Shloka 10
आपद्-राजनीतिः (Āpad-rājanīti) — Policy Options in Multi-Front Crisis
राजोवाच कृशाकृशे मया बद्दान् गृहीते वचनात् तव । दुर्लभत्वं च तस्यैव वेदवाक्यमिव द्विज
rājovāca—kṛśākṛśe mayā baddhān gṛhīte vacanāt tava | durlabhatvaṃ ca tasyaiva vedavākyam iva dvija ||
国王说道：“噢，婆罗门！依你所言，我已牢牢记取：被希望所缚者必致羸弱，战胜希望者则为强健。又，噢，二次生者！我也如受吠陀之言一般，领受你这一点：人所怀希望而渴求之物，实在极难获得。”
ऋषभ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hope (āśā) functions like a bond: when one’s mind is tied to expectation, inner strength diminishes; when expectation is conquered, steadiness and vigor arise. Moreover, craving makes the desired object seem—and often become—harder to attain, because the mind’s dependence itself is a form of suffering and instability.
In a didactic dialogue within Śānti Parva, the king responds to a Brahmin sage’s instruction. He affirms that he has understood and accepted the teaching, treating the sage’s words as authoritative—comparable to a Vedic statement—especially regarding the weakening effect of hope and the rarity of what is intensely hoped for.