Mahabharata 11.1.38 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 1, Shloka 38
स्त्रीपर्व १: धृतराष्ट्रशोकः संजयाश्वासनं च
Strī Parva 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Saṃjaya’s Consolation
अर्थान्न शोचन् प्राप्नोति न शोचन् विन्दते फलम् | न शोचन् श्रियमाप्रोति न शोचन् विन्दते परम्
arthān na śocan prāpnoti na śocan vindate phalam | na śocan śriyam āpnoti na śocan vindate param ||
جو غم میں نہیں ڈوبتا وہ مطلوبہ مقاصد پا لیتا ہے؛ بے نوحہ و زاری کے وہ عمل کا پھل بھی حاصل کرتا ہے۔ غم سے بے نیاز رہ کر وہ شری و دولت پاتا ہے، اور غم سے آزاد ہو کر اعلیٰ ترین بھلائی تک بھی پہنچتا ہے۔
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Excessive grief is portrayed as counterproductive: it blocks the pursuit of rightful aims (artha), the gaining of results (phala), the attainment of prosperity (śrī), and even the highest spiritual good (param). The verse recommends inner steadiness so that one can act, endure, and orient oneself toward dharma and liberation.
In Strī Parva’s opening, the epic turns to the women’s lamentation after the Kurukṣetra slaughter. Amid pervasive mourning, the narration introduces counsel that grief, if indulged without restraint, cannot restore the dead and instead undermines both worldly recovery and spiritual progress.
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