Shloka 16
आपद्-राजनीतिः (Āpad-rājanīti) — Policy Options in Multi-Front Crisis
एकपुत्र: पिता पुत्रे नष्टे वा प्रोषितेडपि वा । प्रवृत्ति यो न जानाति सा55शा कृशतरी मया,इकलौते बेटेका बाप जब अपने पुत्रके खो जाने या परदेशमें चले जानेपर उसका कोई समाचार नहीं जान पाता, तब उसके मनमें जो आशा रहती है, वह मुझसे भी अत्यन्त कृश होती है
ekaputraḥ pitā putre naṣṭe vā proṣite ’pi vā | pravṛttiṃ yo na jānāti sāśā kṛśatarī mayā ||
Seorang ayah yang hanya memiliki satu putra—bila putra itu hilang, atau meski hanya pergi ke negeri jauh—ketika sang ayah tak mengetahui kabar sedikit pun tentangnya, harapan yang masih tersisa di hatinya menjadi lebih tipis dan rapuh daripada diriku sendiri.
कृश उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when circumstances are painful and uncertain, hope persists—but it can become extremely fragile when fueled by attachment and lack of clear knowledge. The verse highlights the psychological cost of not knowing (pravṛtti) and the way longing can ‘thin’ one’s inner steadiness.
The speaker (Kṛśa) uses a vivid comparison: a one-son father who has no news of his missing or absent son still clings to hope, yet that hope is described as even more ‘emaciated’ than the speaker—underscoring the intensity of anxiety and the tenuous nature of expectation in such a situation.