Shloka 22
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
(सुदुर्विनीत: पुत्रो वा जामाता वा प्रमार्जक: । दारा वा प्रतिकूलास्ते तेनासि हरिण: कृश: ।।
sudurvinītaḥ putro vā jāmātā vā pramārjakaḥ | dārā vā pratikūlāste tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
bhrātaro'tīva viṣamāḥ pitā vā kṣutkṣato mṛtaḥ | mātā jyeṣṭho gururvāpi tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
brāhmaṇo vā hato gaurvā brahmasvaṃ vā hṛtaṃ purā | devasvaṃ vādhikaṃ kāle tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
hṛtadāro'tha vṛddho vā loke dviṣṭo'tha vā naraiḥ | avijñānena vā vṛddhastenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
vārthakārthaṃ dhana dṛṣṭvā svāṃ śrīrvāpi paraiḥ hṛtā | vṛttirvā durjanāpekṣā tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
iṣṭabhāryasya te nūnaṃ prātiveśyo mahādhanaḥ | yuvā sulalitaḥ kāmī tenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
婆罗门说道：“也许你的儿子桀骜无教；或你的女婿如同‘扫除者’，把你家中的财物一扫而空；也许你的妻子性情乖戾相逆——因此你日渐消瘦，面色苍白。 又或许你的兄弟们极其奸狡乖僻；或你的父亲因饥馑摧残而亡；或你的母亲、长兄、师长也同样凋零——因此你消瘦而苍白。 又或许你曾杀害婆罗门或牝牛；或往昔盗取婆罗门之财；或在某时过分侵取本属诸天之物——因此你消瘦而苍白。 又或许你的妻子被人掳去；或你已至老境；或世人开始憎恶你；或你在无明中‘长成’——因此你消瘦而苍白。 又或见你为老年积蓄财物，他人便夺取你自身的荣富；或为求生计，你不得不依赖恶人——因此你消瘦而苍白。 又或确然如此：因你有一位挚爱的妻子，你近旁住着一位极富的邻人——年轻、俊美、而又纵欲——因此你消瘦而苍白。”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage probes the moral and social causes behind a person’s visible decline: domestic disorder, dependence on the wicked, social hatred, and especially grave transgressions like harming a Brahmin or cow or stealing sacred property. It implies that inner ethical failure and unresolved wrongdoing manifest outwardly as anxiety, loss of vitality, and misfortune.
A Brahmin addresses a man who appears emaciated and pale, offering a series of possible explanations—ranging from family troubles and bereavement to theft, abduction, old age, social enmity, and serious sins. The repeated refrain ‘therefore you are thin and pale’ functions as a diagnostic, pressing the listener toward self-examination and confession of the true cause.