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 ||
Le brāhmane dit : « Assurément, tu n’es pas vraiment instruit, et pourtant tu recherches la renommée que l’on dit naître du savoir. Bien que craintif, tu convoites le renom issu de la vaillance ; bien que pauvre en biens, tu désires la réputation d’un grand donateur. Voilà pourquoi tu es devenu maigre et pâle comme un cerf—rongé par la soif de gloire sans la substance intérieure qui la fait naître. »
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.