Shloka 13
अध्याय ३३ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य कुशलप्रश्नाः तथा विदुरस्य योगसमाधिः
Chapter 33: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Welfare-Inquiries and Vidura’s Yogic Absorption
गतिमन्तकश्न तेनेष्टवा नानन््ये नित्या भवत्न्युत | नित्येडस्मिन् पञ्चके वर्गे नित्ये चात्मनि पूरुष:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | gatim antakaś ca tena iṣṭvā nānanye nityā bhavanty uta | nitye ’smin pañcake varge nitye cātmani pūruṣaḥ |
毗湿摩波耶那说道：众生以祭祀而得力，得以迁往他界；不行祭祀者，不能达此途。此由五大所成之聚合，虽有变迁而其相续不绝；而人中之我（真我）亦恒常不坏。故若有人见诸身有生有灭，便妄想真我亦因与种种身相系而生而死，其见解徒然无益。同样，若因离别而过度悲恸者，在我看来，仍是稚子。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual action (yajña) is presented as a means to attain higher courses of existence, but the deeper ethical-philosophical point is discernment: the body and elemental aggregate undergo change, while the Self is not truly born or destroyed; therefore excessive grief over separation arises from immature understanding.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a reflective instruction is given in the Ashramavāsika context: it contrasts those who perform yajñas with those who do not, then turns to a consolatory teaching about the enduring Self and the folly of thinking the Self perishes with the body, thereby criticizing extreme mourning.