Shloka 18

Saṃsāra-gahana-jñāna: Vidura’s Account of Embodiment, Bondage, and Dharmic Release (संसारगहन-ज्ञानम्)

Devanagari script

जब ज्ञानी और मूर्ख, धनवान्‌ और निर्धन, कुलीन और अकुलीन तथा मानी और मानरहित सभी मरघटमें जाकर सो जाते हैं, उनकी चमड़ी भी नष्ट हो जाती है और नाड़ियोंसे बँधे हुए मांसरहित हड्डियोंके ढेररूप उनके नग्न शरीर सामने आते हैं, तब वहाँ खड़े हुए दूसरे लोग उनमें कोई ऐसा अन्तर नहीं देख पाते हैं, जिससे एककी अपेक्षा दूसरेके कुल और रूपकी विशेषताको जान सकें ।। यदा सर्वे सम॑ न्यस्ता: स्वपन्ति धरणीतले । कस्मादन्योन्यमिच्छन्ति प्रलब्धुमिह दुर्बुधा:,जब मरनेके बाद श्मशानमें डाल दिये जानेपर सभी लोग समानरूपसे पृथ्वीकी गोदमें सोते हैं, तब वे मूर्ख मानव इस संसारमें क्‍यों एक-दूसरेको ठगनेकी इच्छा करते हैं?

Transliteration

yadā sarve samaṁ nyastāḥ svapanti dharaṇītale | kasmād anyonyam icchanti pralabdhum iha durbudhāḥ ||

Translation

Vidura says: When, after death, all people are laid down alike and sleep upon the earth, why do the foolish in this world still wish to deceive one another? In the cremation-ground, distinctions of learning and folly, wealth and poverty, noble and ignoble birth, honor and dishonor vanish; only bare remains are seen, and no observer can truly discern the ‘superiority’ of lineage or beauty. Remembering this common end, one should abandon fraud and pride and live with integrity.

Word by Word

यदाwhen

सर्वेall

समम्equally

न्यस्ताःlaid down, placed

स्वपन्तिsleep

धरणीतलेon the surface of the earth

कस्मात्from what cause? why?

अन्योन्यम्one another

इच्छन्तिdesire, wish

प्रलब्धुम्to deceive, to cheat

इहhere, in this world

दुर्बुधाःfoolish people

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

dharaṇī (earth)

śmaśāna (cremation-ground, implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

All human distinctions collapse in death; remembering the common end, one should renounce deceit, arrogance, and status-pride, and practice truthful, ethical conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Strī Parva’s lament-filled aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, Vidura offers a sobering reflection on the cremation-ground: once all lie equally on the earth after death, mutual cheating and social superiority claims appear irrational and morally blameworthy.