Mahabharata Udyoga Parva Chapter 33:3

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Mahabharata Udyoga Parva Chapter 33:3


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, 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. 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 by means of the one, bring under thy subjection the three by means of four, and also conquering the five and knowing the six, and abstaining from the seven, be happy. Poison slayeth but one person, and a weapon also but one; wicked counsels, however, destroy an entire kingdom with king and subject. 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. There is one only defect in forgiving persons, and not another; that defect is that people take a forgiving person to be weak. 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?

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