Shloka 4
Chapter 26: Śoka-pratiṣedha, Hata-saṅkhyā, Gati-vibhāga, Pretakārya-ājñā
Restraint of Grief, Count of the Slain, Destinies, and Funerary Directives
मृतं वा यदि वा नष्ट योइतीतमनुशोचति । दुःखेन लभते दुःखं द्वावनर्थो प्रपद्यते,यदि कोई मनुष्य किसी मरे हुए सम्बन्धी, नष्ट हुई वस्तु अथवा बीती हुई बातके लिये शोक करता है तो वह एक दुःखसे दूसरे दुःखका भागी होता है, इस प्रकार वह दो अनर्थोको प्राप्त होता है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | mṛtaṃ vā yadi vā naṣṭaṃ yo ’tītam anuśocati | duḥkhena labhate duḥkhaṃ dvāv anarthau prapadyate ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「死せる者、失われた物、すでに過ぎ去った事を嘆く者は、嘆きによってさらに嘆きを得るのみ。かくして二重の不幸に陥る—元の喪失と、嘆きという付け加わった重荷とに。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Grieving over the dead, the lost, or the irretrievable past does not restore what is gone; it only adds a second layer of suffering. The verse advises restraint and clarity: accept what cannot be changed so that one does not compound misfortune with self-inflicted sorrow.
In Strī Parva, amid the lamentation after the Kurukṣetra war, Vaiśampāyana articulates a consolatory, ethical reflection: mourning for irreversible losses leads to further pain. The statement functions as counsel meant to steady minds overwhelmed by bereavement and devastation.