Shloka 28
Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)
ऋतुपर्णस्ततो राजा बाहुक॑ कार्यगौरवात् । हयज्ञानस्य लोभाच्च तं तथेत्यब्रवीद् वच:,तब राजा ऋतुपर्णने कार्यकी गुरुता और अश्व-विज्ञानके लोभसे बाहुकको आश्वासन देते हुए कहा--“तथास्तु”
ṛtuparṇas tato rājā bāhukaṃ kāryagauravāt | hayajñānasya lobhāc ca taṃ tathety abravīd vacaḥ ||
Kemudian Raja Ṛtuparṇa, menimbang beratnya urusannya sendiri dan tergoda oleh hasrat mempelajari rahsia ilmu kuda, menenangkan Bāhuka lalu berkata: “Baiklah, demikianlah.”
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how urgency and personal desire can shape a ruler’s decisions: Ṛtuparṇa agrees not purely from principle but from the pressure of his task and the lure of specialized knowledge, illustrating the ethical tension between duty-driven choice and desire-driven consent.
King Ṛtuparṇa responds to Bāhuka’s proposal/request by giving assurance—“tathāstu” (“so be it”). His agreement is motivated by the seriousness of his immediate business and his eagerness to obtain knowledge of horses.