Shloka 2
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
यदि तच्छक्यमस्माभिर्ञातुं धर्मभूतां वर । श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत् सर्व यथैतदुपलभ्यते,धर्मात्माओंमें श्रेष्ठ! यदि मै उसे जान सकूँ तो जिस प्रकार शीलकी उपलब्धि होती है, वह सब सुनना चाहता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | yadi tac chakyam asmābhir jñātuṁ dharmabhūtāṁ vara | śrotum icchāmi tat sarvaṁ yathaitad upalabhyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O best among the righteous, if it is possible for me to know what is truly of the nature of dharma, I wish to hear it all—how this right conduct, this virtue (śīla), is to be understood and attained.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as something that must be both understood and practically realized; Yudhiṣṭhira requests a complete explanation of the means by which righteous conduct (śīla/ācāra implied) is apprehended and attained.
In the instruction-heavy Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance after the war, addresses a revered righteous authority and asks to hear in full how true dharma is known and how right conduct is obtained.