Shloka 4
Adhyāya 6: Vidura’s Saṃsāra-Upamā
The Allegory of the Well, Time, and Desire
विदुर उवाच उपमानमिदं राजन् मोक्षविद्धिरुदाह्तम् । सुकृतं विन्दते येन परलोकेषु मानव:
vidura uvāca upamānam idaṁ rājan mokṣa-vidhir udāhṛtam | sukṛtaṁ vindate yena paralokeṣu mānavaḥ ||
Vidura sprach: „O König, dies ist ein veranschaulichender Vergleich, vorgetragen, um die Methode zu erklären, die zur Befreiung (mokṣa) führt. Wer ihr folgt, erlangt in den jenseitigen Welten die Frucht verdienstvollen Handelns.“
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura frames his counsel as an upamāna (analogy) meant to clarify mokṣa-vidhi—the practical discipline leading toward liberation—while also emphasizing that such right conduct yields sukṛta (merit) that bears fruit in the hereafter.
In the Stree Parva’s grief-filled aftermath of the war, Vidura addresses the king and introduces an instructive comparison, preparing to explain a path of ethical and spiritual practice that can guide a person beyond sorrow toward higher good and ultimate release.