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 disse: “Ó touro entre os homens, quando se reflete, vê-se que este mundo inteiro é impermanente. O mundo é como a bananeira—sem um cerne duradouro; nele não se encontra essência que permaneça.”
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.