Shloka 22
अध्याय ३९: विदुरेण धृतराष्ट्राय नीत्युपदेशः
Timely Counsel, Association, and Kin-Duty
कामक्रोधग्राहवतीं पजड्चेन्द्रियजलां नदीम् । नावं धृतिमयीं कृत्वा जन्मदुर्गाणि संतर,काम-क्रोधादिरूप ग्राहसे भरी, पाँच इन्द्रियोंके जलसे पूर्ण इस संसारनदीके जन्म- मरणरूप दुर्गम प्रवाहको धैर्यकी नौका बनाकर पार कीजिये
kāmakrodhagrāhavatīṁ pañcendriyajalāṁ nadīm | nāvaṁ dhṛtimayīṁ kṛtvā janmadurgāṇi santara ||
Vidura disse: “Este rio do mundo está infestado pelos crocodilos do desejo e da ira, e avolumado pelas águas dos cinco sentidos. Faz da firmeza a tua barca e atravessa os perigosos desfiladeiros do nascimento (e da morte) repetidos.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly life is dangerous because desire and anger ‘devour’ discernment, and the senses keep the mind turbulent. The remedy is dhṛti—steady resolve and self-restraint—by which one can cross the hardships of repeated birth and death.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura is giving moral counsel (Vidura-nīti) to guide right conduct amid rising conflict. Here he uses a vivid metaphor: saṁsāra is a river, passions are crocodiles, the senses are its waters, and steadfastness is the boat needed to cross.