Shloka 1
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
ऑपन-माजल छा जि: चतुर्विशर्त्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: इन्द्र हि अप प्रह्नादकी कथा--शीलका प्रभाव
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ime janā naraśreṣṭha praśaṃsanti sadā bhuvi | dharmasya śīlam evādau tato me saṃśayo mahān ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «يا خيرَ الرجال، يا بيتامها! إن الناس في أرجاء هذه الأرض يمدحون دائمًا، قبل كل شيء، الشِّيلة (śīla)—حُسن السلوك—على أنه أساس الدارما. ومن أجل ذلك قام في نفسي شكّ عظيم.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames śīla (good conduct/character) as the commonly acknowledged starting point of dharma, prompting a philosophical inquiry into why conduct is treated as dharma’s foundation.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an elder authority (“best of men”) and raises a doubt: since people praise conduct first when speaking of dharma, he seeks clarification about the true basis and hierarchy of virtues.