Shloka 13
अध्याय ३३ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य कुशलप्रश्नाः तथा विदुरस्य योगसमाधिः
Chapter 33: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Welfare-Inquiries and Vidura’s Yogic Absorption
गतिमन्तकश्न तेनेष्टवा नानन््ये नित्या भवत्न्युत | नित्येडस्मिन् पञ्चके वर्गे नित्ये चात्मनि पूरुष:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | gatim antakaś ca tena iṣṭvā nānanye nityā bhavanty uta | nitye ’smin pañcake varge nitye cātmani pūruṣaḥ |
Waiśampāyana berkata: Dengan melaksanakan yajña dan memuja para dewa, makhluk memperoleh daya untuk menempuh jalan menuju dunia-dunia lain; mereka yang tidak ber-yajña tidak mencapai perjalanan demikian. Gugusan lima unsur ini tetap lestari dalam kesinambungannya, dan Sang Diri (Ātman) di dalam insan pun tetap lestari. Maka, siapa mengira bahwa Ātman lahir dan binasa karena berhubungan dengan beragam tubuh—yang kelahiran dan kehancurannya tampak—pemahamannya sia-sia. Demikian pula, siapa berduka berlebihan ketika perpisahan terjadi, menurutku masih kanak-kanak.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual action (yajña) is presented as a means to attain higher courses of existence, but the deeper ethical-philosophical point is discernment: the body and elemental aggregate undergo change, while the Self is not truly born or destroyed; therefore excessive grief over separation arises from immature understanding.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a reflective instruction is given in the Ashramavāsika context: it contrasts those who perform yajñas with those who do not, then turns to a consolatory teaching about the enduring Self and the folly of thinking the Self perishes with the body, thereby criticizing extreme mourning.