re, preserving thy fame
unsullied, cherish thou the children of Pandu, afflicted as they are with
the sufferings of exile. O descendant of Kuru, make peace with the sons
of Pandu. Let not thy foes discover thy holes. They all, O god among men,
are devoted to truth. O king of men, withdraw Duryodhana from his evil
ways.'"

SECTION XXXVII

"Vidura said, 'O son of Vichitravirya, Manu, the son of the Self-created,
hath, O king, spoken of the following seven and ten kinds of men, as
those that strike empty space with their fists, or seek to bend the
vapoury bow of Indra in the sky, or desire to catch the intangible rays
of the sun. These seven and ten kinds of foolish men are as follow: he
who seeketh to control a person that is incapable of being controlled; he
who is content with small gains; he who humbly pays court to enemies; he
who seeks to restrain women's frailty; he who asketh him for gifts who
should never be asked; he who boasteth, having done anything; he who,
born in a high family, perpetrateth an improper deed; he who being weak
always wageth hostilities with one that is powerful; he who talketh to a
person listening scoffingly; he who desireth to have that which is
unattainable; he who being a father-in-law, jesteth with his
daughter-in-law; he who boasteth at having his alarms dispelled by his
daughter-in-law; he who scattereth his own seeds in another's field; he
who speaketh ill of his own wife; he who having received anything from
another sayeth that he doth not remember it, he who, having given away
anything in words in holy places, boasteth at home when asked to make
good his words, and he who striveth to prove the truth of what is false.
The envoys of Yama, with nooses in hand, drag those persons to hell. One
should behave towards another just as that other behaveth towards him.
Even this is consistent with social polity. One may behave deceitfully
towards him that behaveth deceitfully, but honestly towards him that is
honest in his behaviour. Old age killeth beauty; patience, hope; death,
life; the practice of virtue, worldly enjoyments; lust, modesty;
companionship with the wicked, good behaviour; anger, prosperity; and
pride, everything.'

"Dhritarashtra said, 'Man hath been spoken of in all the Vedas as having
hundred years for the period of his life. For what reason then, do not
all men attain the allotted period?'

"Vidura said, 'Excess of pride, excess in speech, excess in eating,
anger,