Shloka 12
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
गुणवान् विगुणानन्यान् नूनं पश्यसि सत्कृतान् । प्राज्ञो5प्राज्ञान् विनीतात्मा तेनासि हरिण: कृश:
guṇavān viguṇān anyān nūnaṃ paśyasi satkṛtān | prājño 'prājñān vinītātmā tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
婆罗门说道：“你必定看见：无德无功之人反受礼敬，而具德之士却不被尊崇。你虽明智而能自持，却目睹愚人得享敬重；因此你面色憔悴、形体消瘦，如鹿一般——被这不公折磨而衰。”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common ethical tension: worldly honour does not always align with true virtue. Seeing the unworthy praised while the worthy are neglected can cause inner distress; the implied counsel is to recognize this mismatch without letting it destroy one’s steadiness and self-discipline.
A Brahmin addresses someone who is visibly weakened and disheartened. He diagnoses the cause as grief born from observing society’s inversion of values—foolish or unworthy people being respected while the wise and virtuous are not.