ack their prosperity, cherish despair, which is fruitless and
destructive of one's purposes. Thou hast ability and eyes. Thou seest
that manliness dwelleth in us. It is because thou hast adopted a life of
peace that thou feelest not this distress. These Dhritarashtras regard
us who are forgiving, as really incompetent. This, O king, grieveth me
more than death in battle. If we all die in fair fight without turning
our backs on the foe, even that would be better than this exile, for
then we should obtain regions of bliss in the other world. Or, if, O
bull of the Bharata race, having slain them all, we acquire the entire
earth, that would be prosperity worth the trial. We who ever adhere to
the customs of our order, who ever desire grand achievements, who wish
to avenge our wrongs, have this for our bounden duty. Our kingdom
wrested from us, if we engage in battle, our deeds when known to the
world will procure for us fame and not slander. And that virtue, O king,
which tortureth one's own self and friends, is really no virtue. It is
rather vice, producing calamities. Virtue is sometimes also the weakness
of men. And though such a man might ever be engaged in the practice of
virtue, yet both virtue and profit forsake him, like pleasure and pain
forsaking a person that is dead. He that practiseth virtue for virtue's
sake always suffereth. He can scarcely be called a wise man, for he
knoweth not the purposes of virtue like a blind man incapable of
perceiving the solar light. He that regardeth his wealth to exist for
himself alone, scarcely understandeth the purposes of wealth. He is
really like a servant that tendeth kine in a forest. He again that
pursueth wealth too much without pursuing virtue and enjoyments,
deserveth to be censured and slain by all men. He also that ever
pursueth enjoyments without pursuing virtue and wealth, loseth his
friends and virtue and wealth also. Destitute of virtue and wealth such
a man, indulging in pleasure at will, at the expiration of his period of
indulgence, meeteth with certain death, like a fish when the water in
which it liveth hath been dried up. It is for these reasons that they
that are wise are ever careful of both virtue and wealth, for a union of
virtue and wealth is the essential requisite of pleasure, as fuel is the
essential requisite of fire. Pleasure hath always virtue for its root,
and virtue also is united with pleasure. Know, O monarch, that both are
dependent on each oth