Shloka 4
आपद्-राजनीतिः (Āpad-rājanīti) — Policy Options in Multi-Front Crisis
स हि तेन पुरा विप्रो राज्ञा नात्यर्थमानितः । आशाकृतनश्च राजेन्द्र तपो दीर्घ समाश्रित:
sa hi tena purā vipro rājñā nātyarthamānitaḥ | āśākṛtanaś ca rājendra tapo dīrghaṃ samāśritaḥ ||
Pues en tiempos antiguos aquel brahmán no fue muy honrado por el rey. Sin embargo, sostenido por la esperanza, oh señor de reyes, emprendió severas austeridades y las mantuvo por largo tiempo.
ऋषभ उवाच
Educational Q&A
External recognition from rulers is unstable; a person committed to dharma may still persevere in tapas, sustained by inner resolve and hope, rather than by public honour.
Ṛṣabha recalls an earlier episode: a brahmin received little honour from a king, yet—motivated by hope—he undertook prolonged austerities, setting up a moral reflection on how kings treat the virtuous and how the virtuous respond.