Shloka 29
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
अविद्दान् भीरुरल्पार्थे विद्याविक्रमदानजम् । यशः प्रार्थयसे नूनं तेनासि हरिण: कृश:
avidvān bhīrur alpārthe vidyā-vikrama-dāna-jam | yaśaḥ prārthayase nūnaṃ tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
The Brāhmaṇa said: ‘Surely you are not truly learned, yet you seek the fame that is said to arise from learning. Though timid, you long for renown born of valor; though possessing only scant wealth, you yearn for the reputation of a great giver. Therefore you have grown lean and pale like a deer—worn down by craving for reputation without the inner substance that produces it.’
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Renown should be the natural consequence of genuine qualities—true learning, real courage, and actual generosity. Seeking the label of virtue without possessing its substance leads to inner strain and decline.
A Brāhmaṇa rebukes someone who is chasing different kinds of fame—of scholarship, heroism, and charity—despite lacking the corresponding capacities. He explains the person’s emaciation as the result of anxious, misplaced desire for reputation.