Shloka 37
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
एक एकेन संगम्य रहो ब्रूयां हितं वच: । नच ते ज्ञातिकार्येषु प्रष्टव्यो5हं हिताहिते
eka ekena saṅgamya raho brūyāṃ hitaṃ vacaḥ | na ca te jñātikāryeṣu praṣṭavyo 'haṃ hitāhite ||
Wika ni Śārṭūla: “Makikipagtagpo ako sa iyo nang lihim, tayong dalawa lamang, at magsasalita ng mga salitang para sa iyong kapakanan. Ngunit sa mga bagay na ukol sa mga gawain ng iyong mga kamag-anak, huwag mo akong tanungin kung alin ang makabubuti o makasasama.”
शार्टूल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical counsel should be given with discretion: one may offer private, welfare-oriented advice, yet avoid becoming an arbiter in the internal affairs of another’s kin-group, where questions of benefit and harm are entangled with loyalties and conflict.
Śārṭūla sets boundaries for counsel: he offers to meet privately and speak beneficial words, but instructs the listener not to consult him regarding decisions and consequences tied to the listener’s relatives, implying the sensitivity and potential partiality involved in clan matters.