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 ||
Vidura says: A man’s previously performed karma clings to him unfailingly—lying down when he lies down, rising when he rises, and running alongside him when he runs. In the wake of the war’s devastation, the verse underscores an ethical certainty: deeds do not vanish with time or circumstance; they accompany the doer and bear their consequences.
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.