Shloka 183
Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)
आलम्बमान: स पुमान् धारां पिबति सर्वदा । उस समय उस मधुकी अनेक धाराएँ वहाँ झर रही थीं और वह लटका हुआ पुरुष निरन्तर उस मधुधाराको पी रहा था
ālambamānaḥ sa pumān dhārāṃ pibati sarvadā |
Vidura disse: “Agarrado, aquele homem bebe continuamente o fio que corre.” Na alegoria, ele permanece suspenso no perigo e, ainda assim, absorvido em provar o doce fluxo, mostrando como alguém, mesmo em insegurança e diante de ameaça iminente, pode viciar-se em prazeres fugazes e esquecer as maiores exigências da prudência e do dharma.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when life is precarious, a person may cling to momentary sweetness and ignore looming danger; the verse warns against attachment to transient pleasures and urges steadiness, discernment, and self-restraint in line with dharma.
Vidura describes an allegorical scene: a man hangs suspended and keeps drinking a flowing stream (understood in context as a honey-like flow). The image highlights how fascination with pleasure can persist even in a situation of clear risk.