are the characteristics of a high family.

Death and birth repeat themselves, men grow old and are born anew again, they ask and they are asked, they lament and they are lamented, happiness and misery, plenty and dearth are cyclic in nature. Whose senses are steadied neither grieves not is elated by these.

Anger is bitter, acidic and scalding drink. Its consequences are painful. Only wise can swallow it, not those who lack in wisdom. Excess of pride, speech, eating, anger, and desire for enjoyments and intestinal disorders are sharp knives which cut short one's life.

Kings have strength in

Arms "which is of inferior order, good counsellors " are of second type of strength, wealth is the third type of strength, birth is of fourth type. But superior to all these, by which all these can be won, is the strength of intelligence.

One who can control anger, to whom mud, stone and gold are the same, who is indifferent to what is agreeable or what is disagreeable " like perfectly withdrawn from the world is a real yogi. Forsake what is transient and fleeting, cling to what is permanent and everlasting, remain content. Pleasure and pain are transitory. Virtue and truth are everlasting. Contentment is the greatest attainment, Nothing remains to be attained after one attains to this.

Dhristarastra said Vidura, I am yet not satisfied. Tell me more about the soul. Vidura said, My lord, being low born this subject is beyond my comprehension. I shall request the ancient rishis Sanak etc to tell you about this Subject." Vidura meditated and the great rishi Sanata was there.

Dhritarastra asked the great Sage about his doubts, about death and the Brahman. Sanata said, the learned say that ignorance is death. So, knowledge is immortality. Immortality can be gained by pursuit of true knowledge or the Brahmin. At the command of Yama, the lord of death, ignorance, Covetousness and anger arise among men. Men are led astray on the path of unrighteousness. They forget their true nature. Swayed by their passions and their understanding clouded men cast all their bodies and attain to death again and again. They are followed by their senses. It is that ignorance which is death. As the desires of men, who are attached to the sensory pleasures are never fulfilled, they remain attached to the earthy pleasures and as a result they come again and again to this mortal world in the cycle of birth and death.

The pursuit of the unreal and the illusory causes the senses to be led astray. Desire first enters a man, then wrath and lust find abode in him. These three lead the deluded man to "death". Those who know the truth, are in control of their senses, they escape death. Yama cannot touch such men. The soul, when associated with lust, anger and ignorance is said to meet with death.

Dhritarastra asked: "What is the object of tapa? What is mauna?" Of the two kinds of Mauna (silence), restraint of speech and meditation, which is superior? Can one reach the state of quietude and attain emancipation by mauna? How should one practice mauna?

Sanata! "One can attain, through tapa or mauna, that which is beyond the reach of speech or mind. Mauna is not to restraint the speech, it means absolute restraint of senses and the mind. It means losing consciousness of subjective as well as the objective and concentration of consciousness on Brahman alone. "AUM" in the Vedas represents Brahma. There are six kinds of renunciations: not to be joyous on obtaining something, giving up the fruits of sacrifices, prayers and good acts. Withdrawing from the world through renunciation of all desires, not to grieve nor to feel pain on any disappointment not to be attached to one's sons, wives or wealth and to give to the deserving. Thus freedom from desires lead to the true knowledge, to deathlessness and to Brahman."

Dhritarastra: "It is said that a wise man, perceives Brahman in one's soul. What is the true form and color of this Brahma?"

Sanata: "It is not capable of being seen nor it can be imagined. It is the very base of this entire universe. All beings spring from it and then return to it. It is free from duality, it manifests itself as universe, it is all pervading unchanging, unmutable, everlasting, without any beginning or the end. Those who know THAT in which this universe is established is blessed indeed."