And, O king,
virtuously ruled by Bhishma, the kingdom was adorned with hundreds of
sacrificial stakes. And the wheel of virtue having been set in motion by
Bhishma, and the country became so contented that the subjects of other
kingdoms, quitting their homes, came to dwell there and increase its
population. And the citizens and the people were filled with hope, upon
seeing the youthful acts of their illustrious princes. And, O king, in the
house of the Kuru chiefs as also of the principal citizens, 'give', 'eat'
were the only words constantly heard. And Dhritarashtra and Pandu and
Vidura of great intelligence were from their birth brought up by Bhishma,
as if they were his own sons. And the children, having passed through the
usual rites of their order, devoted themselves to vows and study. And they
grew up into fine young men skilled in the Vedas and all athletic sports.
And they became well-skilled in the practice of bow, in horsemanship, in
encounters with mace, sword and shield, in the management of elephants in
battle, and in the science of morality. Well-read in history and the
Puranas and various branches of learning, and acquainted with the truths
of the Vedas and their branches they acquired knowledge, which was
versatile and deep. And Pandu, possessed of great prowess, excelled all
men in archery while Dhritarashtra excelled all in personal strength,
while in the three worlds there was no one equal to Vidura in devotion to
virtue and in the knowledge of the dictates of morality.
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