Shloka 2
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
वक्रिदुत्तरमेतेषां वक्तुं नोत्सहते पुमान् इति सर्वे मनोभिस्ते चिन्तयन्ति सम पार्थिवा:,वे सब भूपाल मन-ही-मन यह सोचने लगे कि भगवान्के इन वचनोंका उत्तर कोई भी मनुष्य नहीं दे सकता है
vakriduttaram eteṣāṁ vaktuṁ notsahate pumān iti sarve manobhis te cintayanti sma pārthivāḥ
ते सर्व भूपाल मनोमन विचार करू लागले—‘भगवानांच्या या वचनांना उत्तर देण्याचे धैर्य कोणत्याही मनुष्यात नाही.’
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When speech cannot meet the weight of dharma, restraint and inward reflection become the proper response; moral authority can render mere rhetoric powerless.
After hearing a forceful statement, the assembled kings do not answer aloud; instead they privately conclude that no human can give an adequate counter-reply and they silently deliberate.