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, shou