What the scriptures say about grief

What do the scriptures say about grief?

The texts call it śoka (शोक). Śoka is the burning of loss. Arjuna says it dries up his senses (2.8), and Narada says he knows the mantras and still grieves (Chandogya 7.1.3). They set self-knowledge, steadiness and compassion against it.

132 verses
61 stories
Weighs on the mind

Read the verses Find it on the map

Arjuna

न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् । अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धम्राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥

na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyādyacchokamucchoṣaṇamindriyāṇām | avāpya bhūmāvasapatnamṛddhamrājyaṃ surāṇāmapi cādhipatyam ||

I see nothing that could drive away this sorrow that is drying up my senses, not even an unrivalled, prosperous kingdom on earth or rule over the gods.

Bhagavad Gita 2.8

Grief in the texts' own words

Someone in the verse is in it, or the text names it outright. Many readers find their own day here.

A brahmin (retold by Bhishma)
सुखात्त्वं दुःखमापन्नः पुनरापत्स्यसे सुखम् / न नित्यं लभते दुःखं न नित्यं लभते सुखम्
sukhāttvaṃ duḥkhamāpannaḥ punarāpatsyase sukham / na nityaṃ labhate duḥkhaṃ na nityaṃ labhate sukham
From happiness you have fallen into sorrow; you will come to happiness again. No one has sorrow forever, and no one has happiness forever.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma, Mokshadharma
Depicts a father addressed as one fallen from happiness into sorrow. our reading
Chirakari
नास्ति मातृसमा च्छाया नास्ति मातृसमा गतिः / नास्ति मातृसमं त्राणं नास्ति मातृसमा प्रिया
nāsti mātṛsamā cchāyā nāsti mātṛsamā gatiḥ / nāsti mātṛsamaṃ trāṇaṃ nāsti mātṛsamā priyā
There is no shade like a mother, no refuge like a mother, no protection like a mother, no one as dear as a mother.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma: Mokshadharma
Shows the size of the loss for one who has lost her. our reading
Meera
हे री मैं तो प्रेम-दिवानी मेरो दरद न जाणै कोय। घायल की गति घायल जाणै, जो कोई घायल होय।
he rī maiṃ to prem-divānī mero darad na jāṇai koy| ghāyal kī gati ghāyal jāṇai, jo koī ghāyal hoy|
Friend, I am mad with love, and no one knows my pain. Only the wounded know what the wounded go through, only one who has been wounded.
Meera pada "Mero darad na jane koy"
Shows the wounded one. our reading
Narrator
सीय बिलोकि धीरता भागी। रहे कहावत परम बिरागी॥ लीन्हि रायँ उर लाइ जानकी। मिटी महामरजाद ग्यान की ॥
sīy biloki dhīratā bhāgī| rahe kahāvat param birāgī|| līnhi rāyaṁ ur lāi jānakī| miṭī mahāmarajād gyān kī ||
He was known as supremely detached, yet on seeing Sita his composure fled. The king held Janaki to his heart, and the great banks of his wisdom gave way.
Ramcharitmanas · Bal Kand
Shows a father famed for calm losing his composure at the parting. our reading
Bharat
तुम्ह तौ देहु सरल सिख सोई। जो आचरत मोर भल होई॥ जद्यपि यह समुझत हउँ नीकें। तदपि होत परितोष न जी कें ॥
tumha tau dehu saral sikh soī| jo ācarat mor bhal hoī|| jadyapi yah samujhat hauṁ nīkeṃ| tadapi hot paritoṣ na jī keṃ ||
You give me simple advice, the kind that would do me good if I followed it. Though I understand it well, my heart is not at peace.
Ramcharitmanas · Ayodhya Kand
Shows understanding does not reach the grief. our reading
Kausalya
यह बिचारि नहिं करउँ हठ झूठ सनेहु बढ़ाइ। मानि मातु कर नात बलि सुरति बिसरि जनि जाइ ॥
yah bicāri nahiṃ karauṁ haṭh jhūṭh sanehu baṛhāi| māni mātu kar nāt bali surati bisari jani jāi ||
Thinking this over, I will not insist out of false affection. I bless you, son; only keep the bond of a mother, and don't forget me.
Ramcharitmanas · Ayodhya Kand
Shows she lets him go and can ask only not to be forgotten. our reading
Krishna (message to Yashoda)
नीके रहियो जसुमति मैया। आवैंगे दिन चारि पाँच में हम हलधर दोउ भैया॥ जा दिन तें हम तुमतें बिछुरे काहु न कह्यो 'कन्हैया'। कबहूँ प्रात न कियो कलेवा, साँझ न पीन्हीं धैया॥
nīke rahiyo jasumati maiyā| āvaiṃge din cāri pāṁc meṃ ham haladhar dou bhaiyā|| jā din teṃ ham tumateṃ bichure kāhu na kahyo 'kanhaiyā'| kabahūṁ prāt na kiyo kalevā, sāṁjh na pīnhīṃ dhaiyā||
Stay well, mother Yashoda. In four or five days we two brothers will come. Since the day I was parted from you, no one has called me "Kanhaiya". I have not had breakfast in the morning, nor warm milk at evening.
Bhramargeet-Saar 10
Shows the small daily cares of a mother are gone. our reading
the gopis
निसिदिन बरसत नैन हमारे। सदा रहति पावस ऋतु हम पै जब तें स्याम सिधारे॥
nisidin barasat nain hamāre| sadā rahati pāvas ṛtu ham pai jab teṃ syām sidhāre||
Night and day our eyes keep raining. Ever since Shyam went away, it is always the rainy season for us.
Bhramargeet-Saar 316
Arjuna
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद्यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् । अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धम्राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ॥
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyādyacchokamucchoṣaṇamindriyāṇām | avāpya bhūmāvasapatnamṛddhamrājyaṃ surāṇāmapi cādhipatyam ||
I see nothing that could drive away this sorrow that is drying up my senses, not even an unrivalled, prosperous kingdom on earth or rule over the gods.
Bhagavad Gita 2.8
Yama
अशरीरँ शरीरेष्वनवस्थेष्ववस्थितम् । महान्तं विभुमात्मानं मत्वा धीरो न शोचति ॥
aśarīraṁ śarīreṣvanavastheṣvavasthitam | mahāntaṃ vibhumātmānaṃ matvā dhīro na śocati ||
Knowing the self as bodiless within bodies, steady among the unsteady, great and all-pervading, the wise one does not grieve.
Katha Upanishad 1.2.22

What feeds it, step by step

Sequences the texts state outright, in their own order.

Arjuna's collapse

Bhagavad Gita 1.28-30; 1.47; 2.6-8

Seeing his own people, Arjuna is overcome and his limbs fail. He drops the bow and sits down in grief. He cannot tell which course is better. Confused about what is right, he asks to be taught.

Arjuna
अर्जुन उवाच कृपया परयाऽऽविष्टो विषीदन्निदमब्रवीत् । दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् ॥
arjuna uvāca kṛpayā parayā’’viṣṭo viṣīdannidamabravīt | dṛṣṭvemaṃ svajanaṃ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṃ samupasthitam ||
Arjuna said: Krishna, when I see my own people standing here, eager to fight, I am overcome with pity and sorrow.
Bhagavad Gita 1.28
Arjuna
सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति । वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहर्षश्च जायते ॥
sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṃ ca pariśuṣyati | vepathuśca śarīre me romaharṣaśca jāyate ||
My limbs give way, my mouth is parched, my body trembles and my hair stands on end.
Bhagavad Gita 1.29-30
Sanjaya
सञ्जय उवाच एवमुक्त्वाऽर्जुनः संख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् । विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः ॥
sañjaya uvāca evamuktvā’rjunaḥ saṃkhye rathopastha upāviśat | visṛjya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ śokasaṃvignamānasaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Having spoken this on the battlefield, Arjuna sank down on the seat of the chariot, letting fall his bow and arrows, his mind overwhelmed by grief.
Bhagavad Gita 1.47

Narada: learned and still grieving

Chandogya Upanishad 7.1.3; 7.16-23

Grief
the vast
Joy
action
Steadiness
Faith
understanding
understanding
truth
Self-knowledge

Narada knows every science and says that he knows the words, not the self, and he grieves. Sanatkumara leads him inward. One speaks truth when one understands. One understands when one reflects. One reflects when one has trust. One has trust when one is steadfast. One is steadfast when one acts. One acts when one finds joy. Joy is in the vast, not in the small.

Narada
सोऽहं भगवो मन्त्रविदेवास्मि नात्मविच्छ्रुतꣳ ह्येव मे भगवद्दृशेभ्यस्तरति शोकमात्मविदिति सोऽहं भगवः शोचामि तं मा भगवाञ्छोकस्य पारं तारयत्विति तꣳ होवाच यद्वै किंचैतदध्यगीष्ठा नामैवैतत् ॥
so’haṃ bhagavo mantravidevāsmi nātmavicchrutaꣳ hyeva me bhagavaddṛśebhyastarati śokamātmaviditi so’haṃ bhagavaḥ śocāmi taṃ mā bhagavāñchokasya pāraṃ tārayatviti taꣳ hovāca yadvai kiṃcaitadadhyagīṣṭhā nāmaivaitat ||
'Sir, I know only the texts; I do not know the self. I have heard from people like you that one who knows the self crosses beyond sorrow. I am in sorrow, sir. Please take me across.' He said to him: 'Whatever you have studied is only name.'
Chhandogya Upanishad 7.1.3
Sanatkumara
यदा वै करोत्यथ निस्तिष्ठति नाकृत्वा निस्तिष्ठति कृत्वैव निस्तिष्ठति कृतिस्त्वेव विजिज्ञासितव्येति कृतिं भगवो विजिज्ञास इति ॥
yadā vai karotyatha nistiṣṭhati nākṛtvā nistiṣṭhati kṛtvaiva nistiṣṭhati kṛtistveva vijijñāsitavyeti kṛtiṃ bhagavo vijijñāsa iti ||
When one acts, one becomes steadfast. One does not become steadfast without acting; only by acting does one become steadfast. So action itself must be understood. 'Sir, I wish to understand action.'
Chhandogya Upanishad 7.21.1
Sanatkumara
यदा वै सुखं लभतेऽथ करोति नासुखं लब्ध्वा करोति सुखमेव लब्ध्वा करोति सुखं त्वेव विजिज्ञासितव्यमिति सुखं भगवो विजिज्ञास इति ॥
yadā vai sukhaṃ labhate’tha karoti nāsukhaṃ labdhvā karoti sukhameva labdhvā karoti sukhaṃ tveva vijijñāsitavyamiti sukhaṃ bhagavo vijijñāsa iti ||
When one finds happiness, one acts. No one acts without finding happiness; only by finding happiness does one act. So happiness itself must be understood. 'Sir, I wish to understand happiness.'
Chhandogya Upanishad 7.22.1

Not dwelling on it is the medicine

Mahabharata, Shanti Parva (Narada to Shuka)

Dwelling on what is lost adds a second sorrow to the first. The medicine for sorrow is not to keep thinking of it. Thought about, sorrow does not leave, it grows. Meet the mind's pain with understanding and the body's with medicine.

Narada
भैषज्यमेतद्दुःखस्य यदेतन्नानुचिन्तयेत् / चिन्त्यमानं हि न व्येति भूयश्चापि प्रवर्धते दुःखोपघाते शारीरे मानसे चाप्युपस्थिते / यस्मिन्न शक्यते कर्तुं यत्नस्तन्नानुचिन्तयेत्
bhaiṣajyametadduḥkhasya yadetannānucintayet / cintyamānaṃ hi na vyeti bhūyaścāpi pravardhate duḥkhopaghāte śārīre mānase cāpyupasthite / yasminna śakyate kartuṃ yatnastannānucintayet
When pain of body or mind arrives and nothing can be done about it, do not keep thinking about it. Not dwelling on it is the medicine for sorrow; brooding does not make it leave, it only makes it grow.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma, Mokshadharma
Narada
प्रज्ञया मानसं दुःखं हन्याच्छारीरमौषधैः / एतद्विज्ञानमसामर्थ्यं न बालैः समतामियात्
prajñayā mānasaṃ duḥkhaṃ hanyācchārīramauṣadhaiḥ / etadvijñānamasāmarthyaṃ na bālaiḥ samatāmiyāt
Heal the pain of the mind with wisdom and the pain of the body with medicine. That is what knowledge can do; don't behave like a child about it.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma: Mokshadharma
Narada
न जानपदिकं दुःखमेकः शोचितुमर्हति / अशोचन्प्रतिकुर्वीत यदि पश्येदुपक्रमम्
na jānapadikaṃ duḥkhamekaḥ śocitumarhati / aśocanpratikurvīta yadi paśyedupakramam
No one should sit alone grieving over a trouble that has struck everyone. Instead of grieving, act to remedy it if you see a way.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma, Mokshadharma

Two sources of the mind's pain

Mahabharata, Shanti Parva (Ashma Gita)

Confusion
unwanted happening
Grief
Discernment

Pain of the mind comes from two places: the mind's own confusion, or something unwanted happening. There is no third. In grief, ask where I came from, where I am going, and who I am.

Ashma (quoted by Vyasa)
मानसानां पुनर्योनिर्दुःखानां चित्तविभ्रमः / अनिष्टोपनिपातो वा तृतीयं नोपपद्यते
mānasānāṃ punaryonirduḥkhānāṃ cittavibhramaḥ / aniṣṭopanipāto vā tṛtīyaṃ nopapadyate
Sorrow of the mind has only two sources: a confused, wandering mind, or something unwanted happening to you. There is no third.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Shanti: Consolation of Yudhishthira
Ashma (quoted by Vyasa)
क्वासे क्व च गमिष्यामि कोऽन्वहं किमिहास्थितः / कस्मात्किमनुशोचेयमित्येवं स्थापयेन्मनः
kvāse kva ca gamiṣyāmi ko’nvahaṃ kimihāsthitaḥ / kasmātkimanuśoceyamityevaṃ sthāpayenmanaḥ
'Where was I before? Where will I go? Who am I, really, and why am I here? Why should I grieve, and for what?' Ask these, and steady the mind.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Shanti: Consolation of Yudhishthira

What heals it

What the texts set against it, and the verses that give footing.

Compassionkaruṇā
The epics first send someone to sit with the griever before any teaching. stated in the text
Valmiki 2.44; Manas Ayodhya
Discernmentviveka
Understanding meets the mind's pain when meeting and parting come to all. stated in the text
Ashma Gita; Valmiki 2.105; Narada to Shuka
Steadinessdhṛti
Feelings come and go, so bear them, because your wisdom is asleep, not gone. stated in the text
Gita 2.14; Valmiki 3.66
Self-knowledgeātma-jñāna
The Upanishads' direct claim. stated in the text
Chandogya 7.1.3; Katha 1.2.22; Isha 7
Surrenderśaraṇāgati
Surrender is the Gita's last word, 'Do not grieve'. stated in the text
Gita 18.66 (mā śucaḥ)

Krishna
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥
mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ | āgamāpāyino’nityāstāṃstitikṣasva bhārata ||
Contact of the senses with their objects brings cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go and do not last. Bear them patiently, Arjuna.
Bhagavad Gita 2.14
Places pain among things that come and go. our reading
Kausalya
अजहुँ बच्छ बलि धीरज धरहू। कुसमउ समुझि सोक परिहरहू॥ जनि मानहु हियँ हानि गलानी। काल करम गति अघटित जानी ॥
ajahuṁ baccha bali dhīraj dharahū| kusamau samujhi sok pariharahū|| jani mānahu hiyaṁ hāni galānī| kāl karam gati aghaṭit jānī ||
My child, bless you, hold on to courage even now. Seeing that the times are bad, set aside your grief. Knowing that the course of time and karma cannot be turned, don't take this loss as your shame.
Ramcharitmanas · Ayodhya Kand
A grieving mother asks him to hold on, so he is not alone in it. our reading
Narada
सोऽहं भगवो मन्त्रविदेवास्मि नात्मविच्छ्रुतꣳ ह्येव मे भगवद्दृशेभ्यस्तरति शोकमात्मविदिति सोऽहं भगवः शोचामि तं मा भगवाञ्छोकस्य पारं तारयत्विति तꣳ होवाच यद्वै किंचैतदध्यगीष्ठा नामैवैतत् ॥
so’haṃ bhagavo mantravidevāsmi nātmavicchrutaꣳ hyeva me bhagavaddṛśebhyastarati śokamātmaviditi so’haṃ bhagavaḥ śocāmi taṃ mā bhagavāñchokasya pāraṃ tārayatviti taꣳ hovāca yadvai kiṃcaitadadhyagīṣṭhā nāmaivaitat ||
'Sir, I know only the texts; I do not know the self. I have heard from people like you that one who knows the self crosses beyond sorrow. I am in sorrow, sir. Please take me across.' He said to him: 'Whatever you have studied is only name.'
Chhandogya Upanishad 7.1.3
Lakshman
बुद्धिश्च ते महाप्राज्ञ देवैरपि दुरन्वया। शोकेनाभिप्रसुप्तं ते ज्ञानं सम्बोधयाम्यहम्॥
buddhiśca te mahāprājña devairapi duranvayā| śokenābhiprasuptaṃ te jñānaṃ sambodhayāmyaham||
Your understanding, wise one, is beyond even the gods' reckoning. Grief has only put your wisdom to sleep, and I am here to wake it.
Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya 66.17
Treats grief as a sleep over wisdom, not its loss. our reading
Lakshman
आश्वसिही नरश्रेष्ठ प्राणिनः कस्य नापदः। संस्पृशन्त्यग्निवद् राजन् क्षणेन व्यपयान्ति च॥
āśvasihī naraśreṣṭha prāṇinaḥ kasya nāpadaḥ| saṃspṛśantyagnivad rājan kṣaṇena vyapayānti ca||
Take heart, best of men. Which living being does trouble not touch? Troubles strike like fire, king, and pass in a moment.
Valmiki Ramayana · Aranya Kanda
Shows sorrow common to all, not a mark against him. our reading
Krishna
गतिर्भर्ता प्रभुः साक्षी निवासः शरणं सुहृत् । प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ॥
gatirbhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṃ suhṛt | prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṃ nidhānaṃ bījamavyayam ||
I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the home, the refuge and the friend; the origin and the dissolution, the ground, the treasure-house and the undying seed.
Bhagavad Gita 9.18
Shows the one who holds origin and ending as witness and refuge. our reading
Kalakavrikshiya
भूत्वा च न भवत्येतदभूत्वा च भविष्यति / शोके न ह्यस्ति सामर्थ्यं शोचेत स कथं नरः
bhūtvā ca na bhavatyetadabhūtvā ca bhaviṣyati / śoke na hyasti sāmarthyaṃ śoceta sa kathaṃ naraḥ
What was, ceases to be; what was not, comes to be. Grief has no power to change this. Why then should anyone grieve?
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma, Rajadharma
Shows grief having no power over what has already changed, freeing the energy it was holding. our reading
A brahmin (retold by Bhishma)
सुखात्त्वं दुःखमापन्नः पुनरापत्स्यसे सुखम् / न नित्यं लभते दुःखं न नित्यं लभते सुखम्
sukhāttvaṃ duḥkhamāpannaḥ punarāpatsyase sukham / na nityaṃ labhate duḥkhaṃ na nityaṃ labhate sukham
From happiness you have fallen into sorrow; you will come to happiness again. No one has sorrow forever, and no one has happiness forever.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma, Mokshadharma
Shows sorrow placed in a turning cycle, with return promised. our reading

Practices that grow compassion, discernment and steadiness

Verses that give something to do, today or in the hard moment.

Krishna
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥
mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ | āgamāpāyino’nityāstāṃstitikṣasva bhārata ||
Contact of the senses with their objects brings cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go and do not last. Bear them patiently, Arjuna.
Bhagavad Gita 2.14
Bearing what passes without being moved. our reading
Krishna
यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः । इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥
yadā saṃharate cāyaṃ kūrmo’ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ | indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyastasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā ||
When, like a tortoise drawing in its limbs on every side, a person withdraws the senses from their objects, his wisdom is firmly set.
Bhagavad Gita 2.58
Shows wisdom staying set when the senses are gathered. our reading
Krishna
शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात् । कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः ॥
śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṃ prākśarīravimokṣaṇāt | kāmakrodhodbhavaṃ vegaṃ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ ||
One who is able, here in this life, before leaving the body, to withstand the surge born of desire and anger, is disciplined; he is a happy person.
Bhagavad Gita 5.23
Cultivates the capacity to hold steady while the surge passes. our reading
Bhartrihari
गुणवदगुणवद्वा कुर्वता कार्यजातं परिणतिरवधार्या यत्नतः पण्डितेन । अतिरभसकृतानां कर्मणामाविपत्ते- र्भवति हृदयदाही शल्यतुल्यो विपाकः ॥
guṇavadaguṇavadvā kurvatā kāryajātaṃ pariṇatiravadhāryā yatnataḥ paṇḍitena | atirabhasakṛtānāṃ karmaṇāmāvipatte- rbhavati hṛdayadāhī śalyatulyo vipākaḥ ||
Whether a task is good or bad, a wise person should first carefully weigh its outcome. The result of deeds done in great haste burns the heart like a thorn until one's dying day.
Bhartrihari · Niti Shatakam
Bhartrihari
जाड्यं धियो हरति सिञ्चति वाचि सत्यं मानोन्नतिं दिशति पापमपाकरोति । चेतः प्रसादयति दिक्षु तनोति कीर्तिं सत्सङ्गतिः कथय किं न करोति पुंसाम् ॥
jāḍyaṃ dhiyo harati siñcati vāci satyaṃ mānonnatiṃ diśati pāpamapākaroti | cetaḥ prasādayati dikṣu tanoti kīrtiṃ satsaṅgatiḥ kathaya kiṃ na karoti puṃsām ||
Good company takes dullness from the mind, sprinkles truth into speech, raises one's dignity, removes wrongdoing, clears the heart and spreads one's good name in every direction. Tell me, what does good company not do for a person?
Bhartrihari · Niti Shatakam
Shows removal of dullness of mind. our reading
Bhartrihari
प्रारभ्यते न खलु विघ्नभयेन नीचैः प्रारभ्य विघ्नविहता विरमन्ति मध्याः ॥ विघ्नैः पुनः पुनरपि प्रतिहन्यमानाः प्रारब्धमुत्तमगुणा न परित्यजन्ति ॥
prārabhyate na khalu vighnabhayena nīcaiḥ prārabhya vighnavihatā viramanti madhyāḥ || vighnaiḥ punaḥ punarapi pratihanyamānāḥ prārabdhamuttamaguṇā na parityajanti ||
The lowest do not begin at all, for fear of obstacles. The middling begin, but stop when obstacles strike. The best, struck by obstacles again and again, do not give up what they have begun.
Bhartrihari · Niti Shatakam
Shows persisting through repeated setbacks. our reading
Gautama (retold by Bhishma)
चिरेण मित्रं बध्नीयाच्चिरेण च कृतं त्यजेत् / चिरेण हि कृतं मित्रं चिरं धारणमर्हति
cireṇa mitraṃ badhnīyāccireṇa ca kṛtaṃ tyajet / cireṇa hi kṛtaṃ mitraṃ ciraṃ dhāraṇamarhati
Make a friend slowly, and give one up slowly. A friendship made slowly is one that lasts long.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma: Mokshadharma
Take time before binding or breaking a bond. our reading
The Swan (Prajapati)
नारुतुदः स्यान्न नृशंसवादी / न हीनतः परमभ्याददीत / ययाऽस्य वाचा पर उद्विजेत / न तां वदेदुशतिं पापलोक्याम्
nārutudaḥ syānna nṛśaṃsavādī / na hīnataḥ paramabhyādadīta / yayā’sya vācā para udvijeta / na tāṃ vadeduśatiṃ pāpalokyām
Do not wound others where it hurts, do not speak cruelly, do not take from those who have less. Never say words that make another person flinch; such words are scorching and lead to dark places.
Mahabharata · Shanti Parva · Bhishma, Mokshadharma
Shows one feeling the other's flinch before speaking. our reading

People who lived it

Someone in the scriptures went through this, and the story shows what turned.

From the Other Gitas
Tulsidas, the boy who begged for scraps
Across his later works Tulsidas tells his own story: left by his parents at birth, he wandered door to door for scraps, no job, no trade, no skill, ignored by everyone. Good people told him not to worry; Hanuman raised him like a child; Ram's name, he says, turned a thorny babul into a mango tree. Even when he went astray, he was taken back.
Where you start is not where you end; you can be taken in from nothing.
From the Mahabharata
The parrot who stayed with the withered tree
A hunter's poisoned arrow withers the tree where a parrot has always lived. The parrot refuses to leave it. Indra, moved by its loyalty, restores the tree.
Loyalty means staying through the bad season, not only the good.
From the Mahabharata
Krishna on the war within
As Yudhishthira still grieves, Krishna tells him his real battle has begun: one fought alone, with his own mind, where 'mine' is death and 'not mine' is freedom.
The hardest battle is with your own mind, and no one else can fight it for you.
From the Ramayana
Bharat rules from a hut for fourteen years
Bharat places Ram's sandals on the throne and lives outside the city in a hut, sleeping on grass, fasting, governing only as a caretaker. The palace's riches are all around him and do not touch him, like a bee in a champak garden.
You can live amid plenty without being owned by it.

Is this where you are?

Write a line about today. Your words find their place on the map, with a verse for each.

Nearby on the map

See grief on the whole map

Questions people ask

What is the Sanskrit word for grief?

Śoka (शोक). Grief, sorrow over loss.

Which Bhagavad Gita verse speaks about grief?

Bhagavad Gita 2.8: I see nothing that could drive away this sorrow that is drying up my senses, not even an unrivalled, prosperous kingdom on earth or rule over the gods.

How do the scriptures say to overcome grief?

They set self-knowledge, steadiness and compassion against it. The epics first send someone to sit with the griever before any teaching. (Valmiki 2.44; Manas Ayodhya) Understanding meets the mind's pain when meeting and parting come to all. (Ashma Gita; Valmiki 2.105; Narada to Shuka)

Verses, translations and stories come from the Wisdom library, read with the traditional commentaries. A line marked stated in the text is a link the verse or a named commentator makes; our reading is Wisdom's own reading of the verse.