discourse is,
indeed, charming.'

"Vidura said, 'O Dhritarashtra, O thou of the Bharata race, that ancient
and immortal Rishi Sanat-sujata who, leading a life of perpetual celibacy,
hath said that there is no Death,--that foremost of all intelligent
persons,--will expound to thee all the doubts, in thy mind, both
expressed and unexpressed.'

"Dhritarashtra said, 'Dost thou not know what that immortal Rishi will
say unto me? O Vidura, do thou say it, if indeed, thou hast that degree
of wisdom.'

"Vidura said, 'I am born in the Sudra order and, therefore, do not
venture to say more than what I have already said. The understanding,
however, of that Rishi leading a life of celibacy, is regarded by me to
be infinite. He that is a Brahmana by birth, by discoursing on even the
profoundest mysteries, never incurreth the censure of the gods. It is for
this alone that I do not discourse to thee, upon the subject.'

"Dhritarashtra said, 'Tell me, O Vidura, how with this body of mine I can
meet with that ancient and immortal one?'"

Vaisampayana said, "Then Vidura began to think of that Rishi of rigid
vows. And knowing that he was thought of, the Rishi, O Bharata, showed
himself there. Vidura then received him with the rites prescribed by
ordinance. And when, having rested a while, the Rishi was seated at his
ease, Vidura addressed him, saying, 'O illustrious one, there is a doubt
in Dhritarashtra's mind which is incapable of being explained away by me.
It behooveth thee, therefore, to expound it, so that listening to thy
discourse, this chief of men may tide over all this sorrows, and to that
gain and loss, what is agreeable and what disagreeable, decrepitude and
death, fright and jealously, hunger and thirst, pride and prosperity,
dislike, sleep, lust and wrath, and decrease and increase may all be
borne by him!'"

SECTION XLII

Vaisampayana said, "Then the illustrious and wise king Dhritarashtra,
having applauded the words spoken by Vidura, questioned Sanat-sujata in
secret, desirous of obtaining the highest of all knowledge. And the king
questioned the Rishi saying, 'O Sanat-sujata, I hear that thou art of the
opinion that there is no Death. Again it is said that the gods and the
Asuras, practise ascetic austerities in order to avoid death. Of these
two opinions, then, which is true?'

"Sanat-sujata said, 'Some say, death is avertable by particular acts; in
others' opinion there is no death; thou hast asked me whi