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विषात् अग्नेः च बोद्धव्यम् इति मां विदुरः अब्रवीत्viṣāt agneḥ ca boddhavyam iti māṃ viduraḥ abravīt"'beware of poison and of fire' — thus Vidura said to me;
पन्थाः च वः न अविदितः कः चित् स्यात् इति च अब्रवीत्panthāḥ ca vaḥ na aviditaḥ kaḥ cit syāt iti ca abravītand 'let no path whatsoever be unknown to you' — thus he said;
जितेन्द्रियः च वसुधां प्राप्स्यसि इति च मा अब्रवीत्jitendriyaḥ ca vasudhāṃ prāpsyasi iti ca mā abravītand 'having conquered your senses, you shall obtain the earth' — thus he said to me;
विज्ञातम् इति तत् सर्वम् इति उक्तः विदुरः मयाvijñātam iti tat sarvam iti uktaḥ viduraḥ mayā'it is understood' — thus was Vidura answered by me"
अष्टमे अहनि रोहिण्यां प्रयाताः फल्गुनस्य तेaṣṭame ahani rohiṇyāṃ prayātāḥ phalgunasya teon the eighth day, under Rohini, of the month of Phalguna, having set out, they,
वारणावतम् आसाद्य ददृशुः नागरं जनम्vāraṇāvatam āsādya dadṛśuḥ nāgaraṃ janamreaching Varanavata, saw the people of the city
युधिष्ठिरyudhiṣṭhiraoriginal form "yudhiṣṭhira", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विषाद्viṣādoriginal form "viṣād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अग्नेश्agneśoriginal form "agneś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विदुरोvidurooriginal form "viduro", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽब्रवीत्'bravītoriginal form "'bravīt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पन्थाश्panthāśoriginal form "panthāś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वोvooriginal form "vo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाविदितःnāviditaḥoriginal form "nāviditaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कश्kaśoriginal form "kaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्याद्syādoriginal form "syād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चाब्रवीत्cābravītoriginal form "cābravīt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जितेन्द्रियश्jitendriyaśoriginal form "jitendriyaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्राप्स्यसीतिprāpsyasītioriginal form "prāpsyasīti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
माब्रवीत्mābravītoriginal form "mābravīt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इत्य्ityoriginal form "ity", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उक्तोuktooriginal form "ukto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विदुरोvidurooriginal form "viduro", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽहनि'hanioriginal form "'hani", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ददृशुर्dadṛśuroriginal form "dadṛśur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Yudhishthira discloses the plain meaning of Vidura's allusive speech — and thereby reveals his own understanding. Telling is how concisely the warning is compressed: "beware of poison and fire; know all the paths [of escape]; having conquered your senses, you shall obtain the earth." Here are three pillars of the righteous man's deliverance: vigilance toward danger, knowledge of the paths of escape, and self-mastery. Especially telling is the last — "having conquered your senses, you shall obtain the earth" (jitendriyaḥ vasudhāṃ prāpsyasi): not strength alone but mastery over oneself grants both deliverance and dominion; whoever has conquered himself, to him the world too submits. Here is a beloved truth of scripture: self-mastery is the root of every victory, both outward and inward. Thus the scripture, having brought the Pandavas to the gates of Varanavata, arms them not with weapons but with the wisdom of the devoted Vidura — and under the protection of this wisdom they will enter the trap only to come out of it alive.