Mahabharata 11.2.29 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 29
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
नार्थों न धर्मो न सुखं यदेतदनुशोचसि
nārtho na dharmo na sukhaṃ yad etad anuśocasi
Vidura said: “This grief of yours serves no purpose—neither worldly gain, nor righteousness (dharma), nor happiness comes from lamenting in this way.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches that uncontrolled lamentation is ethically unproductive: it does not lead to artha (practical good), dharma (right conduct), or sukha (inner well-being). The implied counsel is to move from grief to clear-sighted, dharma-aligned action and restraint.
In the Strī Parva’s mourning context after the great destruction, Vidura addresses a grieving listener and attempts to steady them with moral counsel, warning that this kind of sorrow yields no benefit—neither in worldly outcomes nor in righteousness nor in peace of mind.
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