Shloka 23
अदारा-नीति
Crisis Composure) and ‘Jaya’ Śravaṇa (Morale-Instruction
राज्याद् भावो निवृत्तो मे त्रिदिवादिव दुष्कृते: । ईदृशं भवती कंचिदुपायमनुपश्यति
rājyād bhāvo nivṛtto me tridivādiva duṣkṛteḥ | īdṛśaṃ bhavatī kaṃcid upāyam anupaśyati ||
“My desire for kingship has fallen away; because of my wrongdoing, even heaven seems as nothing to me. Do you, revered one, perceive any means by which a situation like this may be set right?”
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral awakening: when one recognizes wrongdoing, even the highest worldly or heavenly rewards lose their appeal, and the proper response is to seek a righteous remedy (upāya) rather than cling to power.
A son addresses a revered woman (likely a mother/elder) confessing that his ambition for the kingdom has faded due to awareness of his misdeed, and he asks her to suggest any practical means to resolve or rectify the situation.