Shloka 70
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
एतदू विदित्वा तत्त्वेन शीलवान् भव पुत्रक । यदीच्छसि श्रियं तात सुविशिष्टां युधिष्ठिरात्,बेटा! यदि तुम युधिष्ठिरसे भी अच्छी सम्पत्ति प्राप्त करना चाहो तो इस उपदेशको यथार्थरूपसे समझकर शीलवान् बनो
etad u viditvā tattvena śīlavān bhava putraka | yad icchasi śriyaṃ tāta suviśiṣṭāṃ yudhiṣṭhirāt ||
Knowing this truly and in its real principle, become a person of good conduct, my son. If you wish, dear child, to attain a prosperity even more distinguished than Yudhiṣṭhira’s, then grasp this instruction as it is and shape your character accordingly.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
True prosperity is grounded in understanding the teaching in its real essence (tattvena) and cultivating śīla—steady moral character and disciplined conduct—rather than seeking advantage through mere power or rivalry.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses his son in a didactic tone, urging him to internalize the preceding counsel and become virtuous; he frames ethical self-formation as the means to attain a prosperity even surpassing that associated with Yudhiṣṭhira.