Shloka 16
शोक-शमन उपदेशः
Instruction on the Pacification of Grief
संवत्सरगतो वापि द्विसंवत्सर एव वा | यौवनस्थो<5थ मध्यस्थो वृद्धों वापि विपद्यते,कोई गर्भमें रहते समय, कोई पैदा हो जानेपर, कोई कई दिनोंका होनेपर, कोई पंद्रह दिनका, कोई एक मासका तथा कोई एक या दो सालका होनेपर, कोई युवावस्थामें, कोई मध्यावस्थामें अथवा कोई वृद्धावस्थामें पहुँचनेपर मृत्युको प्राप्त हो जाता है
saṃvatsaragato vāpi dvisaṃvatsara eva vā | yauvanastho 'tha madhyastho vṛddhoṃ vāpi vipadyate ||
Vidura says that death does not wait for any fixed stage of life: one may perish at the age of one year, or even at two years; another may die in youth, another in middle age, and another in old age. The teaching underscores the uncertainty of lifespan and urges sober detachment and timely practice of dharma rather than reliance on age or circumstance.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life is uncertain and death can come at any age; therefore one should not postpone righteous conduct and inner steadiness, but live with awareness, restraint, and timely commitment to dharma.
In the Stree Parva’s atmosphere of mourning after the war, Vidura offers counsel meant to steady the mind: he reminds the listeners that death strikes infants, youths, adults, and the elderly alike, so grief should be tempered by understanding the inevitability and unpredictability of mortality.