Shloka 22

Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation

Sumitra Itihāsa Begins

Devanagari script

ततो बृहस्पतिस्तस्मै ज्ञान नैःश्रेयसं परम्‌ । कथयामास भगवान्‌ देवेन्द्राय कुरूद्गह,कुरुश्रेष्ठ तब भगवान्‌ बृहस्पतिने उन देवेन्द्रको कल्याणकारी परम ज्ञानका उपदेश दिया

Transliteration

tato bṛhaspatis tasmai jñānaṃ naiḥśreyasaṃ param | kathayāmāsa bhagavān devendrāya kuru-udvaha ||

Translation

Daraufhin legte der ehrwürdige Bṛhaspati ihm das höchste Wissen dar, das zur endgültigen Seligkeit und Befreiung führt. O Bester der Kurus! Jener gesegnete Bṛhaspati unterwies Devendra (Indra) in dieser heilbringenden höchsten Weisheit—und zeigte, dass Befreiung und rechtes Handeln nach dem Dharma das wahre Gut sind, jenseits bloßer Macht oder des Sieges.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya

• बृहस्पतिः: Bṛhaspati
• बृहस्पतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• नैःश्रेयसम्: leading to the highest good (final beatitude)
• नैःश्रेयसम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नैःश्रेयस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• परम्: supreme, highest
• परम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कथयामास: told, related, expounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; णिजन्त from कथ्/कथय्) + आस् (लिट्-परस्मैपद periphrastic perfect)
• Form: Perfect (periphrastic), 3rd person, Singular

• भगवान्: the venerable/lordly one
• भगवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• देवेन्द्राय: to Devendra (Indra)
• देवेन्द्राय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• कुरूद्वह: O bearer/chief of the Kurus
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरूद्वह (प्रातिपदिक; कुरु + उद्वह)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

घतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Devendra (Indra)
• Kuru (dynasty; addressed as Kuru-udvaha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That the highest welfare (naiḥśreyasa) is attained through supreme spiritual knowledge—wisdom oriented to liberation and right conduct—rather than through mere worldly power or success.

What is happening in the narrative?

The text shifts to a didactic moment: Bṛhaspati, revered as the gods’ teacher, begins instructing Devendra (Indra) in the highest, welfare-giving knowledge, while the narrator addresses the Kuru listener as 'kuru-udvaha'.