Shloka 36
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
पापात् प्रवर्धतो दृष्टया कल्याणानावसीदत: । ध्रुवं गर्हयसे नित्यं तेनासि हरिण: कृश:
pāpāt pravardhato dṛṣṭvā kalyāṇān avasīdataḥ | dhruvaṃ garhayase nityaṃ tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
Seeing sin on the rise and virtuous people—engaged in wholesome deeds—being brought low and made to suffer, you surely condemn this state of affairs again and again. That constant inward reproach has worn you down; therefore you have become thin and pale like a deer.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
When evil increases and the righteous suffer, a sensitive person naturally condemns such disorder; yet constant brooding over injustice can consume one’s strength. The verse highlights both moral awareness and the personal toll of sustained ethical anguish.
A Brahmin addresses someone who has become weak and pale. He explains the cause: the person keeps witnessing the rise of sin and the distress of virtuous people, and continually censures this condition, which has led to physical and mental emaciation.