ajÄta-Å›atruḥ ká¹›ta-maitro hutÄgnir
viprÄn natvÄ tila-go-bhÅ«mi-rukmaiḥ
gá¹›haá¹ praviá¹£á¹o guru-vandanÄya
na cÄpaÅ›yat pitarau saubalÄ«á¹ ca
ajÄta - never born; Å›atruḥ - enemy; ká¹›ta - having performed; maitraḥ - worshiping the demigods; huta-agniḥ - and offering fuel in the fire; viprÄn - the brÄhmaṇas; natvÄ - offering obeisances; tila-go-bhÅ«mi-rukmaiḥ - along with grains, cows, land and gold; gá¹›ham - within the palace; praviá¹£á¹aḥ - having entered into; guru-vandanÄya - for offering respect to the elderly members; na - did not; ca - also; apaÅ›yat - see; pitarau - his uncles; saubalÄ«m - GÄndhÄrÄ«; ca - also.
MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira was the most pious king because he personally practiced daily the pious duties for the householders. The householders are required to rise early in the morning, and after bathing they should offer respects to the Deities at home by prayers, by offering fuel in the sacred fire, by giving the brÄhmaṇas in charity land, cows, grains, gold, etc., and at last offering to the elderly members due respects and obeisances. One who is not prepared to practice injunctions prescribed in the Å›Ästras cannot be a good man simply by book knowledge. Modern householders are practiced to different modes of life, namely to rise late and then take bed tea without any sort of cleanliness and without any purificatory practices as mentioned above. The household children are taken to practice what the parents practice, and therefore the whole generation glides towards hell. Nothing good can be expected from them unless they associate with sÄdhus. Like Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra, the materialistic person may take lessons from a sÄdhu like Vidura and thus be cleansed of the effects of modern life.
MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira, however, could not find in the palace his two uncles, namely Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra and Vidura, along with GÄndhÄrÄ«, the daughter of King Subala. He was anxious to see them and therefore asked Sañjaya, the private secretary of Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra.