Shloka 20
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
आत्मानमात्मना55श्वास्य मा शुचः पुरुषर्षभ । नाद्य शोकाभि भूतस्त्वं कायमुत्स्रष्टमहसि
ātmānam ātmanāśvāsya mā śucaḥ puruṣarṣabha | nādya śokābhibhūtas tvaṃ kāyam utsraṣṭum arhasi ||
हे पुरुषश्रेष्ठ, अपने आत्मबल से अपने मन को धैर्य दो; शोक मत करो। आज शोक से अभिभूत होकर तुम्हें देह का परित्याग (आत्मघात) नहीं करना चाहिए।
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should restrain grief through inner steadiness and self-governance; even in intense sorrow, abandoning life is not dharmic—endurance and composure are urged.
In the aftermath of calamity, Vidura addresses a grieving noble person, urging him to console himself, stop lamenting, and not succumb to despair that could lead to giving up his body.