Shloka 18
शोक-शमन उपदेशः
Instruction on the Pacification of Grief
यथा तु सलिलं राजन् क्रीडार्थमनुसंतरत् । उन्मज्जेच्च निमज्जेच्च किंचित् सत्त्वं नराधिप
yathā tu salilaṃ rājan krīḍārtham anusantarat | unmajjecca nimajjecca kiṃcit sattvaṃ narādhipa ||
यथा तु सलिलं राजन् क्रीडार्थमनुसंतरत् । उन्मज्जेच्च निमज्जेच्च किंचित् सत्त्वं नराधिप ॥
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that rise and fall are natural and recurring, like a creature surfacing and submerging in water; therefore one should not become arrogant in success or despair in decline, but maintain discernment and steadiness.
Vidura addresses the king and uses a vivid simile from nature—movement in water—to counsel him about the unstable, alternating conditions of worldly life and status, framing a moral warning suited to royal decision-making.