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 ||
Sebab pada masa lampau brahmana itu tidak terlalu dimuliakan oleh sang raja. Namun, wahai raja di antara para raja, ditopang oleh harapan ia menempuh dan memelihara tapa yang berat untuk waktu yang panjang.
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.