Shloka 68
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
तत्तु कर्म तथा कुर्याद् येन श्लाघ्येत संसदि । शीलं समासेनैतत् ते कथितं कुरुसत्तम
tattu karma tathā kuryād yena ślāghyeta saṃsadi | śīlaṃ samāsenaitat te kathitaṃ kurusattama ||
Darum soll man Handlungen so ausführen, dass man in der vollbesetzten Versammlung gelobt wird. O Bester der Kurus, dies—kurz gesagt—habe ich dir als Wesen der guten Lebensführung (śīla) dargelegt.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Act in such a way that your deeds are publicly commendable; this public praiseworthiness is presented as a concise marker of śīla—good character expressed through action.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a Kuru noble ("kurusattama"), summarizing an ethical instruction: the practical test of conduct is whether it would earn praise in an assembly, and he states this as the brief definition of śīla.