Shloka 14
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
घतयादट्र उवाच यदीच्छसि श्रियं तात यादृशी सा युधिष्छिरे । विशिष्टां वा नरव्यात्र शीलवान् भव पुत्रक,धृतराष्ट्रने कहा--तात! पुरुषसिंह! बेटा! युधिष्ठिरके पास जैसी सम्पत्ति है, वैसी या उससे भी बढ़कर राजलक्ष्मीको यदि तुम पाना चाहते हो तो शीलवान् बनो
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | yad icchasi śriyaṃ tāta yādṛśī sā yudhiṣṭhire | viśiṣṭāṃ vā naravyāghra śīlavān bhava putraka ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “My son, if you desire prosperity like that which belongs to Yudhiṣṭhira—or even a more distinguished royal fortune—then, O tiger among men, become a person of good conduct.”
घतयादट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
True and lasting royal prosperity is grounded in śīla—good character and disciplined conduct. The verse links external success (śrī/rajyalakṣmī) to inner ethical formation rather than mere power or inheritance.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses his son affectionately and urges him to cultivate good conduct if he wishes to attain prosperity comparable to (or greater than) Yudhiṣṭhira’s—implicitly holding up Yudhiṣṭhira as a model of dharmic kingship.