Shloka 7
आशा-कृशता उपाख्यानम्
The Episode on the Emaciation Caused by Hope
राजन! मैं आशाको वृक्षसहित पर्वतसे भी बहुत बड़ी मानता हूँ अथवा वह आकाशसे भी बढ़कर अप्रमेय है ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | rājan, ahaṃ āśāṃ vṛkṣasahitāt parvatād api bahutarīṃ manye, athavā sā ākāśād api bṛhatī aprameyā | eṣā caiva kuruśreṣṭha durvicintyā sudurlabhā | durlabhatvāc ca paśyāmi kim anyad durlabhaṃ tataḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Raja, aku memandang harapan lebih besar daripada gunung beserta pepohonannya; bahkan lebih luas daripada langit—tak terukur. Wahai yang terbaik di antara para Kuru, harapan ini sukar dipahami, amat sukar ditaklukkan, dan sulit dikuasai. Justru karena ia begitu langka dan tak mudah ditundukkan, aku melihatnya demikian agung. Sebab, apa lagi yang lebih sukar diraih—atau ditaklukkan—daripada harapan?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hope (āśā) is portrayed as immeasurable and extremely difficult to overcome; ethical steadiness requires recognizing how expectation and longing can dominate the mind, and cultivating self-mastery rather than being driven by endless anticipation.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king/elder as he reflects on inner obstacles to peace; he uses striking comparisons (mountain, sky) to argue that hope is the most elusive and unconquerable force among human tendencies.