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 dit : «Ce chagrin que tu nourris ne sert à rien : il n’apporte ni gain du monde, ni dharma, ni bonheur.»
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.