Shloka 12
आपद्-राजनीतिः (Āpad-rājanīti) — Policy Options in Multi-Front Crisis
त्वत्त: कृशतरं कि नु ब्रवीतु भगवानिदम् | यदि गुह्ां न ते किज्चिद् विद्यते मुनिसत्तम
tvattaḥ kṛśataraṃ ki nu bravītu bhagavān idam | yadi guhyaṃ na te kiñcid vidyate munisattama ||
Ṛṣabha sprach: „O ehrwürdiger Weiser, wenn es gar nichts gibt, was du geheim hältst — nichts, was der Offenbarung entzogen wäre — dann sage: Was könnte noch schwächer und noch mehr geschwunden sein als du?“
ऋषभ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical instruction through the discipline of truthfulness and openness: a worthy teacher who has nothing to conceal can clarify even subtle questions about weakness, limitation, or spiritual diminishment. It also highlights the student’s respectful inquiry—seeking guidance without presuming superiority.
Ṛṣabha addresses a revered sage, requesting an explicit answer. He prefaces his question with a condition—if the sage has no confidential matter to withhold—then he should explain what could be considered even more feeble than the person being addressed, setting up a didactic exchange typical of Śānti Parva’s moral-philosophical dialogues.