Shloka 17
आपद्-राजनीतिः (Āpad-rājanīti) — Policy Options in Multi-Front Crisis
प्रसवे चैव नारीणां वृद्धानां पुत्रकारिता । तथा नरेन्द्र धनिनां सा55शा कृशतरी मया
kṛśa uvāca | prasave caiva nārīṇāṁ vṛddhānāṁ putrakāritā | tathā narendra dhanināṁ sāśā kṛśatarī mayā, narendra |
ກຶສະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ! ຄວາມຫວັງທີ່ຍັງຄ້າງຢູ່ໃນໃຈຂອງແມ່ຍິງຊະລາ ໃນການໄດ້ບຸດ ແລະຄວາມຫວັງໃນໃຈຂອງຄົນມັ່ງຄັ່ງ ໃນການໄດ້ກຳໄລເພີ່ມພູນ—ຄວາມຫວັງເຊັ່ນນັ້ນ ໂອ ຜູ້ປົກຄອງມະນຸດ—ໃນຂ້ານີ້ຍິ່ງບາງເບົາກວ່າ».
कृश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tenacity of human hope—whether for progeny or for wealth—and contrasts it with the speaker’s own diminished expectation, pointing toward vairāgya (detachment) and a sober recognition of desire’s persistence.
Kṛśa addresses a king and uses two vivid comparisons—aged women longing for a son and rich men longing for more riches—to explain that even such strong hopes are, in his case, weaker still, indicating his reduced worldly aspiration.