Shloka 18
शोक-शमन उपदेशः
Instruction on the Pacification of Grief
यथा तु सलिलं राजन् क्रीडार्थमनुसंतरत् । उन्मज्जेच्च निमज्जेच्च किंचित् सत्त्वं नराधिप
yathā tu salilaṃ rājan krīḍārtham anusantarat | unmajjecca nimajjecca kiṃcit sattvaṃ narādhipa ||
Wahai Raja, sebagaimana makhluk kecil yang berenang di air untuk bermain—kadang muncul ke permukaan dan kadang tenggelam kembali—demikian pula, wahai penguasa manusia, seorang makhluk kadang tampak terangkat dan kadang jatuh tenggelam.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that rise and fall are natural and recurring, like a creature surfacing and submerging in water; therefore one should not become arrogant in success or despair in decline, but maintain discernment and steadiness.
Vidura addresses the king and uses a vivid simile from nature—movement in water—to counsel him about the unstable, alternating conditions of worldly life and status, framing a moral warning suited to royal decision-making.