Shloka 32
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
शयानं चानुशेते हि तिष्ठन्तं चानुतिष्ठति । अनुधावति धावन्तं कर्म पूर्वकृतं नरम्,मनुष्यका पूर्वकृत कर्म उसके सोनेपर साथ ही सोता है, उठनेपर साथ ही उठता है और दौड़नेपर भी साथ-ही-साथ दौड़ता है
śayānaṃ cānuśete hi tiṣṭhantaṃ cānutiṣṭhati | anudhāvati dhāvantaṃ karma pūrvakṛtaṃ naram ||
Karma yang telah dilakukan seseorang dahulu tak pernah lepas darinya—ketika ia berbaring, karma itu seakan berbaring bersamanya; ketika ia bangkit, ia pun bangkit; ketika ia berlari, ia pun berlari di sisinya.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Previously performed actions (karma) remain inseparable from the doer; they accompany a person in every state—rest, activity, or flight—and inevitably yield their results. The verse stresses personal responsibility and the inescapability of ethical consequence.
In Strī Parva’s aftermath of the Kurukṣetra slaughter, Vidura offers moral counsel and reflection. Here he emphasizes that no one can outrun the fruits of past deeds—an admonition relevant to grief, blame, and the search for meaning after catastrophe.