Shloka 67
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
यदन्येषां हितं न स्यादात्मन: कर्म पौरुषम् | अपन्रपेत वा येन न तत् कुर्यात् कथंचन
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | yad anyeṣāṁ hitaṁ na syād ātmanaḥ karma pauruṣam | apannrapeta vā yena na tat kuryāt kathaṁcana ||
ধৃতরাষ্ট্র বললেন—যে ব্যক্তিগত উদ্যোগ বা কর্ম অন্যের কল্যাণ সাধন করে না, কিংবা যা করতে লজ্জা বা নৈতিক সংকোচ বোধ হয়—সে কাজ কোনোভাবেই করা উচিত নয়।
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
A deed is not truly worthy if it fails to benefit others or violates one’s moral conscience; actions that cause shame or ethical hesitation should be avoided entirely.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra voices a moral principle about right conduct—framing action (karma) and personal effort (pauruṣa) as accountable to both social good (hita) and inner ethical restraint.