Shloka 69

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

Sumitra Itihāsa Begins

Devanagari script

यद्यप्यशीला नृपते प्राप्रुवन्ति श्रियं क्वचित्‌ । न भुज्जते चिरं तात समूलाश्च न सन्ति ते

Transliteration

yady apy aśīlā nṛpate prāpnuvanti śriyaṃ kvacit | na bhuñjate ciraṃ tāta samūlāś ca na santi te ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „O König, obgleich Menschen ohne gute Lebensführung bisweilen königlichen Wohlstand erlangen, genießen sie ihn nicht lange, mein Lieber; sie werden mitsamt der Wurzel ausgerissen und gehen zugrunde.“

Word by Word

• यद्यपि: although
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद्यपि

• अशीलाḥ: unvirtuous (people)
• अशीलाḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशील
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नृपते: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्राप्नुवन्ति: attain, obtain
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Parasmaipada, Third, Plural

• श्रियम्: prosperity, royal fortune
• श्रियम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• क्वचित्: sometimes, somewhere
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित्

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• भुञ्जते: enjoy, partake (of)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Atmanepada, Third, Plural

• चिरम्: for long
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम्

• तात: O dear one / O son
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• समूलाः: with roots (i.e., root-and-all)
• समूलाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समूल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• सन्ति: are, exist
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Parasmaipada, Third, Plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Śrī (prosperity/royal fortune)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Prosperity gained without good conduct is unstable: even if the unethical sometimes rise to power, they cannot sustain it and ultimately fall completely.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the fate of the unvirtuous, warning that ill-gotten royal fortune does not endure and ends in total ruin.