Shloka 3

Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation

Sumitra Itihāsa Begins

Devanagari script

कथं तत्‌ प्राप्पते शीलं श्रोतुमिच्छामि भारत । किंलक्षणं च तत्‌ प्रोक्तं ब्रूहि मे वदतां वर

Transliteration

kathaṁ tat prāpyate śīlaṁ śrotum icchāmi bhārata | kiṁlakṣaṇaṁ ca tat proktaṁ brūhi me vadatāṁ vara bhārata ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira preguntó: «Oh Bhārata, deseo oír cómo se alcanza esa noble conducta (śīla). Y ¿qué señales la definen, según ha sido enseñado? Oh, el mejor de los oradores, dímelo—oh Bhārata.»

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'katham', 'meaning': 'how?'}, {'term': 'tat', 'meaning': 'that (i.e., the subject under discussion)'}, {'term': 'prāpyate', 'meaning': 'is attained, is obtained'}, {'term': 'śīlam', 'meaning': 'good character

• habitual virtue'}, {'term': 'śrotum icchāmi', 'meaning': 'I wish to hear'}, {'term': 'bhārata', 'meaning': 'O Bhārata (descendant of Bharata

• an address to the interlocutor)'}, {'term': 'kiṁ-lakṣaṇam', 'meaning': 'what characteristic marks? what defining features?'}, {'term': 'proktam', 'meaning': 'declared, taught, stated'}, {'term': 'brūhi me', 'meaning': 'tell me'}, {'term': 'vadatāṁ vara', 'meaning': 'best among speakers'}]

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Bhārata (epithet/address)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical inquiry: true virtue (śīla) is not merely praised but must be understood in two ways—its means of attainment (how one cultivates it) and its lakṣaṇa (the observable signs by which genuine character is recognized).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions the elder teacher (implicitly Bhīṣma) and requests a clear account of how moral character is acquired and how it is defined, signaling a shift from grief and aftermath of war to systematic dharma-teaching.