Mahabharata 11.6.4 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 6, Shloka 4
Adhyāya 6: Vidura’s Saṃsāra-Upamā
The Allegory of the Well, Time, and Desire
विदुर उवाच उपमानमिदं राजन् मोक्षविद्धिरुदाह्तम् । सुकृतं विन्दते येन परलोकेषु मानव:
vidura uvāca upamānam idaṁ rājan mokṣa-vidhir udāhṛtam | sukṛtaṁ vindate yena paralokeṣu mānavaḥ ||
विदुर उवाच—उपमानमिदं राजन् मोक्षविद्धिरुदाहृतम् । सुकृतं विन्दते येन परलोकेषु मानवः ॥
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura frames his counsel as an upamāna (analogy) meant to clarify mokṣa-vidhi—the practical discipline leading toward liberation—while also emphasizing that such right conduct yields sukṛta (merit) that bears fruit in the hereafter.
In the Stree Parva’s grief-filled aftermath of the war, Vidura addresses the king and introduces an instructive comparison, preparing to explain a path of ethical and spiritual practice that can guide a person beyond sorrow toward higher good and ultimate release.
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