with respect to any matter of ocular or auricular knowledge, speaketh carelessly, casteth a thousand nooses of Varuna upon his own person.  On the completion of one full year, one such noose is loosened.  Therefore, he that knoweth, should speak the truth without concealment.  If virtue, pierced by sin, repaireth to an assembly (for aid), it is the duty of every body in the assembly to take off the dart, otherwise they themselves would be pierced with it.  In an assembly where a truly censurable act is not rebuked, half the demerit of that act attacheth to the head of that assembly, a fourth to the person acting censurably and a fourth unto those others that are there.  In that assembly, on the other hand, when he that deserveth censure is rebuked, the head of the assembly becometh freed from all sins, and the other members also incur none.  It is only the perpetrator himself of the act that becometh responsible for it.  O Prahlada, they who answer falsely those that ask them about morality destroy the meritorious acts of their seven upper and seven lower generations.  The grief of one who hath lost all his wealth, of one who hath lost a son, of one who is in debt, of one who is separated from his companions, of a woman who hath lost her husband, of one that hath lost his all in consequence of the king’s demand, of a woman who is sterile, of one who hath been devoured by a tiger (during his last struggles in the tiger’s claws), of one who is a co-wife, and of one who hath been deprived of his property by false witnesses, have been said by the gods to be uniform in degree.  These different sorts of grief are his who speaketh false.  A person becometh a witness in consequence of his having seen, heard, and understood a thing.  Therefore, a witness should always tell the truth.  A truth-telling witness never loseth his religious merits and earthly possessions also.’  Hearing these words of Kasyapa, Prahlada told his son, “Sudhanwan is superior to thee, as indeed, (his father) Angiras is superior to me.  The mother also of Sudhanwan is superior to thy mother.  Therefore, O Virochana, this Sudhanwan is now the lord of the life.”  At these words of Prahlada, Sudhanwan said, “Since unmoved by affection for thy child, thou hast adhered to virtue, I command, let this son of thine live for a hundred years.”

“Vidura continued,—­Let all the persons, therefore, present in this assembly hearing these high truths of morality, reflect upon what should be the answer to the question asked by Draupadi”.

Vaisampayana continued,—­“The kings that were there hearing these words of Vidura, answered not a word, yet Karna alone spoke unto Dussasana, telling him.  Take away this serving-woman Krishna into the inner apartments.  And thereupon Dussasana began to drag before all the spectators the helpless and modest Draupadi, trembling and crying piteously unto the Pandavas her lords.”

SECTION LXVIII