Shloka 3
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
क्षेमदर्शी नृपसुतो यत्र क्षीणबल: पुरा । मुनिं कालकवृक्षीयमाजगामेति न: श्रुतम् । त॑ पप्रच्छानुसंगृहा कृच्छामापदमास्थित:
kṣemadarśī nṛpasuto yatra kṣīṇabalaḥ purā | muniṃ kālakavṛkṣīyam ājagāmeti naḥ śrutam | taṃ papracchānusaṃgṛhya kṛcchrām āpadam āsthitaḥ |
毗湿摩说道：“我们听闻，久远以前，王子刹摩达尔希（Kṣemadarśī），一位国王之子，曾一度衰弱至极——其军力已然耗尽。那时他前往圣者迦罗迦弗利叉耶（Kālakavṛkṣīya）处；在严峻灾厄之中，他以应有的恭敬趋近，向圣者请教如何摆脱那份困厄。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In adversity, a ruler should not rely only on lost power or force; he should seek dharmic guidance from the wise, approaching them with humility and reverence to learn the right means of relief and right conduct.
Bhīṣma introduces an old account: the prince Kṣemadarśī, having become powerless and overwhelmed by a grave संकट (āpad), goes to the sage Kālakavṛkṣīya and respectfully asks for a way to escape the calamity.