Shloka 25
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
न त्वेव मम संतोषाद् रोचते<न्यन्मृगाधिप । न कामये सुखान् भोगानैश्वर्य च तदाश्रयम्,मृगराज! मुझे तो संतोषके सिवा और कोई वस्तु रुचती ही नहीं है। मैं सुख, भोग और उनके आधारभूत ऐश्वर्यको नहीं चाहता
na tveva mama santoṣād rocatenyaṁ mṛgādhipa | na kāmaye sukhān bhogān aiśvaryaṁ ca tadāśrayam ||
قال شارتولا: «لكن ما عدا القناعة فلا شيء يروق لي حقًّا، يا سيدَ السباع. لا أشتهي اللذات والمتع، ولا السلطان والثراء اللذين تقوم عليهما.»
शार्टूल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Contentment (santoṣa) is presented as a higher good than the pursuit of pleasure, enjoyment, or the worldly power that supports them; ethical freedom comes from not being driven by acquisition and consumption.
Śārṭūla addresses the ‘lord/king of beasts’ (a lion-like interlocutor) and declares his personal stance: he finds satisfaction only in contentment and rejects the usual aims of comfort, sensual enjoyment, and the prosperity or sovereignty that enables them.