Shloka 11
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
दुर्योधन उवाच दश तानि सहस्राणि स्नातकानां महात्मनाम् | भुज्जते रुक्मपात्रीभिय्युधिष्ठिरनिवेशने,दुर्योधनने कहा--पिताजी! युधिष्ठिरके महलमें दस हजार महामनस्वी स्नातक ब्राह्मण प्रतिदिन सोनेकी थालियोंमें भोजन करते हैं
duryodhana uvāca daśa tāni sahasrāṇi snātakānāṃ mahātmanām | bhuñjate rukmapātrībhiḥ yudhiṣṭhira-niveśane ||
Duryodhana said: “Father, in Yudhiṣṭhira’s residence, ten thousand high-souled snātaka Brahmins partake of their meals, served in golden dishes each day.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal of kingship: sustaining learned and disciplined Brahmins through daily hospitality and patronage. At the same time, it implicitly warns that observing another’s prosperity can provoke envy and rivalry if not tempered by self-control and ethical discernment.
Duryodhana reports to his father about the scale of Yudhiṣṭhira’s household generosity—ten thousand snātaka Brahmins being fed daily in golden vessels—emphasizing Yudhiṣṭhira’s wealth, prestige, and the public honor that such largesse brings.