Shloka 22
Vidura’s Return; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Departure; Nārada’s Instruction on Kāla and Detachment
अन्ध: पुरैव वधिरो मन्दप्रज्ञाश्च साम्प्रतम् । विशीर्णदन्तो मन्दाग्नि: सराग: कफमुद्वहन् ॥ २२ ॥
andhaḥ puraiva vadhiro manda-prajñāś ca sāmprataṁ viśīrṇa-danto mandāgniḥ sarāgaḥ kapham udvahan
त्वं जन्मतः एव अन्धः; साम्प्रतं वधिरोऽपि। मन्दप्रज्ञः, बुद्धिश्च व्याकुला। दन्ता विशीर्णाः, अग्निर्मन्दः, सरागः, कफं चोद्वहसि॥
The symptoms of old age, which had already developed in Dhṛtarāṣṭra, were all one after another pointed out to him as warning that death was nearing very quickly, and still he was foolishly carefree about his future. The signs pointed out by Vidura in the body of Dhṛtarāṣṭra were signs of apakṣaya, or dwindling of the material body before the last stroke of death. The body is born, it develops, stays, creates other bodies, dwindles and then vanishes. But foolish men want to make a permanent settlement of the perishable body and think that their estate, children, society, country, etc., will give them protection. With such foolish ideas, they become overtaken by such temporary engagements and forget altogether that they must give up this temporary body and take a new one, again to arrange for another term of society, friendship and love, again to perish ultimately. They forget their permanent identity and become foolishly active for impermanent occupations, forgetting altogether their prime duty. Saints and sages like Vidura approach such foolish men to awaken them to the real situation, but they take such sādhus and saints as parasites of society, and almost all of them refuse to hear the words of such sādhus and saints, although they welcome show-bottle sādhus and so-called saints who can satisfy their senses. Vidura was not a sādhu to satisfy the ill-gotten sentiment of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was correctly pointing out the real situation of life, and how one can save oneself from such catastrophies.
FAQs
This verse portrays old age as a time when the body fails—weak senses, weak digestion, disease—yet attachment can still remain; it implicitly urges detachment and turning to spiritual life rather than clinging to dependence.
Sūta Gosvāmī highlights Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s physical decline to show how materially attached life ends in helplessness, setting the moral ground for his need to renounce home and seek liberation.
Recognize that health and abilities are temporary; reduce unhealthy attachments, cultivate bhakti and disciplined living early, and prepare for later life with spiritual priorities rather than dependence.