Shloka 69
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
यद्यप्यशीला नृपते प्राप्रुवन्ति श्रियं क्वचित् । न भुज्जते चिरं तात समूलाश्च न सन्ति ते,तात! नरेश्वर! यद्यपि कहीं-कहीं शीलहीन मनुष्य भी राजलक्ष्मीको प्राप्त कर लेते हैं, तथापि वे चिरकालतक उसका उपभोग नहीं कर पाते और जड़मूलसहित नष्ट हो जाते हैं
yady apy aśīlā nṛpate prāpnuvanti śriyaṃ kvacit | na bhuñjate ciraṃ tāta samūlāś ca na santi te ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O king, although men without good conduct may sometimes obtain royal prosperity, they do not enjoy it for long, dear one; they are uprooted and cease to be.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity gained without good conduct is unstable: even if the unethical sometimes rise to power, they cannot sustain it and ultimately fall completely.
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.