Mahabharata 11.4.17 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 4, Shloka 17
Saṃsāra-gahana-jñāna: Vidura’s Account of Embodiment, Bondage, and Dharmic Release (संसारगहन-ज्ञानम्)
विशेषं न प्रपश्यन्ति तत्र तेषां परे जना: । येन प्रत्यवगच्छेयु: कुलरूपविशेषणम्
viśeṣaṃ na prapaśyanti tatra teṣāṃ pare janāḥ | yena pratyavagaccheyuḥ kularūpaviśeṣaṇam |
Dort erkennen Außenstehende unter ihnen kein unterscheidendes Merkmal, an dem man die Abstammung einer Familie oder die besondere Gestalt eines Menschen feststellen könnte. Der Vers betont: Nach dem Unheil werden soziale Kennzeichen und ererbte Unterschiede verdunkelt; er warnt vor Stolz auf Stand und mahnt zu Urteilskraft, die auf Verhalten gründet, nicht auf bloßem Aussehen oder Geburt.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
External observers cannot reliably identify a person’s lineage or distinctive status by outward marks alone, especially amid upheaval; therefore one should not cling to pride of birth or appearance, and should ground judgment in character and conduct (ācāra) rather than superficial identifiers.
In Strī Parva’s lament-filled aftermath of the Kurukṣetra catastrophe, Vidura speaks in a reflective, admonitory tone, pointing out how devastation and disorder erase recognizable social distinctions, intensifying the sense of loss and challenging assumptions about status and identity.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.