Shloka 32
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
ब्राह्मणकी इस बातसे राजा प्रह्नलादको बड़ी प्रसन्नता हुई। उन्होंने “तथास्तुट कहकर उसकी बात मान ली और शुभ समयमें उसे ज्ञानका तत्त्व प्रदान किया ।।
brāhmaṇakī is bāt se rājā prahrādako baṛī prasannatā huī | unhoṃne “tathāstu” kahakar uskī bāt mān lī aura śubha samaya meṃ use jñāna-kā tattva pradāna kiyā || brāhmaṇo ’pi yathānyāyaṃ guru-vṛttim anuttamām | cakāra sarva-bhāvena yad asya manasepsitam ||
Al oír las palabras del brāhmaṇa, el rey Prahlāda se llenó de gran júbilo. Diciendo: «Así sea», aceptó la petición y, en hora propicia, le impartió el principio esencial del verdadero conocimiento. El brāhmaṇa también, conforme a lo debido, se condujo ante el rey con la más excelsa devoción propia de un maestro y, con todo su ser, le sirvió en cuanto complacía su ánimo.
घतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharmic reciprocity: true knowledge should be bestowed at the right (auspicious and appropriate) time, and the recipient should respond with proper conduct—here expressed as exemplary guru-like devotion and wholehearted service aligned with propriety (yathānyāyam).
King Prahlāda, pleased by the brāhmaṇa’s request or words, agrees (“tathāstu”) and later imparts the essence of knowledge. In return, the brāhmaṇa behaves toward the king with the highest standard of respectful, teacherly conduct and serves him in ways that please him.