Shloka 23
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
एतावच्छेय इत्येव बृहस्पतिरभाषत । इन्द्रस्तु भूय: पप्रच्छ को विशेषो भवेदिति,तत्पश्चात् इतना ही श्रेय (कल्याणका उपाय) है, ऐसा बृहस्पतिने कहा। तब इन्द्रने फिर पूछा--“इससे विशेष वस्तु क्या है?”
etāvac chreya ity eva bṛhaspatir abhāṣata | indrastu bhūyaḥ papraccha ko viśeṣo bhaved iti ||
Bṛhaspati declared, “This much indeed is the good (the means to welfare).” But Indra questioned again, seeking something beyond it: “What further distinction—what higher good—could there be than this?”
घतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical-spiritual distinction of śreyas (true welfare) and the seeker’s insistence on clarity: even after being told “this is the good,” one should inquire into whether there is a higher or more complete form of the good and what makes it superior.
Bṛhaspati concludes a point by stating that a certain measure constitutes the beneficial path. Indra, not satisfied with a partial conclusion, asks again to learn what further excellence or higher alternative might exist beyond what has just been described.