A man that is stupefied himself should ask counsel of his friends.  In such friends he hath his understanding, his humility, and his prosperity.  One’s actions should have their root in them.  That should be done which intelligent friends, having settled by their understanding, should counsel.  Let us, therefore, repair to Dhritarashtra and Gandhari and the high-souled Vidura and ask them as what we should do.  Asked by us, they will say what, after all this, is for our good.  We should do what they say.  Even this is my certain resolution.  Those men whose acts do not succeed even after the application of exertion, should, without doubt, be regarded as afflicted by destiny.”

3

Sanjaya said, “Hearing these words of Kripa that were auspicious and fraught with morality and profit, Ashvatthama, O monarch, became overwhelmed with sorrow and grief.  Burning with grief as if with a blazing fire, he formed a wicked resolution and then addressed them both saying, “The faculty of understanding is different in different men.  Each man, however, is pleased with own understanding.  Every man regards himself more intelligent than others.  Everyone respects his own understanding and accords it great praise.  Everyone’s own wisdom is with every one a subject of praise.  Everyone speaks ill of the wisdom of others, and well of his own, in all instances.  Men whose judgements agree with respect to any unattained object, even though there be a variety of considerations, become gratified with and applaud one another.  The judgements, again, of the same men, overwhelmed with reverses through the influence of time, become opposed to one another.  More particularly, in consequence of the diversity of human intellects, judgements necessarily differ when intellects are clouded.

As a skilful physician, having duly diagnosed a disease, prescribes a medicine by the application of his intelligence for effecting a cure, even so men, for the accomplishment of their acts, use their intelligence, aided by their own wisdom.  What they do is again disapproved by others.  A man, in youth, is affected by one kind of understanding.  In middle age, the same does not prevail with him, and in the period of decay, a different kind of understanding becomes agreeable to him.  When fallen into terrible distress or when visited by great prosperity, the understanding of a person, O chief of the Bhojas, is seen to be much afflicted.  In one and the same person, through want of wisdom, the understanding becomes different at different times.  That understanding which at one time is acceptable becomes the reverse of that at another time.

Having resolved, however, according to one’s wisdom, that resolution which is excellent should be endeavoured to be accomplished.  Such resolution, therefore, should force him to put forth exertion.  All persons, O chief of the Bhojas, joyfully begin to act, even in respect of enterprises that lead to death, in the belief that those enterprises are achievable by them.  All men, relying on their own judgements and wisdom, endeavour to accomplish diverse purposes, knowing them to be beneficial.  The resolution that has possessed my mind today in consequence of our great calamity, as something that is capable of dispelling my grief, I will now disclose unto both of you.