Shloka 31
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
नृपेणाहूयमानस्य यत् तिष्ठति भयं हृदि । न तत् तिष्ठति तुष्टानां वने मूलफलाशिनाम्
nṛpeṇāhūyamānasya yat tiṣṭhati bhayaṁ hṛdi | na tat tiṣṭhati tuṣṭānāṁ vane mūlaphalāśinām ||
Quand un homme est mandé en présence du roi, une crainte se lève et se dresse dans son cœur. Cette même crainte n’habite pas ceux qui, contents, vivent dans la forêt et se nourrissent de racines et de fruits.
शार्टूल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dependence on royal authority and worldly power breeds fear and inner insecurity, whereas contentment and a simple, self-reliant life (symbolized by living in the forest on roots and fruits) supports fearlessness and mental steadiness.
Śārṭūla states a reflective maxim: he contrasts the anxious state of someone summoned by a king with the calm of forest-dwellers who are satisfied with minimal sustenance, using this contrast to highlight the psychological cost of courtly dependence versus the freedom of renunciation.