Shloka 1
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत स्त्रीपर्वके अन्तर्गत जलप्रदानिकपर्वमें धृतराष्ट्रके शीकका निवारणविषयक पहला जध्याय पूरा हुआ,ऑपन-माज बक। डे द्वितीयो&्ध्याय: विदुरजीका राजा धृतराष्ट्रको समझाकर उनको शोकका त्याग करनेके लिये कहना वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो<मृतसमीैर्वाक्यैह्लादयन् पुरुषर्षभम् । वैचित्रवीर्य विदुरो यदुवाच निबोध तत् वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर विदुरजीने पुरुषप्रवर धृतराष्ट्रको अपने अमृतसमान मधुर वचनोंद्वारा आह्वाद प्रदान करते हुए वहाँ जो कुछ कहा, उसे सुनो
Vaiśampāyana uvāca |
Tato 'mṛtasamair vākyair hlādayan puruṣarṣabham |
Vaicitravīrya Viduro yad uvāca nibodha tat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Vidura, delighting Dhṛtarāṣṭra—the bull among men—with words as sweet and life-giving as nectar, spoke to the son of Vicitravīrya. Listen to what he said. The scene turns from raw grief after the war toward counsel grounded in dharma: speech meant not to flatter sorrow, but to steady the king’s mind and guide him toward restraint and right understanding.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical counsel as compassionate, dharma-aligned speech: Vidura’s words are meant to soothe grief without indulging it, guiding a ruler toward steadiness, restraint, and right judgment after catastrophe.
Vaiśampāyana tells King Janamejaya that, after the preceding events, Vidura begins addressing the grieving Dhṛtarāṣṭra. This verse serves as a transition into Vidura’s consolatory instruction.