Shloka 17
अध्याय १२८: शिव–उमा संवादः — तिलोत्तमा, श्मशान-मेध्यता, तथा चातुर्वर्ण्य-धर्मः
Chapter 128: Śiva–Umā Dialogue—Tilottamā, the Ritual Valence of the Śmaśāna, and the Fourfold Duty-Code
नूनं मित्रमुख: शत्रु: कश्चिदार्यवदाचरन् । वज्चयित्वा गतस्त्वां वै तेनासि हरिण: कृश:
nūnaṃ mitramukhaḥ śatruḥ kaścid āryavad ācaran | vañcayitvā gatastvāṃ vai tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
Surely some enemy, wearing the face of a friend, approached you—speaking like a well-wisher and behaving as though he were a noble man. Having deceived you, he has gone away; therefore you have become thin and pale, like a deer—worn down by the shock of betrayal.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that unethical people may disguise hostility with the appearance of friendship and even imitate noble conduct. It highlights the ethical need for discernment (viveka) in trusting others, since deception can cause deep inner harm, symbolized by becoming weak and pale.
A Brahmin speaker observes someone’s distressed, weakened condition and infers a cause: the person has likely been tricked by an enemy who approached as a friend, spoke pleasantly, behaved like a respectable man, and then departed after cheating him.