Shloka 6
आशा-कृशता उपाख्यानम्
The Episode on the Emaciation Caused by Hope
आशा मद त्तरां मन्ये पर्वतादपि सद्रुमात् आकाशादपि वा राजजन्नप्रमेयैव वा पुन:
āśāṃ mad-uttarāṃ manye parvatād api sa-drumāt | ākāśād api vā rājann aprameyaiva vā punaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô roi, je tiens l’espérance pour plus grande que moi—plus grande même qu’une montagne couverte d’arbres, plus grande que le ciel; oui, encore et encore, elle demeure sans mesure.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hope (āśā) is portrayed as boundless and overpowering—surpassing even vast natural measures like mountains and the sky—implying that unchecked expectation can dominate the mind and must be understood and disciplined within dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and inner life, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king and reflects on the immense, immeasurable force of hope, using cosmic comparisons to emphasize its magnitude.