Shloka 6
Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)
एवमुक्तो नलेनाथ तदा भाज़सुरिरनप: । आससाद वने राजन् फलवन्तं बिभीतकम्,राजन्! नलके ऐसा कहनेपर राजा ऋतुपर्ण चुप हो गये। अब वे एक वनमें एक बहेड़ेके वृक्षेके पास आ पहुँचे, जिसमें बहुत-से फल लगे थे
evam ukto nalena atha tadā bhājasurir anapaḥ | āsasāda vane rājan phalavantaṃ bibhītakam ||
قال بْرِهادَشْفَا: لما قال نَلا ذلك، مضى بهاجاسوري صامتًا لا يجيب، حتى بلغ في الغابة—أيها الملك—شجرةَ بِيبهِيتَكَةٍ (bibhītaka) مثقلةً بالثمار.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined restraint: when confronted by pointed speech, the wise may choose silence and purposeful action. It suggests that composure and attentiveness can be more dharmic than immediate verbal reaction.
After Nala speaks, Ṛtupārṇa (here referred to as Bhājasuri) does not respond verbally. Instead, during their forest passage he approaches a bibhītaka tree heavy with fruit—setting up the next moment in which the tree and its fruits become relevant to the unfolding episode.