Shloka 30
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
राजोपक्रोशदोषाश्न सर्वे संश्रयवासिनाम् । व्रतचर्या तु नि:संगा निर्भया वनवासिनाम्
rājopakrōśa-doṣāśn sarve saṁśraya-vāsinām | vrata-caryā tu niḥsaṅgā nirbhayā vana-vāsinām ||
जो राजा के आश्रय में रहते हैं, उन्हें राजा की निन्दा से सम्बन्ध रखनेवाले सभी दोष प्राप्त होते हैं। पर मेरे जैसे वनवासियों की व्रतचर्या सर्वथा असंग और भय से रहित होती है।
शार्टूल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dependence on political power brings moral entanglement: those who live by a king’s shelter share in the ethical fallout of the king’s censures and controversies. By contrast, the forest-ascetic ideal is presented as a life of disciplined vows marked by non-attachment and freedom from fear.
Śārṭūla contrasts two modes of life—courtly dependence versus forest renunciation—arguing that proximity to royal authority inevitably involves one in blame and fault, whereas the forest-dweller’s vowed practice remains detached and fearless.