Shloka 23
आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King
एवमुक्तो5$भिवाद्याथ तमृषिं लोकपूजितम् | श्रान्तो5वसीदद् धर्मात्मा यथा त्वं नरसत्तम
evam ukto ’bhivādyātha tam ṛṣiṃ lokapūjitam | śrānto ’vasīdad dharmātmā yathā tvaṃ narasattama ||
“Assim interpelado, ele então se curvou em reverência diante daquele rishi honrado pelo mundo. O homem de alma justa, exausto, abateu-se de fadiga—tal como tu, ó melhor dos homens, te encontras agora.” (Assim diz Ṛṣabha, traçando uma comparação direta com o estado presente do ouvinte.)
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a dharmic person, after doing what is proper—especially honoring the wise—may still be overcome by fatigue; the verse underscores humility, reverence, and the recognition of human limits within the pursuit of dharma.
After being spoken to, the person in the story respectfully salutes a universally revered sage and then, exhausted, sits or sinks down; the speaker compares this weariness to the present state of the listener addressed as ‘best of men.’