Vaishampayana said, After the noble Pandavas had all been seated, Satyavati's son Vyasa said, 'O Dhritarashtra of mighty-arms, have you been able to achieve penances? Is your mind, O king, pleased with your living in the forest?

Has your grief begotten of the destruction of our sons in battle, disappeared from your heart? Are all your perceptions, O sinless one, now clear?

Do you practise the ordinances of forest-life after having made your heart firin? Does my daughter-in-law, Gandhari, suffer herself to be overwhelmed by grief?

She is endued with great wisdom. Endued with intelligence, that queen understands both virtue and profit. She is well conversant with the truths which relate to both prosperity and adversity. Does not still grieve?

Does Kunti, o king, who for her devotion to the service of her seniors, left her children, attend to your wants and serve your with all humility?

Have the high-minded and great king Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, and Bhima and Arjuna, and the twins, been sufficiently comforted?

Do you feel delight at seeing them? Has your mind become freed from every strain? Has your disposition, O king, become pure on account of he increase of your knowledge?

These three, O king, are the foremost of all concerns, O Bharata, viz., abstension from injury to any creation, truth, and freedom from anger.

Does your forest-life any longer prove painful to you? Are you able to acquire with your own exertions the products of the forest for your food? Do fasts pain you now?

Have you learnt 'o king, how the great Vidura, who was Dharma's self, left this world?

Through the curse of Mandavya, the deity of Virtue became born as Vidura. He was gifted with great intelligence. Endued with high penances, he was great and high-minded.

Even Brihaspati among the celestials, and Shukra among the Asuras, had not intelligence like that foremost of persons.

The eternal deity of Virtue was stupefied by the Rishi Mandavya with an expenditure of his penances acquired for a long time with great care,

At the command of the grandfather and through my own energy, the highly intelligent Vidura was procreated by me upon a soil owned by Vichitravirya.

A deity of deities, and eternal, he was, O king, your brother. The learned know him to be Dharma on account of his practices of concentration and abstraction.

He grows with truth, self-respect, tranquillity of heat, mercy, and gifts. He is always engaged in penances, and is eternal.

From that deity of Virtue, through YogaPower, the Kuru king Yudhishthria also took his birth. Yudhishthira, therefore, O king, is Dharma of great wisdom and immeasurable intelligence.

Dharma exists both in this world and in the next, and is like fire or wind or water or earth or space.

He is, o king of kings, capable of going everywhere and exists, pervading the entire universe. He is capable of being seen by only those who are the foremost of the deities and those who are purged of every sin and crowned with ascetic success.

He who is Dharma, is Vidura and he who is Vidura is the (eldest) son of Pandu. That son of Pandu, O king, is capable of being perceived by you. He is before you as your servitor.

Gifted with great Yoga-Power, your highsouled brother, that foremost of intelligent men, seeing the high-souled Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti has entered into his body.

O chief of Bharata's race, I shall unite you also with great benefit. Know, O son, that I am come here for removing your doubts.

I shall show you some feat which has never been accomplished before by any of the great Rishis-some wonderful effect of my penances.

What object is that, O king, whose accomplishment you wish from me? Tell me what is that which you wish to see or ask or hear? O sinless one, I shall accomplish it.