Shloka 59
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
अपृच्छत् स ततो भूय: क्व यासि कमलालये । त्वं हि सत्यव्रता देवी लोकस्य परमेश्वरी । कश्चासौ ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठस्तत्त्वमिच्छामि वेदितुम्
apṛcchat sa tato bhūyaḥ kva yāsi kamalālaye | tvaṃ hi satyavratā devī lokasya parameśvarī | kaścāsau brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhas tattvam icchāmi veditum ||
Entonces volvió a preguntarle: «Oh Señora que mora en el loto, ¿adónde vas? Tú eres la diosa consagrada a la verdad, la soberana suprema del mundo. ¿Y quién era aquel primero entre los brāhmaṇas? Quiero conocer la verdad de ello con exactitud».
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic inquiry grounded in satya (truth): the speaker reverently recognizes the goddess as satyavratā and parameśvarī, and insists on knowing tattva—facts as they truly are—before forming judgment. Ethical clarity begins with truthful questioning and respect for divine order.
A Brahmin addresses a lotus-dwelling goddess (Śrī/Lakṣmī) and asks where she is going. He then seeks identification of an unnamed ‘foremost Brahmin’ and requests the precise truth about him, indicating a moment of revelation or transition involving the goddess and a significant Brahmin figure.