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 ||
O King, just as some small creature, moving about in the water for sport, now rises to the surface and now sinks again—so too does a being, driven by circumstance and impulse, alternately emerge into prominence and then fall back into obscurity. The image cautions against pride in temporary elevation and urges steadiness of judgment amid the fluctuations of fortune.
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.