Shloka 2
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 40 — Vidura’s Ethical Counsel and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fatalistic Turn
विदुर उवाच धृतराष्ट्र कुमारो वै यः पुराण: सनातन: । सनत्सुजात: प्रोवाच मृत्युनास्तीति भारत,विदुरने कहा--भरतवंशी धृतराष्ट्रा कुमार “सनत्सुजात” नामसे विख्यात जो (ब्रह्माजीके पुत्र) परम प्राचीन सनातन ऋषि हैं, उन्होंने (एक बार) कहा था--'मृत्यु है ही नहीं"
vidura uvāca | dhṛtarāṣṭra kumāro vai yaḥ purāṇaḥ sanātanaḥ | sanatsujātaḥ provāca mṛtyunāstīti bhārata ||
Vidura sprach: „O Bhārata, Sanatsujāta —ein uralter, ewiger Weiser— hat einst verkündet: ‚Es gibt keinen Tod.‘“
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces the doctrine that the true Self is not subject to death—“death” pertains to the body and changing conditions, while the enduring reality (ātman/brahman) is beyond birth and death. Vidura cites Sanatsujāta to shift Dhṛtarāṣṭra from fear and grief toward spiritual discernment and right conduct.
In Udyoga Parva, as tensions move toward war, Vidura advises Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Here he recalls Sanatsujāta’s authoritative statement “there is no death,” setting up a deeper instruction meant to calm the king and guide him toward dharma amid impending catastrophe.