Shloka 17
शोक-शमन उपदेशः
Instruction on the Pacification of Grief
प्राक्कर्मभिस्तु भूतानि भवन्ति न भवन्ति च । एवं सांसिद्धिके लोके किमर्थमनुतप्यसे,प्राणी पूर्वजन्मके कर्मोके अनुसार ही इस जगत्में रहते और नहीं रहते हैं। जब लोककी ऐसी ही स्वाभाविक स्थिति है, तब आप किसलिये शोक कर रहे हैं?
prākkarmabhis tu bhūtāni bhavanti na bhavanti ca | evaṁ sāṁsiddhike loke kim artham anutapyase ||
Vidura said: “Beings come to be—and cease to be—according to their prior deeds. When the world moves by this natural and inevitable law of destiny shaped by past action, for what reason do you burn with grief?”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura grounds consolation in the doctrine of karma: birth, survival, and death unfold according to prior actions. Since this causal order is intrinsic to worldly existence, excessive lamentation is portrayed as unhelpful; the ethical response is steadiness and discernment rather than self-torment.
In the Strī Parva’s aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, the atmosphere is dominated by mourning. Vidura speaks to restrain and counsel the grieving, reminding the listener that the rise and fall of beings follows the established law of past deeds, and questioning the purpose of continued anguish.