Shloka 21
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
तपः:प्रणिहितात्मानं मन्ये त्वारण्यकाड्क्षिणम् । बान्धवा नाभिनन्दन्ति तेनासि हरिण: कृश:
tapaḥ-praṇihitātmānaṃ manye tvāraṇyakāṅkṣiṇam | bāndhavā nābhinandanti tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
Pienso que tu fuero interno está entregado a la austeridad, y por eso anhelas morar en el bosque. Pero tus parientes no lo aprueban; por ello te has vuelto pálido y enjuto como un ciervo—consumido por el conflicto interior entre la renuncia y la expectativa familiar.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: sincere aspiration for tapas and renunciation may clash with familial expectations. Ethical discernment is needed so that spiritual longing does not become a source of distress, nor family attachment a force that suppresses genuine inner calling.
A Brahmin addresses someone who appears physically weakened. He infers that the person longs for forest-dwelling and austerity, but is being opposed by relatives; the resulting mental strain is reflected in the person’s pale, deer-like emaciation.