Shloka 60
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
श्रीझ्वाच स शक्रो ब्रह्मचारी यस्त्वत्तश्नैवोपशिक्षित: । त्रैलोक्ये ते यदैश्वर्य तत् तेनापह्तं प्रभो
śrīr uvāca—sa śakro brahmacārī yas tvattaś caivopaśikṣitaḥ | trailokye te yada aiśvaryaṃ tat tena apahṛtaṃ prabho ||
قالت شْرِي (لاكشمي): «يا مولاي، إن ذلك الطالبَ العفيفَ الذي لقّنته بنفسك كان في الحقيقة شَكْرا (إندرا) متنكّرًا في هيئةِ براهمن. يا ربّ، إن السيادةَ والبهاءَ اللذين انتشرا في العوالم الثلاثة على أنهما لك—قد حملهما هو وذهب بهما».
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly sovereignty and prosperity (aiśvarya/śrī) are not permanent possessions; they can be withdrawn when pride, complacency, or a lapse in dharma arises. The verse underscores ethical vigilance and humility: even a seemingly ordinary brahmacārī may be a divine test, and one’s greatness is measured by steadfast conduct rather than by external fortune.
Lakṣmī reveals the true identity of a brahmacārī whom the addressed ‘Lord’ had instructed: he was actually Indra (Śakra) in disguise. Having received instruction, Indra then ‘took away’ the Lord’s widespread three-world sovereignty—signalling a reversal of fortune and the transfer/withdrawal of power as part of a divine or moral reckoning.