Shloka 3
आपद्-राजनीतिः (Āpad-rājanīti) — Policy Options in Multi-Front Crisis
ऋषभ उवाच इत्येवमुक्ते वचने राज्ञा मुनिरधोमुख: । तूष्णीमेवाभवत् तत्र न च प्रत्युक्तवान् नृपम्
ṛṣabha uvāca | ityevamukte vacane rājñā munir adhomukhaḥ | tūṣṇīm evābhavat tatra na ca pratyuktavān nṛpam |
Ṛṣabha sprach: Als der König so geredet hatte, saß der Weise dort mit gesenktem Blick in vollkommenem Schweigen; er gab dem König keine Antwort.
ऋषभ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights silence (tūṣṇīm) as an ethically charged response: when speech may be inadequate, premature, or harmful, restraint and inward reflection can itself communicate gravity, dissent, or contemplation within the pursuit of dharma.
After the king speaks, the sage lowers his face and remains silent, offering no verbal reply. Rishabha narrates this moment to show the tension between royal questioning/assertion and ascetic reserve, setting up the next development in the dialogue.