Text 23]
Dhṛtarāṣṭra Quits Home
689
country, etc., will give them protection. With such foolish ideas, they become overtaken by such temporary engagements and forget altogether that they must give up this temporary body and take a new one again to arrange for another term of society, friendship and love, again to be perished ultimately. They forget their permanent identity and become foolishly active for non-permanent occupations, forgetting altogether their prime duty. Saints and sages like Vidura approach such foolish men to awaken them to the real situation, but they take such  sādhus  and saints as parasites of society, and almost all of them refuse to hear the words of such  sādhus  and saints, although they welcome show bottle  sādhus  and so-called saints who can satisfy their senses. Vidura is not a  sādhu  who satisfies the ill-gotten sentiment of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was correctly pointing out the real situation of life, and how one can save oneself from such catastrophies.
TEXT 23
अहो महीयसी जन्तोर्जीविताशा यथा मवान् । मीमापवर्जितं पिण्डमादत्ते गृहपालवत् ॥२३॥
aho mahīyasī jantor jīvitāśā yathā bhavān bhīmāpavarjitam piṇḍam ādatte gṛha-pālavat
aho—alas; mahīyasī—powerful; jantoḥ—of the living beings; jīvitāśā—hope for life; yathā—as much as; bhavān—you are; bhīma—Bhīmasena (a brother of Yudhiṣṭhira's); apavarjitam—remnants; piṇḍam—foodstuff; ādatte—eaten by; gṛha-pālavat—like a household dog.
TRANSLATION
Alas, how powerful are the hopes of a living being to continue his life. Verily, you are living just like a household dog and are eating remnants of food given by Bhīma.
PURPORT
A  sādhu  should never flatter kings or rich men to live comfortably at their cost. A  sādhu  is to speak to the householders about the naked truth