Shloka 22
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
शोकस्थानसहस्राणि भयस्थानशतानि च । दिवसे दिवसे मूढमाविशन्ति न पण्डितम्,शोकके हजारों स्थान हैं और भयके भी सैकड़ों स्थान हैं। वे प्रतिदिन मूढ़ मनुष्यपर ही अपना प्रभाव डालते हैं, विद्वान् पुरुषपर नहीं
śokasthānasahasrāṇi bhayasthānaśatāni ca | divase divase mūḍham āviśanti na paṇḍitam ||
There are thousands of occasions for grief and hundreds of occasions for fear. Day after day they seize only the deluded person; they do not overpower the wise. In Vidura’s ethical counsel, the point is that suffering multiplies for one who lacks discernment, while the steady-minded person meets life’s shocks without being ruled by sorrow or anxiety.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life presents countless triggers for sorrow and fear, but they dominate only the person lacking discernment. The wise person, grounded in understanding and self-control, does not let recurring anxieties and griefs take possession of the mind.
In Strī-parvan’s aftermath of the war, Vidura speaks as a moral counselor, offering reflective instruction on how to endure calamity. This verse frames the psychological contrast between the deluded, who are repeatedly overwhelmed, and the wise, who remain steady despite many causes for distress.