Shloka 27
Saṃsāra-mārga-vistaraḥ
Vidura’s Expanded Account of the Path
न हाात्मन: प्रियतरं किंचिद् भूतेषु निश्चितम् । अनिष्ट सर्वभूतानां मरणं नाम भारत
na hātmanāḥ priyataraṃ kiñcid bhūteṣu niścitam | aniṣṭaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ maraṇaṃ nāma bhārata ||
Vidura said: “For living beings, nothing is certainly dearer than one’s own self. And yet, O Bhārata, death—so named—is unwelcome to all creatures.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura highlights a universal ethical insight: every being values its own life above all, and therefore death is naturally feared and unwelcome. This underlines the moral weight of violence and the need for compassion toward all creatures, especially in the wake of war.
In the Strī Parva’s aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, Vidura speaks in a consolatory and reflective tone, pointing to the universal attachment to life and the common dread of death—framing the surrounding grief and loss within a broader moral and human reality.