Shloka 40

Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances

Devanagari script

तं॑ तथा सुकृतं दृष्टवा पूज्यमानं स्वकर्मसु । प्राद्धिषन्‌ कृतसंघाता: पूर्वभृत्या मुहुर्मुहु:

Transliteration

taṁ tathā sukṛtaṁ dṛṣṭvā pūjyamānaṁ svakarmasu | prāddhiṣan kṛtasaṅghātāḥ pūrvabhṛtyā muhurmuhuḥ ||

Translation

见他行事精勤而卓然有成，又因本职之功屡受褒奖，那些旧日侍从便结党成群，屡屡对他生出敌意。此偈指出：由善行赢得的公开荣誉，常会激起眷恋旧位与旧利者的嫉妒与有组织的怨恨。

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• सुकृतम्: well-done, of good conduct
• सुकृतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुकृत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral)

• पूज्यमानम्: being honored
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्
• Form: शानच् (present passive participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular, Passive

• स्वकर्मसु: in (his) own duties/works
• स्वकर्मसु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वकर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• प्राद्विषन्: they hated, they bore malice
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्विष्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कृतसंघाताः: having formed a group; banded together
• कृतसंघाताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतसंघात
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पूर्वभृत्याः: former servants/retainers
• पूर्वभृत्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्वभृत्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मुहुः: again and again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः

• मुहुः: repeatedly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः

Speaker

शार्टूल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• शार्टूल (Śārṭūla, speaker)
• former servants/retainers (pūrvabhṛtyāḥ)
• the honored man (unnamed in this verse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Excellence in one’s rightful work (svakarma) naturally attracts honor, but it can also trigger envy; ethical steadiness requires not being shaken by others’ resentment and recognizing jealousy as a common social reaction to merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

A man is performing his duties very well and is publicly praised; seeing this, the former royal servants band together and repeatedly develop hostility toward him.