Shloka 4
शोक-शमन उपदेशः
Instruction on the Pacification of Grief
अशाश्रृतमिदं सर्व चिन्त्यमानं नरर्षभ | कदलीसंनिभो लोक: सारो हास्य न विद्यते,नरश्रेष्ठ विचार करनेपर यह सारा जगत् अनित्य ही जान पड़ता है। सम्पूर्ण विश्व केलेके समान सारहीन है; इसमें सार कुछ भी नहीं है
aśāśvatam idaṁ sarvaṁ cintyamānaṁ nararṣabha | kadalī-sannibho lokaḥ sāro hy asya na vidyate ||
Vidura said: “O bull among men, when one reflects, this entire world is seen to be impermanent. The world is like a banana plant—without any lasting core; in it, no enduring essence is found.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches detachment through insight: careful reflection reveals the world’s impermanence and lack of enduring ‘sāra’ (core). The banana-plant simile underscores that what appears substantial is, on examination, without lasting essence—encouraging steadiness and restraint amid sorrow.
In Strī Parva’s aftermath of the war, Vidura speaks in a consolatory, instructive mode. He frames the devastation and grief within a broader ethical-philosophical perspective: since worldly conditions are unstable and insubstantial, one should not be overwhelmed by loss but seek clarity, dharmic composure, and inner firmness.