Shloka 77
Vidura-nīti: Atithi-dharma, Trust, Counsel-Secrecy, and Traits of Sustainable Rule
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 38
अध्वा जरा देहवतां पर्वतानां जलं जरा । असम्भोगो जरा स्त्रीणां वाक्शल्यं मनसो जरा
adhvā jarā dehavatāṁ parvatānāṁ jalaṁ jarā | asambhogo jarā strīṇāṁ vākśalyaṁ manaso jarā ||
Bagi makhluk berbadan, perjalanan yang panjang itulah ‘tua’; bagi gunung, jatuhnya air tanpa henti itulah ‘tua’. Bagi perempuan, terhalang dari persatuan suami-istri itulah ‘tua’; dan bagi batin, luka dari kata-kata tajam laksana anak panah itulah ‘tua’.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
‘Jarā’ (aging/decay) is presented as any force that steadily diminishes well-being: physical strain (long travel), natural erosion (water on mountains), emotional deprivation (lack of conjugal union), and psychological injury (cruel speech). The verse urges sensitivity to others’ suffering and restraint in speech.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral counsel (Vidura-nīti) amid rising conflict. Here he uses vivid analogies to explain how different beings ‘age’ through different kinds of wear—especially highlighting the mind’s vulnerability to hurtful words.