Shloka 33
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
पृष्टश्न तेन बहुशः प्राप्त कथमनुत्तमम् । त्रैलोक्यराज्यं धर्मज्ञ कारणं तद् ब्रवीहि मे । प्रह्दोडपि महाराज ब्राह्मणं वाक्यमब्रवीत्
pṛṣṭaś ca tena bahuśaḥ prāptaṁ katham anuttamam | trailokya-rājyaṁ dharmajña kāraṇaṁ tad bravīhi me | prahlādo 'pi mahārāja brāhmaṇaṁ vākyam abravīt |
Questionné maintes et maintes fois, (le roi) dit : « Ô connaisseur du dharma, comment as-tu obtenu cette souveraineté sans égale sur les trois mondes ? Dis-m’en la cause. » Alors Prahlāda aussi, ô grand roi, s’adressa au brāhmaṇa en ces termes.
घतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical inquiry: supreme power (trailokya-rājya) is not treated as accidental but as having a discernible cause rooted in dharma, inviting reflection on how righteousness and conduct relate to authority and success.
A speaker repeatedly asks a dharma-knower how he attained unsurpassed rule over the three worlds and requests the reason; the narrative then shifts to Prahlāda, who addresses the brāhmaṇa, continuing the instructional dialogue.