Shloka 24
Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)
एवं स वसते तत्र क्षिप्त: संसारसागरे | न चैव जीविताशायां निर्वेदमुपगच्छति,इस प्रकार संसार-सागरमें गिरा हुआ वह मनुष्य इतने भयोंसे घिरकर वहाँ निवास करता है तो भी उसे जीवनकी आशा बनी हुई है और उसके मनमें वैराग्य नहीं उत्पन्न होता है
evaṁ sa vasate tatra kṣiptaḥ saṁsārasāgare | na caiva jīvitāśāyāṁ nirvedam upagacchati ||
Thus, cast into the ocean of worldly existence, a person continues to dwell there—surrounded by many fears; yet even then he does not relinquish hope of life, nor does dispassion arise in his heart. The verse underscores the stubborn persistence of attachment and survival-craving even amid suffering, warning that mere distress does not automatically mature into renunciation or ethical awakening.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a person is overwhelmed by fear and suffering in saṁsāra, attachment to life can persist; true nirveda (disenchantment) does not arise automatically from pain. Ethical and spiritual maturity requires reflection and discernment, not merely being afflicted.
Vidura is speaking in a reflective, admonitory mode, describing the human condition: one is ‘thrown’ into the turbulent world like into an ocean, yet continues to cling to life and fails to develop detachment—an observation meant to provoke self-examination and moral awakening.